Building a Mail Order Business

Book excerpt: With more than 60,000 copies sold, this amazing manual has become aclassic in its field--and rightfully so. Nowhere else will youfind--in one book--so much valuable information on achievingsuccess in the mail order business. Dr. Bill Cohen has drawn on hisdecades of experience testing, researching, and constantly refiningthe mail order techniques described in this invaluable guide.Building a Mail Order Business offers a virtual treasury oftechniques and methods guaranteed to work in the real world ofselling through the mail. You'll get practical advice and learntricks of the trade that will get you started quickly, with thefewest missteps and greatest chances for success. Thorough and completely up-to-date, this authoritative guide coversevery aspect of the mail order business, from the basics of gettingstarted to the details of product selection, preparing a marketingplan, copywriting, designing graphics, printing, protectingyourself from competition, telemarketing, and advertising throughmagazines, radio, and television. In addition, a handy appendixlists hundreds of valuable contacts with complete addresses. In this new Fourth Edition, you'll learn the latest trends in mailorder--what works and what doesn't, the most effective look in adsand mailing pieces, how to put together the most attractive offers,and much more. For entrepreneurs, direct marketers, business owners, and otherseager to get into the mail order business, Building a Mail Order Business has proven itself to be anindispensable resource for the ideas, techniques, and expert advicethat will lead to success. All the success secrets of one of America's best-known and mostrespected experts on mail order and direct marketing--Now in a newedition! BUILDING A MAIL ORDER BUSINESS Fourth Edition Complete, authoritative, and now in a new edition, thisbest-selling guide to mail order success covers everything fromgetting your business started to handling legal issues, preparingcopy and graphics, selecting mailing lists, telemarketing, andadvertising in all types of media--an unbeatable source of directmarketing ideas that really work. Here's what the pros have said about previous editions of BillCohen's Building a Mail Order Business: "Dr. Bill Cohen's book thoroughly explores the many facets, andpitfalls, facing the budding mail order entrepreneur."-- Henry R."Pete" Hoke, Jr., Publisher, Direct Marketing "It took a mail order businessman who is also an educator to putdirect mail and mail order guidelines all in one place--and inlanguage we can all understand."--Freeman F. Gosden, Jr.,President, Smith-Hemmings-Gosden, one of the nation's largestdirect marketing advertising agencies "An outstanding primer for our industry. It gives you the nuts andbolts necessary to carry you through almost every aspect of mailorder from the very rudimentary basics to the same techniques usedby the pros."-- Joe Sugarman, JS&A "One of the best books I've ever read on the subject. Ienthusiastically recommend Building a Mail Order Business to anyman or woman who is serious about getting involved in thisfascinating activity."-- E. Joseph Cossman, President, CossmanInternational, Inc., author of How I Made a Million Dollars in MailOrder "An excellent, informative, comprehensive, illustrative workbookthat will help anyone get started making money in the fascinatingfield of mail order. I highly recommend this professional book."--Melvin Powers, mail order entrepreneur "...must reading for the entrepreneur whose mind is on mailorder."-- Paul Muchnick, Chairman, National Mail OrderAssociation "Its good sense and nuts-and-bolts, bottom-line approach make it adelightful guide through the mail order world."-- DM News