New Face in Scentsy, Linda L. Lind

There’s a new face in Scenty, Linda L. Lind. Looking to server Treasury Valley’s need for wickless candles. My phone number 208-461-4524, email lind1955@gmail.com. Web site www.scentsy.com/LindaL

January’s special

TURNING YOUR SEWING INTO MARKETABLE MERCHANDISE

Make, buy and sell needlecraft products such as pillows, crocheted or knitted items, quilts, sweaters and bedspreads. There is a huge market for these items -- and even larger number of people who make them. The trouble is that the qualifications for creating these beautiful items (patience, TLC, close attention and years of practice) are quite different from what it often takes to successfully market them!Many people have a great deal of difficulty selling their needle handiwork. Even when they do, they often don't even get back the cost of the materials. To make money in this area you must FIND and then ASSAULT the market!When you sell only to friends and neighbors, the "market" quickly becomes saturated and only lowering your prices even more seems to stimulate sales. Unfortunately, human nature is such that most people will pay a decent price only for something made across town by someone they don't know.Some people view an item made by someone they know (other than family) as "home made" -- a substitute for the real "store bought" thing. But when they buy an item that was crafted by a total stranger, it is "handmade" -- something exquisite (Ah, human nature!).This explanation does not make much sense, but it unfortunately rings true in too many situations. Even so, it does NOT mean there isn't a good market for YOUR hand made products.With a little imagination, your items can be marketed tastefully, or better still, SHOWCASED. Compare a homemade quilt hanging on a clothesline beside Grandma Brown's house to a HANDMADE QUILT (same quality) featured in a store window with a pleasing background and a couple of spotlights to show off the beautiful color patterns and intricate stitching!Think of a clever name; have your own labels made; take some good color pictures of your product, then prepare a brochure or "flyer" (one sheet ad) showing it in its most favorable light.Draw attention to its detail, fine work, durability and describe how it will become a HANDED DOWN HEIRLOOM in the buyer's family.Put light colors on dark backgrounds (and vice versa) for contrast in your ads; print (calligraphy would be even better) little cards to "announce" the product in its setting. Tell about the fine materials used and the meticulous work involved -- show your products as the valuable, hand made treasures they are!Show only a few products (even one) at a time to avoid a clustered or oversupplied appearance, which tends to cheapen the effect, whether the medium is a store window or a brochure.Use as much skill and planning to present your products as do to create them! How about little tags or folders with something like Aunt Martha's Hand Crafted Pillow Covers, "each one created with loving patience and care?" Doesn't that sound more interesting than "Do you want to buy some pillow covers I made?"You can advertise your products in the newspaper, magazines, or through bulletin boards and clubs. You can offer finished goods, or take orders for them to be made in a choice of sizes and colors.One way to advertise inexpensively is to offer a sample of your work as a prize in a community drawing or contest, or for a charity auction (just make sure there are not several other similar items -- too much competition ruins the effect for everyone).Another technique is to rent a window in a vacant store or one that will lease space or accept a commission on sales made as a result of the display.Check on fairs and shows on subjects where renting a booth might be an excellent way of meeting potential customers. The "trick" here is to have a "free drawing." People that stop by your booth can register by filling out a small form and keeping the numbered stub. The "price" you realize for whatever you give away is a list of names and addresses of people who were interested in your products.Now, you can send them brochures and "special offers"! A stall at a flea market may or may not be advisable, depending on the clientele (some are great for auto parts, but no good at all for hand made tablecloths).Call on stores in your area that might handle products like yours -- ask them to buy yours, or at least take them on consignment (if they do and they sell, switch them to outright purchases later).If you have or can produce a good quantity of your products, contact a mail order house to see about selling to them, or paying them a commission on sales they make for you.Regardless of which sales system works out best for you, once you have established a satisfactory "outlet", immediately start making plans to buy other (non-competitive) products of equal quality (or take them on consignment), attach your label and add them to your "line."You can specify exact products, color combinations quality -- what it takes to qualify for your label -- which is necessary to maintain your reputation and enables other products to be sold through you.If you are considering mail order sales, place a few "test ads" in smaller publications to learn which type of ad works best for your product.You need to learn the best wording as well as the best potential market, so keep careful track of which ads are answered by whom (use a box number suffix, suite or department number).Spend a little time in the library to find magazines that would be a good place for your advertisements, and in others that advertise supplies you need (trade magazines).When writing to any commercial supplier, always use letterhead paper. The easiest way to do this is to name yourself (use the same name on your product labels).Order at least a minimum set of letterhead paper and matching envelopes for contacting suppliers.In this business, as well as any other, records are extremely important. A person who can create quality handmade items is one who should have no trouble keeping neat and accurate records! In the beginning, a simple single entry ledger might be best (unless you are experienced in this area) -- because it will serve as a sort of "diary" as well as business record.BUSINESS SOURCESGOODFELLOW, Box 4520, Berkeley, CA 94704. Catalog of toys and handmade home merchandise. Good place to advertise your products. Write for details.ANNIE'S KNITTING PATTERNS. Box 398, Chestertown, NY 12817. Knitting pattern book, design graphs. Buys and sells.JAN KNITS Box 315, Ingamar, MT 59039. Knitted sweater kits; garment kits. Buys and sells.SHELBURNE SPINNERS, North Avenue Extension, Burlington, VT 05401. Knitting kits, Handspun yarn. Buys and sells.KITS, Box 182, Madison Lake, MN 56063. Knitting kits. Buys and sells.DAN NEWMAN CO. 57 Lakeview Ave.,Clifton, NJ 07011. Logos and name tags.ENJOY MACRAME NEWSLETTER, 3817 N Vermillion, Danville, IL 61832. Newsletter for macram� enthusiasts.HAND DANCER NEEDLEPOINT DESIGN, Box 480, Northville, NY 12123. Needlepoint kits, buys and sells.HOOK AND NEEDLE. 31 Broadway, Rockport, MA 01966. Needlepoint kits, buys and sells.HANDWORKS, Box 545, Smithtown, NY 11787. Needlepoint canvasses. Buys and sells.JAN'S NEEDLEWORKS, Box 689, Old Bethpage, NY 11804. Needle mug kits; needlework footstool kit; buys and sells.NEEDLEWORK PORTRAITS, Box 9, Green Farms, CT 06436. Needlepoint portrait kits - from photographs. Buys and sells.NEEDLEWORK TIMES, Box 87263, Chicago, IL 60680. Newspaper for needlework enthusiasts.NATIONAL QUILTING ASSN, Box 62, Greenbelt, MD 20770. Publishes PATCHWORK PATTER, magazine for quilting enthusiasts.THE TREADLE WORKS, 118 Westridge Drive, Portola Valley, CA 94205. Amish design quilting kits.HARRIS PUBLICATIONS, INC. 79 Madison Ave.,NY 10016. Publishes QUILT magazine.COVERED BRIDGE FABRIC WORKS, Box 884, Flagstaff, AZ 88022. Good Feelings quilting kits. Buys and sells.HOMECRAFT SERVICES, 1441 Atlantic, Kansas City, MO 64116. Embroidered quilt designs. Buys and sells.QUILTS AND OTHER COMFORTS, Box 394, Wheatridge, CO 80033. Quilt kits, pillow kits, quilt patterns and supplies. Buys and sells.WORK DESIGN, 8916 York Rd.,Charlotte, NC 28224. Latch hook rug kits. Buys and sell.CRAFTSMAN STUDIO. North Street, Kennebunkport, ME 04046. Rug hooking equipment, hooked rug designs. Buys and sells.SEW BUSINESS 2100 N Central Rd.,Ft lee, NJ 07024. Monthly publications: ART NEEDLEWORK and QUILT QUARTERLY $15 yr. each.JANA ASSOCIATES, 49 Longview Rd.,Staten Island, NY 10304. Close-outs: beads, doll eyes, felt pieces, etc.CREATIVE PRODUCTS, Box 584, Lake Forest, IL 60046. Free subscription to businesses (write on letterhead). Good place to look for sewing product information.NEEDLE & THREAD MAGAZINE, 4949 Byers, Ft Worth, TX 76107. Also publishes NEEDLECRAFT FOR TODAY.HOUSE OF WHITE BIRCHES, Box 337, Seabrook, NH 03874. Publishes STITCH N' SEW and WOMEN'S CIRCLE - as the National Friendly Homemakers Club. Both quarterly -$6 yr.C.M. ALMY & SON, INC. 37 Purchase St.,Rye, NY 10580. Yarns, even weave cloth, ecclesiastical supplies. Buys and sells.LAURA'S CREATIVE STITCHERY, Box 291, Bountiful, UT 84014. Pillow kits, quilting kits, patterns. Buys and sells.ROMNI WOOLS & FIBERS, LTD., 3779 W. 10th Ave.,Vancouver, BC, Canada. V6R 2G5. Spinning wheels, carding equipment, weaving looms; Buys and sells.DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. 31 East 2nd St.,Mineola, NY 11051. Discount books, clip art, stencils, etc.QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolinshire, IL 60917-4700, 312/634-4800. Office supplies.NEBS, 500 Main St.,Groton, MA 04171, 800/225-6380. Office supplies.SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber stamps - $3; business cards - $13 per thousand.ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead stationery. Will print your copy ready logo or design, even whole card.WALTER DRAKE, 4119 Drake Bldg.,Colorado Springs, CO 80940. Short run business cards, stationery, etc. Good quality but no choice of style or color.

SPORTS SCORECARDS

Here's a beautiful idea that's sure to put a lot of cash in your pockets! It's an idea that definitely fulfills a need, and has tremendous market potential virtually anywhere in the whole world.As you probably already know, our ever-improving standard of living is giving everyone more and more leisure time- time to play, and enjoy doing the things that bring them happiness.You can capitalize on the abundance of leisure time, the challenge of the game, and man's determination to do better the next time out than last time, with Personalized Bowling or Golf Scorecards. The only investment needed will be a little bit of your time, and then your ideas should just about perpetuate itself. Here's how to get organized and started...1) Make several Xerox copies of the "Personal Score Card" given as a part of this report. Paste these "copies" onto light weight card stock.2) Make a list of the sporting good stores in your area, particularly those in the areas of your bowling and golfing establishments. In fact, if you have several, it would be best to group each list of sports stores with the bowling or golfing facilities by area.3) With your example of the "Personal Scoring Record," call upon the owners or managers of these bowling and/or golfing outlets. Using a low-keyed sales approach, explain the workings of your product, and sell them on the idea of putting up the money for the basic supply of cards and printing. (This will enable you to reap 100% profit from the sale of advertising on the cards.) These facilities benefit from an advertisement on the "front page" of each score card.) Your sale to the bowling/golfing facilities managers should be for the provision of one to five thousand of these cards, which they'll make available to their patrons free of charge at their cash control counters.4) You can either sell the advertising space on the card yourself, or hire commission sales people to do the selling for you. It would be best to do your own selling for you. It would be best to do your own selling, because once you've got the card sold, you'll not have to do any reselling--just call on your advertisers about every three months to perpetuate their contracts with you. It will be important, though, for you to "drop in" on your advertisers at least once a month to check to see how things are going and if they're pleased with your advertising. If you don't drop in on your advertisers except at renewal time, you will find it very hard to sustain them as advertisers.5) You should charge each advertisers at least $100 for exposure of his "one by one" display ad on 5,000 of your cards for 3 months running. With space for a total of twenty such ads, which the advertiser supplies for you, each bowling or golfing facility that you set up with these personal score cards should mean a couple of thousand dollars in profits.6)When you've sold your advertisers, and collected the ads they want to run on your scorecard, take the "sample card" with your printer---any quick print shop will do have him help you with the "paste-up" and tell him to print 5,000 for you, and to finish them by folding them for you. Your costs should all be absorbed within the money received from the bowling or golfing establishment you first sold the cards to...When your cards are ready, simply take them to the original bowling or golfing manager, exchange a few amenities and leave them with him for handing out to his patrons or customers.From start to finish, the whole project shouldn't take you more than a couple of weeks. And if you only sold one card every three months, this would/could mean a very easy annual income of $12,000... Of course the ideal situation is go on selling these cards, using the same principle, to go to as many different blowing and golfing centers as possible. In small towns with only one or two such centers, travel to the surrounding towns and sell the idea to them. In the Seattle Washington area, the people are grossing more than $150,000 a year while working only one month out of every three!This is the idea...It's very workable anywhere in the world. It's been proven to be a fabulous money-maker in Seattle, Washington... The next step, and the rest is up to you!

SELF-PUBLISH YOUR OWN BOOKS

You can make a lot of money by writing and self-publishing your own material, if you are willing to write the books, manuals, reports or newsletters that millions of people across the United States, and throughout the world for that matter, desperately want to buy. Today, more than ever before, is the age of information. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, there continues to be an incredible demand for information throughout America and the world. There is an astronomical demand for information-packed books, manuals, reports and newsletters of almost every imaginable kind.It's really much easier than you might have ever guessed to start filling your bank account with cash from information you possess. People crave information that appeals to their basic needs and will somehow educate or enlighten them. Simply by putting your own specialized information into books, manuals, reports or newsletters, you can start putting a hefty price on information you have no doubt been giving away.FIND YOUR MARKET--THEN WRITE YOUR MATERIALAnyone who can communicate an idea to another person, should be able to get their same message across on a written page. If you are either and expert on some subject, or are interested enough to obtain the information needed for a project, you have what it takes to go from having an idea, to self-publishing your own material in whatever format it develops into.There are hundreds of publications filled with ads by people just like yourself, who discovered they could make a lot of money writing and publishing their own work. Looking through opportunity magazines, or other publications that cover the field you are interested in, is a good place to start looking for ideas.Review all the advertisements in the magazines you have chosen to see what popular topics and subjects are being written about in books, manuals, reports and newsletters. Then ask yourself if you can come up with a better way, or have equally interesting information you can present from a different angle, or with a different twist that would also be of interest to the readers in that market. If the answer is "yes," then you can enter that market and also make some incredible money! CASH IN ON YOUR CREATIVITY AND EXPERTISEBe creative in developing your material. Perhaps you are aware of some techniques that allow people to accomplish their goals faster in a certain field. Maybe you can think of a better way to cash in on some current fad. The bottom line is that people are hungry for information and ideas, and you can become the writer or self-publisher of information people want to buy.People are eager to buy information that can help them improve their lives: 1) Financially; 2) Physically; and 3) Emotionally. If you can fill any of those needs with information that can be put onto a written page, there are millions of people waiting to hand over their cash to get it.KNOWING HOW TO PACKAGE YOUR INFORMATIONCAN EARN YOU A FORTUNE!After you have written your material, you will have to decide on how you will package the information to make it salable. Depending on your market, some packaging will sell better than others. For example, you can print your information in a series of publications, print it in a book, manual, report or newsletter, put it on cassette tapes, or present it at seminars. You can focus on one area, or utilize many areas.One thing is certain, people are paying billions of dollars to obtain well-packaged information! There are books that sell for up to $100 and more, with manuals coming in a close second. There are reports that consist of 10-12 pages selling for up to $10 or more, while some seminars can cost as much a $15,000 for a single weekend. It may sound incredible to the average person, but people are willing to pay top dollar for information. However, the "packaging" must be perceived as being worth the price you are asking.But before you decide on how to package your information, you must first consider who your primary audience is, and cater to those people in everything you do.FOCUS ON SUBJECT MATERIAL THAT IS SALABLEInformation for your subject matter can be found in various places. For the very best results, start with your own field or expertise and turn it into a book, manual, report or newsletter.Focus on providing your targeted market with simple, understandable, and helpful information. It must overwhelmingly appeal to your customer's wants and desires.Never forget that this is the age of specialized information. People are completely willing to spend their money for tens of thousands of different forms of information, provided it is useful to them. Your job is to either find a need and fill it, or create the need and supply it.One of the best ways to get started is to sit down with some paper and write down every subject you have some degree of knowledge about. Your list of subjects doesn't have to be in any particular order. Don't force it. When ideas for headings no longer come easy, stop and start up again at a later time. When you feel comfortable that you have covered most of the areas you know, start picking out the topics that interest you the most. Then you can start researching more material for your writing projects.FILL YOUR MATERIAL WITH SELF-INTEREST BENEFITSMany new writers fail to understand that if they expect any hope for business survival, let alone success, they must come to realize early on that a big part of their job is to arouse the emotions and desires of their customers. Your product, whether a book, manual, report or newsletter, must be portrayed as being jam-packed with self-interest benefits.Millions of dollars in failed business ventures are wasted every year simply because entrepreneurs fail to understand that what they have to say is not necessarily what customers want to hear. You should never forget this valuable lesson. It can make you rich!YOUR MATERIAL MUST STIREMOTIONS AND DESIRESEmotions are what move people to buy anything. Therefore, the job of your product and advertisement vehicle is to move your prospect to buy. You have to stir enough emotions, not only to cause desire, but the rationalization that provides an excuse based on logic.Even after a prospect makes a commitment to buy your book. etc., they may think they have acted logically. None of your customers will ever admit that emotions had anything to do with their purchase. What you must always be aware of, however, is that logic probably had little to do with a buyer's decision. That is because human actions are often caused by instincts and compulsions that most buyers are unaware of.As you write your material for publication in any form, or as you develop an ad or other sales package, always think in terms of how a particular benefit will stir a reader's emotions and desires. Try to understand how your product might be perceived by readers by focusing on your own feelings.ADVERTISING IS VITAL TO THE SUCCESSOF YOUR SELF-PUBLISHING VENTUREThe success of your advertising will ultimately depend on the salability of your book, manual, report, newsletter, etc. Good advertising will make a good book sell better, but it cannot transform a poor book into being successful.Advertising is vital to any business venture because:1) It allows a business to deliver their message repeatedly and reinforce it in the minds of targeted consumers.2) It allows a business to reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers at a relatively low cost compared to individual sales calls.3) It allows a business to target their market and test their product.4) A business identity can quickly be established.5) A forum for showing a product, together with benefits and advantagescan be established.BASIC ADVERTISING RULESEffective marketing is a vast field. It includes using marketing tools such as: direct mail; space and classified ads; signs; radio and TV commercials; business involvement, and more. In fact, the approaches you can take and the methods you use are only limited by your imagination and resources. There are basic rules that do not change, however. They are as follows:Rule No. 1 - You must get a prospect's ATTENTION.(Your headline is the most important part of an advertisement.)Rule No. 2 - You must create reader INTEREST.(Your ad should be built around an idea that offers value.)Rule No. 3 - You must arouse the reader's DESIRE.(By focusing on all the benefits they will receive.)Rule No. 4 - Your ad must move them to ACT.(Tell your readers exactly what it is you want them to do.)In order to avoid making careless advertising decisions that can cost you money, it is important that you understand and participate in your own strategies. That means getting involved and researching what strategy will produce sound advertising.It is essential that you have a plan before you take action on developing and advertising strategy. Your plan must be based on an objective analysis that has resulted from your knowledge and research.It doesn't matter what your background is, you can learn to master the type of mail order advertising that is needed to launch a self-publishing business.Through research and careful planning you can become familiar with the writing skills you will need to create effective adds. Obtain all the information you can from the masters in the business. Read and study every book, manual, report, newsletter, ad, article, and publication you can get your hands on that will help you in developing your own successful strategies and techniques. Then bring all of that knowledge together to obtain winning results.10 MONEY-MAKING REASONS WHYSELF-PUBLISHING IS THE BEST CHOICEYou become a "self-publisher" by taking your material (book, manual, report, newsletter, etc.) and by-passing all the middlemen. You by-pass the middlemen by going directly to a printer and handling all the marketing and distribution of the product yourself.As a self-publisher you invest your talent, time, energy and money. The benefits you receive are complete control over your product and all the profits!Here is a condensed version of 10 good reasons why you should self-publish:1) Self publishing may be the only way to get published. With thousands upon thousands of manuscripts, etc. being sent to publishers continually, you may not be able to get anyone to even look at your idea. Self-publishing may be your only solution.2) As a self-publisher you get to keep all of the profits from your sales. Why accept 4%-6% in royalties from a publishing company when you can have it all!3) You have absolute marketing and editing control when you self-publish. According to Writer's Digest poll, 60% of the big publishing firms do the final editing; 23% select the final title; 20% will not even consult an author on the cover design, and 37% do not involve authors in promoting their own material.4) Major publishers may receive up to several hundred manuscripts a week. Unless the have already published your work, the odds they will even look at your material aren't very high.5) When you self-publish you are in control every step of the way. By depending on another publisher to make things happen for you, you take the chance of never getting anywhere.6) By self-publishing you gain the perspective of being able to see the complete marketing picture from a publisher's point of view.7) Even if a publisher did accept your work, it would take an average of 18 more months before the first copy reached the market place. Self-publishing will save you valuable time. Especially if you can'tafford to miss a market that can quickly pass by.8) Waiting for a letter from a publisher that never comes can be frustrating and embarrassing. Self-publishing eliminates the waiting and wondering.9) When you self-publish and get more directly involved in marketingyou will obtain a more total business picture.10) As a self-publisher you will receive more business tax advantages.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING & YOUR OWN HOME-BUSINESS

One way to make extra money or start a business of your own is byplacing advertising which will pay a good profit. Selling printedinformation by mail can be financially rewarding. Classifiedadvertising is the cheapest way to get into Mail Order and it isoften possible to raise a fortune from these small ads. Justcheck any large publication such as Popular Mechanics, for theirclassified advertising section and you can see yourself the manyads.These small ads, running month after month would not be there ifthey were not profitable and making money. according to some ofthe promotional material being sent around the country, you couldmake up to $500.00 or possibly more by running the followingclassified ads over your name and address. They ask you to pickup a top national publication and test either one or both under"Money-Making Opportunities" headings and watch the dollars comein. I did not run any of these ads myself but was told theyreally are both profitable. Here are the programs and theadvertisements:"How would you like to receive $25 daily and keep all the money?For complete set-up rush $1 to (Your name and address)"" $500 monthly, work at home, receive money daily. For completeset-up send $1 to (Your name and address here)"You are supposed to fill orders you receive with a copy of thissheet you are now reading. Make photocopies or get a supplyprinted to send as needed.There are other variations of this plan, but all serve the samepurpose: to sell printed information to people who are interestedin making some extra money. (they say it is truly possible tomake money with this plan).If you study the many classified ads in the big nationalpublications, you may get a better idea of what the leadingcompanies in Mail Order are doing. You will get a better idea ofhow classified advertising works. if you have limited capital, itwould be wise to run your ads in smaller publications such assmall newspapers, small Mail Order Publications and adsheets.If you have sufficient capital, some good pulling nationalmagazines or Tabloids are:*Popular Mechanics*Money Making Opportunities*Salesman's Opportunities*Specialty Salesman*Mechanics Illustrated*National EnquirerAnd many others to numerous to mention.many such magazines tabloids and other good publications areavailable at your local news stand, library or through MailOrder. Many of them require a copy of the material you areselling with your ad and reserve the right not to print certainads they feel may be injurious to the public or the image oftheir publicationYes! You can start your own advertising and mailing business athome and keep finances ahead of inflation but be sure you areinvolved in the kind of program that gives you a reasonablechance to be a winner!

15 Ways to Super Charge Your Business...

We decided it would be fun to interview 10 of the smartest marekting guruswe know, including 7 multi-millionaires, about the best ways to increasecustomer and cash flow for just about any business.What we got were a variety of fresh, innovative ideas -- and once you readthem, you will know that they came from a group of folksd who have alreadymade it big in businesses of their own.The following are the "15 Best" ideas for super charging your business, nomatter what kind of business you are in.1. "Same-Old" is out -- Getting attention with something new is in. To getnew business, you must strive to be innovative and dramatic. For example,an insurance agency, offered "the biggest steak dinner in town" if itcouldn't save any person money on their car insurance. This challenge wasenough to make the telephone start ringing off the hook for days at a time.The customer flow was "absolutely crazy" for days. The bottom line:dozens of new insurance buyers and tons of new cash flow -- and all theyhad to do was fork out the cost for a half dozen steak dinners!2. Tight target marketing. The big job in marketing and sales is gettingto the right people inside another company. Addressing mail to "FacilitiesManager" or printing a "routing slip" on the outside ofthe envelope isineffective. Hitting the target is the challenge.Scoring a bull's eye meansmaking contact with the right individuals and is the only way to make thesale. Taking time to be highly targeted in business communication isessential.3. Be more creative. Pushing direct-mail pieces out the door or sendingthe newsletter to the mail room isn't doing the job. Ask yourself: "Willanyone be intrigued enough to read the mailer--before tossing it in thewastebasket?" Ask the same question about the company newsletter. A highlycreative approach is necessary to be different and distinctive. Creativitycosts money. But, if more peopleread the ad, take time with the newsletteror decide that the offer in a mailer makes sense, you have accomplished thegoal.4. Focus on what customers care about. After listening to the admissionsdirector talk about what should be shown in the school'snew recruitingvideo, the marketing consultant asked, "Is this whatparents and prospectivestudents are interested in knowing?"Suddenly, everyone became lessconfident. Someone suggested askingthe student tour guides what questionsthe visiting parents and kidsasked? Whether creating an ad, a brochure, ora sales presentation,knowing what the customer wants, needs and expects iswhat works.5. Tell customers how to think about your company. We come toconclusionsby making comparisons. If you don't let customers and prospects know why itis in their best interests to do business withyou or buy your product, theywon't. The rating of life insurance companies makes an impact on customers.The J.D. Powers' customer-satisfaction survey on cars and personal computermanufacturers influences buying behavior. Wise companies spend time andeffort consciously influencing the way they are perceived bycustomers,prospects, bankers and stockholders.6. Make your offers outstanding. Customers are cautious. They don't likebeing put on the spot; they don't want to make a mistake. This is whyoffers are essential. "Try it for 30 days...free." "We won't deposit yourcredit card slip for a month." "Your satisfaction is guaranteed." "Take thecar for the weekend and drive it all you want." The goal is to overcome thecustomer's reluctance.7. Be in the right place at the right time. "Why didn't I think of you lastweek when we bought the new..." Some salespeople simply shrug off suchcomments. "Oh, well. I can't be in the right place every time." Wrong. Beingin front of the customer is today's assignment. Developing a consistentprogram for staying in front of customers regularly is the challenge. A mixof seminars, newsletters, bulletins, fact sheets, special events andinformative articles will keep you in the customers' minds.8. Name your product or service. One of the best ways to differentiateyour products or services from all the rest is to give them distinctivenames. A building contractor with expertise in remodeling during off-hourscalls himself the "stealth" remodeler. A fuel oil dealer doesn't talk aboutservice--he emphasizes "ComfortCare Service." The idea is to imbue ordinaryideas with new meaning thereby separating your com-pany from yourcompetitors. Make sure, however, that the name appeals to your customersand not just to you.9. Be relentless. Persistence is power in marketing and sales. Far toomany firms fail in their efforts because they don't follow through longenough to produce proper results. Marketing momentum comes from acon-sistent effort. Once you start a newsletter, issue it on schedule. Ittakes time for customers to comprehend what you are doing and for prospectsto get acquainted--and comfortable--with a business.10. Get rid of the self-serving nonsense. Most company publications, ads,letters, brochures, and other sales materials are filled with words,photographs and information that do nothing more than toot the company'shorn. No one cares that the business says it is the "best," "oldest" or the"biggest." Pictures of the staff are only interesting to the staff. Abetter approach is to ask prospects what they want to know about yourcompany. We doubt anyone will be anxious to see pictures of the CEO,chairman of the board or the executive vice president.11. Tell them everything you know. Spill the beans, so to speak.Sincetoday's customers want information, knowledge and helpful ideas, doeverything you can to share everything you know. This is the only way tobecome a valued resource to your customers. When people use your ideas,they will buy what you sell.12. Be generous. No one wants to do business with firms operatingon aone-way street. Buy a new car and the dealer hands you a 20-cent plastickey holder! It sends a message that this dealer doesn't under-stand hiscustomers. You may forget the car, but you will never forget the lousy keyring! Another auto dealer delivers the new car to your office. What adifference. This dealer sends a powerful message--our customers areimportant.13. Make prospect identification your mission. The single mostimportantdaily activity in any business is prospect identification.By makingprospecting a continuing process, companies produce asteady flow of newsales leads. They never stop asking, "Who do wewant to do business with ifwe have the chance?" Then make sure all prospects are entered into adatabase so they can be cultivated over a period of time.14. Scrutinize your corporate identity. Yes, how a company presents itselfmakes a difference. Is the logo appropriate? Is it dated? Does itcommunicate the right message and the correct image? Is the president theonly one who understands it? What about the company colors? Are theyreminiscent of the late '50s? Do the letterhead, mailing labels andbusiness cards convey a strong, positive message? Or, are they dull andordinary looking? If you don't think this is important, your competitorswill be thrilled. Corporate identity is the face you put on your company.15. Write customer-centered letters. Most business letters have cold,impersonal words. "As per our conversation..." "Pursuant to ouragree-ment..." When was the last time you heard anyone talk this way atlunch (other than perhaps a lawyer)? Yet, give the same executives a penand they become stilted. There is no reason why business letters should notbe warm, friendly, conversational, interesting--and customer-centered.Write as if you were the one reading it. Should a letter end at the bottomof the first page? Yes, if that's what it takes to tell the story? But itmay take two, four or six pages. A letter should be as long as necessaryand always interesting to the reader.

INSTANT MONEYMAKING PART - TIME BUSINESSES

IntroductionYou're on the road to success - Congratulations! You boughtthis report because you want information on starting a business,part-time at first, without investing a lot of money, yet onethat will quickly be a money-maker. You'll find a number ofthem here.In each one we give the basic concept of the business, whatproduct or service it provides to your customers, and how it isoperated, and (if any are necessary) what equipment orfacilities or help will be needed.But whatever business you choose, remember that no business cansucceed without your effort. remember that determination andhard work are the mother and father of success. If you supplythose, and use the information we supply, you can't miss. Goodluck!1. Television Computer PicturesLease a computer printer and a video camera and a monitorscreen that produces large-size, high contrast portraits ofcustomers in 30 seconds, while they wait. You will find this asure-fire crowd attracter, as the printer chatters away. Set upin a crowded resort are. Charge at least $4 a picture, framedin a simple mat, almost all of which is gross profit. Net costof all materials, about 8 cents.Hot source: The equipment to do this is available fromSketch Division, 140 Wood Road, Braintree, Mass. 021842. Badge-MakingRent a small multilith printing machine and a badge sealingmachine, and using self-adhesive Presstype for typesetting,design and set cut sayings for the badges. Sell as a customservice, making slogans to order, or make a wide range offar-out sayings in bulk quantities and sell them to local giftand novelty shops for resale.3. Run a "Consignment Shop"It requires very little capital and accepts goods for sale frommembers of the public and sells these items for them on acommission basis. You might try a wide variety of items atfirst, to see what sells best and most regularly.4. Picture Framing, In Your Own HomeRelatively inexpensive materials with a good sense of color andstyle and a reasonable ability with carpentry tools, will builda large custom-framing business, since people who spend money onart won't skimp on the frames either, if they want agood-looking result.5. Rental EquipmentBe the source of supplies for do-it-yourselfers. Working onlySaturdays and Sundays, when they do, you rent out power tools,such as circular saws, jigsaws, reciprocating saws, gasolinechain saws, electric drills, electric planers, belt and orbitalsanders, routers, paint sprayers, wallpaper-removal steamers,staple guns, pumps, home cleaning machines, Roto-tillers, andother equipment for daily fees. Operate out of your garage.6. Talent Bureau, For Kid's or Adults' PartiesUsing local ads, or your own contacts, line up 10 to 20 localentertainers, magicians, comics, puppeteers and other talents,and supply them for parties, club meetings and other functions. Have a list of films you can also supply for the same, or othergroups, which they can project themselves, if they wish, or youwill supply an operator.7. Throwing Parties for ProfitEveryone loves to go to a party, and nowadays some smartoperators make a mint running them for everybody who wants toattend. You can too! Hire a hall and a band, plan to set up abar (if you can get a temporary liquor permit), and promote thehell out of it with ads, handbills, bumper stickers andlamp-post posters. Special parties aimed at a particular groupdo best, such as singles, or under-thirties, or over-forties. This idea is especially good in college towns.8. Start a Hobby CenterMake money on your unused space (and maybe the power toolsyou've already paid for!) Turn your basement into a woodworkingcenter, your spare bedroom into a photo darkroom, and yourgarage into a pottery workshop with a wheel and a small kiln. Rent the space and equipment by the hour, expand into morehobbies as time and money permit, and charge additional fees forinstruction in any of those fields you're good at.9. Organize a Babysitting ServiceOne of the troubles most people find is that their babysitter isalways busy just the night they want to go out. You set up aservice, finding good reliable teenage girls and boys,middle-aged or older women, and act as a go-between, providingsitters whenever your customers want them, collecting the fees,and paying the sitters. Advertise your service, and handbillshouse-to-house locally being a good way.10. Make Money From Your HobbiesAre you an expert at something that you do at home for fun? Then make it pay off for you! If you're a gourmet cook, givecooking lessons in the haut cuisine. If you're an accomplishedpainter in oils or water-color, offer a portrait-paintingservice. If you're a skilled carpenter, design and make customcabinets to order. Almost any hobby you're good at can beturned to making a profit if you think about it carefully, anddecide who could use your expertise - as a consultant in thatfield, if nothing else. All you really have to do to getstarted is to place an ad!11. Publish a Buy/Swap Paper in Your TownGet money from both ends in this sweetheart deal. Publish theweekly paper with classified ads from the public offering stufffor sale, arranged according to category, and charge the peoplefor their ads (some operators let them pay only if and when theysell, but in that case charge them a percentage of the sellingprice, 5% for smaller items, 2% or 3% for automobiles), and thensell the newspaper (suggest price is 25 cents) as well, throughlocal newsstands and by subscription (in the mail). Once youhave a fairly decent circulation, local merchants will also payyou for display ads, because they know people really read buyand swap newspapers religiously cover-to-cover.12. Do Custom Photo DevelopingQuality is essential, and speed is generally also required,although you can charge a premium for rush service. If youalready have an elaborate dark-room set-up in your home, so muchthe better, but if not it can be fitted in anywhere you haveroom, the basement being ideal, since windows are not arequirement. You must be able not only to develop and printevery normal size of film from 35 mm to 8" x 10" but handleenlargements up to a minimum of 30" x 40", and preferably 5" 8*"or more, and do copying both of opaque material and slides. Anability to offer retouching, restoration and coloring as well ishelpful, even if you have to send that specialized work out.13. Publish a Part-Time Jobs DirectoryMake this a newsstand book, as well as offering it, with smallads, by mail order. List all the possible jobs people can getpart-time, especially angling it at college kids on vacation,teachers after school hours, housewives with time on theirhands, and moonlighters looking for part-time second jobs.14. Run a Children's "Explorer Club"Take kids on Saturday and Sunday outings. Ten kids each day,to zoos, farms, theaters, children's shows and sports events. Asmall micro-bus (rented and, or eventually bought) can be usedto travel in. Many parents are delighted to have weekend daysto themselves, even though it costs them some dough.15. Be an InstructorTeach whatever you know. Your trade, profession, cookingskills, a second language, woodworking, chess, photography,knitting, karate, bridge, auto repair, etc. People will pay forgood lessons in these useful and enjoyable skills.16. Run a Floor Scraping/Polishing ServiceYou buy or (at first) rent, a heavy-duty machine, and do thecleaning and waxing of fine, hardwood floors. If the floors arein very bad condition, machine sand them and them completelyrefinish them with modern super-durable polyurethane finishes.17. Operate a Children's HotelThis is sort of a "boarding house" for kids while their parentgo away for a week-end or two-week vacation. Requires a largehouse, and preferably, a large yard or grounds, swings, slides,and facilities useful for kids. Must be done very responsiblyand carefully. Also, don't take very young children (less than9 or 10 say) because they may require too much dressing,feeding, etc.18. Start a Mail-Order BusinessWrite a booklet about something people really want to knowabout, print a few hundred copies, and place some small ads. You'd be surprised how much money you can make. Sell moderncopies of out-of-print uncopyrighted material or books. Or sellsomething unusual you make at home, providing that it issomething really useful to your prospective customers. Or sellsome of your ideas such as #2 badges, #37 genealogy, and others.19. Operate a Xerox Copy CenterThe secret of this is not just selling one or two copies of eachoriginal (although on a 300-page original manuscript, that canadd up too), but using one of the latest high-speed high-qualitymass-production Xeroxes so that you can compete with the guysoperating those quick printing services, by turning out 100 or200 resumes, letters, or circulars just as fast, and probably agreat deal faster, for the same (or potentially less if you wantto be competitive) money as they charge. This way you have twokinds of work, giving you twice as many customers, and twice theprofit opportunity, and with the right location, a chance toclean up.If you want to offer even more services, and have the space inyour shop, as well as the potential customers, you can offerXerox reductions (New York Times-size page down to 8-1/2"x11"),and Xerox copies in full-color, which are remarkably good. Thecolor machine will also make color copies directly from 35 mm.color slides in one quick step.Of course, you can consider using other brands of xerographiccopiers, such as IBM, Kodak, Savin, Canon, Minolta or others,but although you may theoretically save money, make sure oftheir service policies, and that they have field servicemen inyour locality, or you may find yourself stuck with a copier onthe fritz for a week, which could ruin your business.20. Be a Local News CorrespondentFor big city papers some distance from your town. When an eventoccurs in your area you write the story for those papers (theyhave correspondents in many big places but not in most smalltowns or isolated areas) and they pay you for it. This is knownas being a "stringer". If you're good with a camera, takephotos to accompany the story.21. Campground Store-On-WheelsUse either a panel truck or a camper body on a pick-up truckchassis. Go to public park areas and campgrounds sellingcharcoal, paper plates, water-melon, ice cream, eggs, milk,bread, insect repellent, sunglasses, newspapers, etc.22. Create a New Tour-Bus ServiceEven in affluent America, not everyone has a car, and even thosewho do often prefer to leave long trips to a professional busdriver. and although there are bus tours offered to somefamiliar places, there are still so many interesting, evenexciting, places people would like to go to, if they wereoffered the chance. Here's where you come in. You must becreative about it, and study all the six-State areas around yourhometown, to discover some original and different places totravel to on day trips which will "turn on" your prospectivecustomers, and get them to sign up.The rest is easy. You get competitive quotes (from commercialbus companies) for a quality bus to do the round-trip, with asuitable stopover at the destination point (enough to do thesights, shop and maybe eat as well). Then you figure you tourprice per person so you can make a profit even if the bus isonly half full or so. Then you have a safety margin - and ifyou sell every seat you will do very well indeed.Then all you have to do is sell. You put little ads in yourlocal papers, paste up flyers wherever you can (supermarkets aregood), contact local travel agents (of course you give them apercentage on what they sell for you), local hotel clerks, etc.,and you also contact women's clubs, religious groups, fraternalsocieties, factory social organizations, and so on (they maytake a whole bus, or even two, and you give them a specialprice, naturally).23. Run a Pet Hotel ServiceFor dogs or cats or both. People will pay high fees to ensurehigh-quality care of the animal they love. Separate kennels foreach animal are essential. Good food and adequate care andattention must be assured also. You can hire responsibleteenagers to help you. Advertise with posters in pet shops,veterinarians' offices; and if they're cheaply available, getthe mailing lists of local ASPCA groups and other animal welfaregroups, as well as membership lists of dog and cat clubs.24. Sell Second-Hand Kids ClothingChildren usually outgrow their clothes rather than wearing themout. So many families have such clothing left around. Youcollect it, paying nothing or as little as possible. Then youresell it; you can do the selling by ads, handbills or throughyour church or community groups.25. Breed Tropical FishThis requires only a moderate amount of space and a smallinvestment in equipment. Properly done, it needs only a smallamount of your time yet can make you a good profit. You canobtain your beginning stock from the large wholesale dealers. You can sell direct to consumers (the hobbyists) or to stores inyour area.Hot Sources:Betta Tropicals Inc., 1310 Unionport Rd., Bronx, NYTropa Co., 1685 3rd Ave., New York, NY26. Make Plastic Engraved SignsAll you need is a simple-to-operate machine that engraveslettering in various types onto sheets of plastic of manycolors, finishes and sizes. Perfect for signs for merchants,banks, doctors, dentists, schools and colleges, private frontdoors, and many other uses.Hot Source for the Machine:New Hermes Engravograph from New Hermes Inc., 20 Cooper Square,New York, NY 10003.27. Sell Christmas TreesSeasonal, but if you have the time in the few weeks beforeChristmas, can be a good money maker. Find a vacant storefrontor lot, or space inside a larger building, where people pass by.But be sure to order a supply of trees enough in advance. Andif you own country land that is not being used, consider growingthe trees yourself. Your first crop can be ready in four years,with steady crops from then on.28. Open a Rubber Stamp BusinessManufacture them in your basement. The materials needed arecheap. And the finished stamps can be sold to many people,storeowners, offices, individuals. You can market them by mailand through local merchants.Hot Source: The machine and a financing plan to buy it areavailable from: Rubber Stamp Division, 1512 Jarvis Ave., Chicago,IL 6062629. Camper's Equipment Rental ServiceWith urban living, the back-to-nature movement is growing andcamping is becoming very popular. Rent out tents, sleepingbags, portable propane stoves, chairs, etc. Demandidentification from customers and reliable security (keeping oneof their credit cards is good).30. Operate a Key-Safety ServiceEach customer is sold a special tag to put on his or her keyring. It says "Drop in any mailbox" and has the address of apost office box that you rent (Don't use your home address forthe same reason your customers shouldn't have their home addresson their keys - dishonest people finding the keys will comeprowling around). You assign each customer's tag a code numberfrom a list that you keep. When someone's keys arrive at yourpost office box, you return them to him, for another fee.31. Be a Used Car Buying ConsultantWith a knowledge of cars, plus the proper test equipment (forchecking the engine, transmission, brakes, font-end alignment,and chassis), you go with your customer to check out the usedcar he is thinking of buying. Advertise your service next tothe ads offering used cars for sale. After a while you will getto know people in this field and you can pick up more money byacting as a middleman in sales between private individuals.32. Sell "Loss Leaders" for ProfitThis may sound contradictory but it isn't. Supermarkets aren'tthe only ones who use loss leaders. A good mail-order idea isoffering a cute item (worth much more) for $1 in women'smagazines, giving prompt delivery and including with it stuffers(ads with order blanks) for half a dozen more expensive items. The repeat business on the other items makes the $1 offerprofitable.33. Baby Items Rental ServiceYou rent everything needed for a baby's care - stroller,playpen, high chair, etc. When the customer's baby outgrowsthem you rent to the next couple. Of course, you mustadvertise, and also send direct mail pieces to all couples withnew births (get their names from hospitals and newspapers andlist brokers).34. Operate a "Give a Party" ServiceYou rent out everything needed for a party: tables, chairs,punch bowls, table cloths, cutlery, and napkins. You can alsosupply waitresses and bartenders, finding them through agenciesthat supply temporary help such as Manpower. But if you canfind good workers yourself, you can save the agency fee and makemore money.35. Operate a Miniature Slot Car Racing TrackIn your basement (or wherever you can fit it) build a large andelaborate miniature slot car racing track (with a least 6 or 8slots). Local kids, and often adults, pay you by the hour torace, using either your cars or theirs. To boost interest youcan hold monthly contests with trophies.36. All-Service ServiceYou line up the specialists in fixing almost anything, and takecare of getting them customers by delivering handbills to homesand placing ads in supermarkets and local papers. They pay you5% of every job refer to them, which can soon add up.37. Genealogy for People Who Want RootsYou seek out the records in public or university libraries,county courthouses and elsewhere, as necessary, for a slidingfee, depending on the size of family, difficulties in gettinginformation, geographic dispersion, and other factors.