Money in Your Mailbox

Money in your mailbox!

I like the sound of that; it's the title of a classic business opportunity book, and could be referring to your ideal business.

A lot of people are interested in starting an Internet-based business of one kind or another. But, Have you given any consideration to it's predecessor, the mail order field? Mail order (or direct marketing as it should be called) is an exciting business, and really the forerunner of almost all forms of Internet-based selling.

Direct marketing comes in many forms - catalogs, direct mail, direct response television and radio advertising...even infomercials. It's a form of marketing that's nearly as old as commerce itself! You only need to look at the old 1800's Sears catalogs to get a sense of the history of this field.

When the Internet became a viable means of retailing merchandise and services, many pundits predicted the end of the mail order business. Of course, that was the furthest thing from reality. Yes, many formerly mail order firms traded their catalogs for web-based selling, but many successfully held on to their catalog operations while building popular website storefronts. It quickly appeared that the catalog world and the online world could work successfully together. In my view, a web-based storefront is nothing more than a contemporary form of catalog anyway...so the internet merely enhanced an already attractive industry!

Where am I going with all of this? Well, have you considered a direct marketing business as one of your opportunities? Can you see yourself selling goods with a catalog, literally getting money in your mailbox? What about marketing via direct mail where you send offers to people for exciting goods you sell and they in-turn send you money? Or, perhaps you prefer to take the online route running an online storefront? Even something as simple as selling on eBay is a form of direct marketing and can add several hundred dollars a month to your income without too much effort. Imagine waking up on Monday to find money waiting for you in your online account!

In my next post I'll continue this examination of direct marketing as a business opportunity. I'll provide you with several valuable resources if you are interested in direct marketing as your business vehicle.

So...stay tuned!