Information on Starting a Mail Order Business ‘Small Business | Setting Up a New Business | Starting a Business By Christopher Carter Starting a mail order business can be a lucrative venture, if you're willing to work at it. As the owner of a mail order business, you'll be in charge of pricing and advertising. One of the most important decisions you'll make in the mail order business is deciding what products to sell. What to Sell There are a wide range of products you can sell through the mail, from toys to pet care products. If you're new to the mail order industry, you may want to focus on two or three products. Startingslowly will help you get a feel for how to operate your business, before expanding. Choose items that you'll be able to package and ship easily. Think about selling a product that consumers may need to order often, such as vitamins. Most importantly, choose products you can sell with a high markup, but at an attractive price. Target Market You'll need to do research to determine your target market. If you're selling costume jewelry, your primary target market may consist of women ages 24 and up. You need to know this information in order to carefully craft your sales material. After all, the buying emotions are different in a 50- year-old man, as compared to a 30-year-old woman. Advertising Campaign Your advertising materials can make or break your business. Your sales promotion may include a sales letter, brochures, business cards and flyers. Your sales material should appeal to your customer's core emotions. For instance, let's say you're selling vitamins and your target market is men and women ages 29 to 65. Your sales material may focus on a variety of desires and emotions, such as appealing to your customer's need to look good, feel younger or feel sexier. You may want to appeal to their fear of not living long due to an unhealthy lifestyle. You may have to conduct many test runs to find out what works best. Most importantly, make sure your sales information is written clearly, and your order entry form is easy for your customer to fill out. If your order entry form is cluttered and looks confusing, you run the risk of losing sales. Print Considerations When you've prepared your sales promotion, take it to a printer. Don't take any short cuts on printing by trying to print your material on a home computer. Take your sales material to a professional. Discuss the paper stock and layout. Choose high-quality paper. Before deciding on a printer, get a minimum of three written quotes. Choose the printer who meets your budget and quality demands. Record Keeping It's important to keep good records when you're in the mail order business. If you have a small operation, you can keep a written account of your sales, advertising costs and payments. If you prefer, you can use accounting software programs like Quick Books Pro or have a fulfillment house keep track of your accounting records, for a fee. Your fulfillment house is responsible for packaging, shipping, returns and collecting your money. They will keep accurate records of sales, payments and returns.