HOW TO START A BIG MAIL SERVICE

A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:

At least three to four Mail order Magazines Circulars containing

offers or interest to new mail order dealers. Circulars which the

Big Mail Dealer has been to mail.

Do you enjoy reading Mail Dealer magazines? Do you enjoy ordering

and receiving "Big Mail?" Do you enjoy working with new Mail

Order dealers and opportunity seekers? If your answer is "YES" to

all of these questions, then it would probably be profitable and

pleasurable for you to start a "Big Mail" service.

In the pages to follow I will show you how to set up a Big Mail

Service. I'll show you how to advertise your service and I'll

also show you how to use the Big Mails that you receive in your

mail to your own advantage. I'll show you how to use commission

circulars (how to get a lot of them free!) and I'll also show you

how to keep track of them.

We'll talk about co-publishing and we'll discuss circular mailing

(you'll learn how to get people to pay you cash to mail their

circulars for them!).I'll show a simple trick that will get you a

lot of free advertising and I'll show you where to get a free

mailing list that will create a lot of new customers for you, if

you are willing to put in a little work to get them.

But...before we get into this...I would like to give you a word

of caution. Big Mail selling looks easy and it sounds easy IT IS

NOT! Selling Big Mails is a lot of work,HARD WORK. And it is NOT

a way to get rich quick.

You will probably not make any money at all for a least a few

months. In fact, you will have to invest more than you take in.

If you are willing to invest a little of your money, and a lot of

your time, then you will gain invaluable experience selling Big

Mails, and then you will make money. You will gain experience

that you could gain nowhere else in the whole world. And if you

are alert, creative, and AMBITIOUS, you can eventually turn your

mail order business into a very lucrative enterprise.

If you are still interested...and I hope you are..read on!

The first thing you should od is to sit down with the latest

issue of MAIL SALE ADVERTISER or POPULAR ADVERTISER and order a

least twelve Big Mails. After that, get into the habit of

ordering a least one Big Mail EVERYDAY!

Then devote a portion of EACH DAY to STUDYING them. And I do mean

STUDY!

Feed your mind and your imagination with all kinds of ideas. The

Mail Order Business is a very creative and imaginative one. The

more you feed feed you imagination, the more it will do for you!

Set up a personal notebook. I would suggest you divide into four

sections:

* Commission Circulars Sources

* Sources of low-cost printing

* Prospective Mailing Customers (Save the circulars that other

dealers have been paid to mail. I'll show you why later on .)

* Good ideas.

You can set your personal notebook up any way you like, but I use

a loose-leaf notebook and scotch-tape the ads, circulars etc.

Read and re-read every circular and mail order magazine that you

can get you hands on. SAVE ANY IDEA THAT APPEALS TO YOU! Start

ordering SMALL supplies of "commission circulars" that APPEAL to

you. (never try to sell anything merely because it pays BIG

commission.)

When you are satisfied that you really want to start selling Big

Mails, there are two very practical things you must do.

1. Order a name and address rubber stamp. Be sure it is SMALL

enough to use on commission circulars.

2. Open a PERSONAL CHECKING ACCOUNT. Open it in YOUR OWN NAME.

When you start to advertise, use your own name. If you do that,

there will be no problem when you go to the bank to deposit

checks that your customers will send you.

Your next step is to place an ad in a least SIX mail order

magazines or ad sheets. In the beginning you will have to use

publications that will accept handwritten copy, since you do not

yet have "camera ready" ads. Your ad should read something like

this:

BIG MAIL-25 cents Commission circulars mailed FREE! (your name

and address)

A simple ad like this will pull better than one with a lot of

words in it.

You probably already know which magazines and ad sheets you want

to advertise in. That is fine! But I would suggest you start off

by advertising in at least one or two of the following:

Mail Sale Advertiser

Popular Advertiser

Mail Order Bulletin

Timely Tips

All of these are letter press publications, which means they will

set your ad up for you. They appear regularly EVERY MONTH ON

TIME, and almost everyone interested in mail order reads them!

Because these publications are CO-PUBLISHABLE, the publishers of

each publication will send you 50-100 copies to include in your

Big Mails. Your name will appear on your copies as the

CO-PUBLISHER. You will get to keep around 50% as your commission

on any ads or subscriptions you sell. If you are faithful mailing

your copies, you can often make enough profit on ads and

subscriptions to pay for all your ads. This way your ads actually

cost you nothing.

Each advertiser is also mailing his copies to his customers or

mailing list, and every last copy mailed has YOUR ad in it... The

printer is also mailing a copy to every person on his

subscription list...so, usually within about ten days after your

address appears in print, you will start receiving letters with

quarters in them asking for Big Mail. Some advertisers, for one

reason or another are quite slow in mailing their copies, but

this can work to your advantage. You will often get orders two or

three months after your ad appears!

COMMISSION CIRCULARS

Long before you start receiving orders for your Big Mail, you

should have acquired a starting supply of "commission circulars."

You will want to include them in every one of your Big Mails.

Commission circulars are usually 3x6" or 81/2x11" circulars

offering such things as:

Rubber Stamps Name-address Labels Folios Magazine

Samples Mailing Lists Envelopes

Printed Stationary Business Directories Catalogue Samples

Drop-ship Samples Printed Circulars Formulas

Books Mail Order Plans Magazine Subscriptions

Name Listing Services Pen Pal Clubs, etc, etc.

Wholesale firms supply commission circulars to mail order

dealers, usually at cost. The dealer stamps his name in the blank

space under "Order Form" and mails them to prospective customers.

When he receives orders (and he will if he mails them regularly),

he keeps his commission, which is usually about 50%. He then

sends the balance, along with his shipping label, to the

wholesaler, who drop-ships the order directly to the customer

under the dealer's shipping label.

Commission circulars can be profitable for you, as a Big Mail

Dealer, if you are very careful to select only those circulars

which appear to MAIL ORDER BEGINNERS. You will soon learn that

gift items and general merchandise rarely appeal to people who

are ordering Big Mails, unless you are offering them on wholesale

basis. (Safari boots, transistor radios, hunting knives,

automatic can-openers, $15.95 necklaces are nice, and they can be

sold by mail...but not to mail order beginners!)

If you work at it, you can make a lot of extra money by including

good commission circulars in your mails. Test a few hundred

copies of each commission circular. If it evokes no interest,

discontinue it. But if it produces and order or two,then include

one in every piece of mail you send. When you have found a

circular that "pulls,"try to have them printed with your name and

address on them. (printed circulars will often pull FIVE times

better than stamped ones.)

Don't mail poorly printed circulars. They tend to make your

entire mailing look sloppy> You will also find that 6x9" and 8

1/2x11" circulars pull better than 3x6", although some 3x6's pull

surprisingly well.

Once your ad appears ( starting COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE)

you will start receiving commission circulars. Test every

circular that is given to you. Push the winners, discontinue the

duds. You will eventually develop a list of real money makers to

include in your Big Mails.

Most of the suppliers of commission circulars are honest people.

They offer items of real worth. But occasionally you will find

circulars that you should not mail. They will get you in TROUBLE!

* Adult Offers (pornography). Even if you do not object to this,

some of the customers will...and some of your customers may be

minors.

* "Stuff and Address Envelopes at Home..Send a $1.00 for your

Starting Kit," These offers are illegal. People have been

convicted in court for selling them. Beside, the plans are

worthless.

* Chain letters--These are also illegal. Beware of any circular

that says you will receive $20,000 in sixty days if you will mail

a dollar and "follow the instructions, etc."

There is one more thing I would caution you about. There are

about 40-50 standard folios that have been around the Mail Order

Business for the last twenty years. They are EXCELLENT folios,

well written, well printed, and the advice in them is absolutely

valid. But it is a waste of time trying to sell them to mail

order beginners. Most of them already know where to get them at

wholesale prices! If you receive FREE commission circulars

offering these folios, by all means, mail them. You may get an

order or two. But if you are going to buy expensive circulars, be

sure you are offering something NEW something which EVERY mail

order dealer has not already seen at least one hundred times!

FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

As a Big Mail Dealer, you will be selling many things. So that

you can fill each order accurately and promptly, I suggest that

you start another looseleaf notebook Divide it into three

sections:

1 Commission Circular Information

2 Co-Publishing Information

3 Advertising Schedule

1. Commission Circular Information---Every time you receive a new

supply of commission circulars, sit down and examine them.

(Sometimes you will receive two or three varieties in one

envelope.) Tape one sample of each circular in your notebook.

Underneath it write:

* Name and Address of the Drop-shipper

* Amount to forward to the Drop-shipper

* How to obtain additional circulars. (Are they available with

your name and address imprinted on them?)

2. Co-publishing Information--Most publishers of mail order

magazines will send a "Fact Sheet." If they do, simply

scotch-tape the sheet in your notebook. If not, record these

facts yourself:

*Name and Address of Printer

*How much to forward on new advertising, subscriptions, etc

3. Advertising Schedule--To keep your ads running CONTINUOUSLY,

you will have to keep track of "closing dates" (the last date on

which a publisher will accept advertising for his next issue.)

Here is a very simple method to use:

Take a page of common notebook paper. At the top of the page,

write the name of the month. Then number down the page from 1 to

31. (Use one line for each day of the month.)

The closing date for Mail Sale Advertiser is the 15th of the

month, but you will want to mail your ad on the 5th of the month

(always mail your ads in TEN DAYS EARLY.) So next to the number

5, write down the code letters "MSA." If you check this sheet

religiously every day, you will never forget a closing date.

Before you mail your ad, turn to the page for the following month

and make a notation of that month's closing date. If you will use

this system ( or your own variation), you will remember every

deadline, whether you are advertising in five magazines of five

hundred!

CIRCULAR MAILING

Once your Big Mail ads are appearing regularly, you will start to

receive orders for them regularly. As soon as you are averaging

five a day, you can advertise yourself as a CIRCULAR MAILER. It's

easy to get started. Each time you renew your Big Mail Ad, send

in another ad like this. (As co-publisher, your ads cost half the

advertised price!)

100 250 500

3x6 .50 1.25 2.25

6x9 .60 2.50 2.50

9x12 1.00 2.00 4.00

These prices are given only as examples. The postal rates and

other costs change and you should check the ads currently running

Circular Mailers and charge about the same rates. Cut-rate prices

will NOT get you more orders.

A circular mailing ad will almost ALWAYS pay for itself

immediately. ( Incidentally, many dealers have tried to run a

combination Big Mail and Circular Mailing ads. They do work half

as well as TWO SEPARATE ADS!)

As soon as you receive a circular mailing order, send your

customers a sample mailing. Be sure it is neat and be sure it

includes the LATEST issues of several mail order magazines.

Then include ONE of his circulars in every Big Mail until you

have finished mailing them. If you have not received any more

circulars to mail, send him a friendly thank you not and let him

know that you have finished mailing his circulars. Tell him you

hope he receives some orders from your mailing. Include some new

circulars from new advertisers and a NEW magazine. If he has any

more circulars to mail, he will likely send them to YOU!

Remember, circular mailing depends on REPEAT customers. Never

exaggerate mailing capacity ( either in personal letters or ads.)

If you really try to get orders for your customers, they will be

back for more!

HOW TO GET FREE ADS

There are many editors of mail order magazines and ad sheets who

will print your ads free if you will mail 100 to 200 copies of

their publication. Here is a very effective way to get them to

run YOUR ads:

Take a sheet of white typing paper. Type the following words on

it.

PRINTERS PUBLISHERS: If you will print any of these ads in your

publication, I will mail 100 copies for you FREE! (With

co-publishing rights, I'll mail 200 copies!) Note that all of

these ads are camera ready for your convenience.

Then use a rubber-cement to paste copies of ALL YOUR DIFFERENT

ADS on the sheet! (If your ads have been printed on colored

paper, bleach them before you paste them up. Pour a little clorox

over them, until the color disappears. Rinse them in water, and

dry them on a piece of flat cardboard.)

Once your circular is pasted up (camera-ready), take it to your

local instant photo offset printer and have 500 or 1000 copies

printed on WHITE paper. (Be sure its on white paper.) Enclose one

of these circulars in every mailing. You'll be amazed at the

results!

WHERE TO GET GOOD MAILING LISTS FREE

If you advertise regularly, you will get a lot of response to

your ads. But if you will do a little specialized direct mailing,

you can double your business almost immediately. Here's how:

Imagine that you have just received your mailing copies of TIMELY

TIPS from the printer. If you look at your self, you discover

that you still have 14 of lasts month's issue left to mail. Sit

down and make up 14 SPECIALIZED mailings. In each mailing,

enclosed:

1. One copy of last month's TIMELY TIPS

2. One copy of each circular you have been paid to mail.

3. One copy of your new FREE MAILING FOR FREE ADVERTISING

circular.

To whom do you mail them? COMPILE YOUR MAILING LIST FROM THOSE

BIG MAILS YOU HAVE BEEN ORDERING EVERY DAY! Mail them too:

* CIRCULAR MAILING PROSPECTS--Each time you receive Big Mail,

examine all the circulars. Who has paid the dealer to mail

circulars for them? If they have paid him, THEY WILL ALSO PAY

YOU...if you will take the time to send them a sample mailing!

* NEW AD-SHEETS AND MAIL ORDER MAGAZINES--Whenever you see the

announcement of a new publication, send a sample mailing and be

sure to enclose your Free Mailing for Free Advertising circular.

You'll get many, many free ads, if you work at it.

* NEW MAIL ORDER ADVERTISERS--Save the names of new advertisers

in the mail order magazines or ad-sheets. You'll be amazed at how

responsive they will be to your mailings!

Every time you receive new mailing copies, mail out the remaining

copies of last month's issues to the categories listed above and

your mail order business will grow faster than you ever dreamed

it could. You'll be surprised at the new business you will be

able to generate using this method.

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?

I honestly can't answer that question! Only you have the answer.

If you are ambitious--if you are willing to develop your

imagination--if you are willing to experiment with new

ideas....the sky is the limit!

Don't let anyone tell you that Big Mail Selling and Circular

Mailing is only for beginners. There are SUCCESSFUL mail order

dealers who have been selling Big Mails and mailing circulars for

twenty-five years! If you really love it, don't ever give it up!

What direction your mail order business takes is entirely up to

you. I hope you will keep your ads running, and I hope you will

expand your business by constantly adding new publications to

your advertising list.

Keep your eyes and ears open. Saturate yourself with fresh, new

and imaginative ideas. I hope you'll keep excited about the Mail

Order bussiness...I hope that ten years from now, You'll love it

and be more involved than you are today.

Mail Order is far more than just a money-making business for me.

It's a way of life! And I hope it is your way of life, too!

HOW TO START A TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE

Organize yourself properly. decide how much money it's going to

take for you to feel comfortably wealthy, and the reach it with

your own Telephone Answering Service.

Our research has turned up hundreds of husband and wife

entrepreneurs who, beginning with just a couple of thousand

dollars in borrowed funds, and a lot of ambition are grossing

$250,000 or more after a couple of years in business.

The exciting part is that the door is wide open for you to do the

same! The demand for telephone answering services is growing!!!

The advent of electronic answering devices in not even beginning

to slow this demand! A great many people are completely "turned

off" by the frustration of expecting to talk with a "live

person," and having to listen to a recording that advises the

caller to leave a message at the sound of the tone. Exasperation

of this kind can sometimes cost a business person thousands of

dollars in lost profit. Realizing this, today's successful

business person wants the personal touch of a friendly,

professional "secretary" answering their phones for them.

The professional answering service operator can pass along the

proper messages to the different callers, take messages, get

clarifications and even set up meetings with special customers.

In many instances, businessmen come to thick of the operators at

their telephone answering service as vital to their success, and

often reward them them with special favors or bonuses when a

particularly lucrative deal is closed because of courteous and

efficient service by the people at the answering service.

To get started properly, you'll need an initial investment of

about $10,000 for equipment and facilities, plus working capital.

In the beginning, with a 2 person operation, you can have your

operator selling by phone while you make in-person sales calls.

You might also want to add a couple of "hungry" commission sales

people to help line up a good list of accounts as fast as

possible. These efforts will take planning and coordination

because you won't want two different sales people calling on the

same prospect.

You can begin operating out of a spare bedroom or your

garage--you'll need a leased switchboard from the telephone

company--with plans to move your operation into more formal

quarters at a later date. However, it's quite expensive and

time-consuming to have a switchboard moved once it's been

installed. Our suggestion would be to locate a "beginning" small

office, and plan on being there at least 5 years from the start.

Many operations begin in a small 200 to 300 square feet economy

office location, and as their growth warrants, open a second

location with space for eventual expansion to include 3 or more

switchboards. Our research has found that you'll need an average

of 85 regular customers per switchboard in order to realize a

minimum profit after expenses.

Just about anyone with a business card will be a good prospect

for your services. People working out of their homes are a very

good prospects, especially those holding down regular jobs while

moonlighting with a part-time businesses of their own. Every

salesmen is a prospect, people who work on a 24 hour "on-call"

basis, repair service business owners such as plumers,

electricians, locksmiths, and auto mechanics...There are other

kinds of services that will be interested too, such as ambulance

companies, towing services, volunteer fire departments, survey

organizations, and customer complaint departments of virtually

every business in your area..By all means don't forget the

doctors, dentists and other professionals!

A lot of beginners start by providing service only for these

intermittent users. These people "put out the word" that if they

can't be reached at their regular number after 4 or 5 rings, the

caller should dial the number of the answering service. The

answering service, which in this case is just a housewife

answering her home phone, takes the caller's message and either

relays it to the customer or holds it until he checks in with

her. Very simple, very easy and very profitable!

Usually after such a "shoestring" operation has 15 to 20

customers. it's necessary to install a phone with multiple

incoming lines. The cost and questions of the phone company can

be allayed by purchasing your own telephone and explaining that

your have several teenagers in the family. However, once you have

35 to 50 customers it's time to expand into a commercial

operation complete with switchboard and hired operators.

The average rates to charge for your service should be about $35

per month for a specified number of calls--usually 70 to 75--with

a surcharge of 25 cents for each call beyond that number. Other

calls such as "wake-up" and reminder calls for appointments, are

usually billed on a "per call" basis at about 50 cents per call.

Most telephone answering services provide a variety of other

services to keep their operators busy during the times when there

are no incoming calls. These services range form typing, envelope

addressing, computer input services, envelope stuffing,

subscription soliciting and order fulfillment for mail order

operators to reviewing books for publishing agents. In recent

years, some have even included private post office, mail drop and

forwarding services. The important thing is to keep your

operators busy doing some kind of work that makes money for you.

When you decide to lease an office get going, complete with

switchboard--it's important that you try to get as close to the

telephone company's switching or exchange station as possible.

This is due to the mileage charges it'll cost you for landlines.

Remember too that each exchange station handles prefixes limited

to customers within a certain radius of that station. What all of

this means is that if most of the businesses in your area have a

234 and 345 prefix, you'll want to locate your answering services

offices as close to the station serving these prefixes as

possible. Basic installation and set-up of one switchboard will

cost you close to $4,000...

Generally, a metro population of 35,000 people will support a

telephone answering service hoping for $50,000 per year; 75,000

to 80,000 people will be needed for $100,000 and $150,000 people

for $200,000 per year or more. For more help and further

information, it would be wise to contact the Associated Telephone

Answering Exchange, Inc. This organization the industry's

watchdog group can up-date you on current practices and trends.

Meanwhile, in setting up your own facilities keep your costs in

line with a realistic view of your anticipated first year income.

It should't be too difficult to find low-cost rental space in an

older building not far from the telephone company's exchange

building- the telephone company is usually just as reluctant to

pay high rent as you are..Locating in an older, less than

"beautiful" building should not detract from your business

because few of your customers will ever actually see your

offices. Most will sign up for your services either thru your

in-person sales calls on them, or your telephone soliciting

efforts, and send their payments in by mail.

You'll need 125 square feet of space for each a small reception

area which can also double as a rest area for your operators and

general office area for bookkeeping, billing and other

administrative functions. Be sure there are convenient restroom

facilities as well.

Before installation of your first switchboard, the phone company

will require an inspection of your office, mainly to determine if

the floor is strong enough to support the weight of the

switchboard. Save yourself a lot of frustration by explaining

this to the real estate agents or the building managers before

they start showing you what's available. The best thing is to ask

for certified copies of the original building blueprints or

previous inspection reports, and have these in hand when you

contact the phone company.

Once you're ready to go, consider the attitudes and feelings of

the people who'll be working long hours on the switchboards for

you--invest in some cherry paint for the walls, non-glare

lighting, carpeting for the floors and a few wall prints,

pictures or other decorations. Look around for good used office

furniture and buy or lease only what is absolutely essential. A

pocket calculator and a used manual typewriter will work fine

until you get the business running on a dependably profitable.

When you order your first switchboard, listen to the telephone

company's instruction, read the operating manual and attend their

training sessions. The more you know about the equipment, the

easier it's going to be to operate it, and the more you'll

understand your profit potentials.

The traditional telephone company switchboard is known as the

model 557 or TAS-100. This board handles 100 incoming secretarial

lines and 15 office trunk lines, with this board, you have the

capabilities of receiving incoming calls and making outgoing

calls at the same time. You also have a business answering line

which can be used as your number for customers wanting to use

your number as their business number and/or for special events

such as a special number for survey replies or telephone orders

such as advertised on television for one-time-only sales

promotions.

Even though you have the capabilities of 100 incoming lines, you

shouldn't activate more than 5 or 10 more than your actual

customer list. As you add to your customer list, it's then a

simple matter for the phone company to activate or "tie-in"

according to your needs. Your rental lease payments to the phone

company for equipment includes maintenance, so whenever you have

a problem or something isn't working properly to suit your needs,

call and ask the phone company to send a repairmen.

Some of the extras you can get with your board includes a

"secrecy" switch. This feature prevents an operator from

listening in if a customer has already picked up his phone and

answered the call, but it does not prevent the customer from

picking up his phone after the operator has answered. The

customer could by request the operator to hang up and conduct

whatever conversation he wants with the caller.

Another feature is the "position-splitting" key. This involves

plugging in a second headset and simply turning the key to enable

two operators to work the same board during an especially busy

period.

When your customers want to call to check with you for any

messages, you can have them call their own number if they're

calling from a different number, or pre-designated trunk line.

Most answering service owners equipment works both ways until

they decide upon the system that works best for them. Whichever

method is finally chosen should be decided upon with the

efficiency of the operators in mind.

In addition to your switchboard, you should install a time clock

and message racks. These are ideally located above or on top of

your switchboard. The operator the takes the call, jots down the

message, punches the time clock and quickly slips it into the

customer's message box. When the customer calls in for his

messages the operator retrieves the messages from his message

box, reads them to him, again punches the time clock with each

message slip, and drops them into a "dead message" box.

You should keep these message slips for totalling at billing

time, so it's a good idea to have each operator file them in your

customer folders as they finish their shifts on the board.

retention of these message slips for at least 30 days is not

required, but it is a good policy to practice. You may find a

customer will want to check on a message received or double-check

his billing against your records.

Basically your message rack can be either pigeon hole

compartments in a wooden box designed and built to fit your

space, or a lazy Susan clips similar to what restaurants use for

fast food orders. At any rate, you shouldn't have any problem in

finding what you need on the open market.

It isn't necessary that you have specially designed or printed

message slips, but you should have a plentiful supply available

and within easy access to your operators. Simple 4 x 5 inch pads

should be all you'll need, and if you'll check with your local

quick print shops, you'll find most of them willing to make a

thousand or so pads of 50 to 100 pages each, from scrap paper,

for almost next to nothing. Another essential to plan on--buy in

wholesale lots and keep handy for your operators--is pens. It may

be exasperating until the business is on a sound profitability

basis, but in a busy month, one operator can easily go thru 100

or more pens. Don't fight the how's and why's just charge it up

as a business expense and order more pens.

You'll need some form of maintaining basic customer information

such as address, name and number to contact during an emergency

and any special answering instructions. For this, simply go with

3 x 5 or 4 x 5 index cards and place them in each customer's

message slot for easy operator reference. Many services have

these cards laminated in plastic to prevent them from getting

dirty or deteriorating with constant use.

Efficiency is the name of the road leading to profits in any

small business, so when you begin one switchboard, make sure you

have that position-splitting key, and that you balance the board.

In other words, don't put all of your similar customers--such as

plumers, electricians and doctors on one side of the board.

Instead, divide them across your board--half on them on one side

and half on the other side. This will enable you to put two

operators on that board in times of emergency. Your customer

lines must be distributed according to usage across the board for

maximum efficiency of your operation.

Each time a customer "signs" for your services you should have

him sign a simple contract that specifies the name and address of

the firm to be billed for the service, and typed name as well as

signature of the person authorizing the service. There should

also be space on this contract for alternate phone numbers, names

and addresses as well as phone numbers of persons to contact in

case of emergency, and any special answering instructions the

client may want you to use. Don't forget to include a clause

requiring 30-day notification of service cancellation by either

party to the contract. It's also a good idea to state that a full

month's payment must be made for any partial month's usage, in

order to cover any disconnect charges. You'll probably want to

stipulate that the last month's base charges are to be paid at

the time of service approval, in order to enhance your working

capital situation.

Check with the phone company--find out if they or you are to bill

the customer for hook-up charges, and the line into your

switchboard. By all means, get everything written out and fully

explained in the contract. You'll be money ahead by paying a good

contract that not to put all that you want into a legal contract

that not only protects you, but also is binding upon your

customers.

One other item of paperwork you should have is an Errors &

Omissions Insurance Policy. This protects you and your operators

against any liability form mistakes or missed messages--very good

to have, and available at very low cost thru the Associated

Telephone Answering Exchange, inc. by special arrangements with

Lloyd's of London. Your other insurance needs are those basic to

any business. Always shop around for the best rates.

In the beginning, you and your spouse or partner can operate a

telephone answering service. However, we strongly suggest that

you add to your "operator staff" just as quickly as your customer

list warrants. The longer you try to operate with just 2 people,

the longer it's going to take you to achieve real profitability.

Remember, you want a 24 hour, seven-days-a-week, full service

operation. This will require at least three full time operators

for your board, plus at least one relief operator--and don't

forget about commission sales people.

Ideally, you should try to hire people with telephone switchboard

experience, but in order to get these people, you may have to

offer short-shift, moonlighting tom regular telephone company

operators. It will take some time to train inexperienced people,

so bear this in mind when you begin looking for people to hire.

It's always a good policy to hire your new, inexperienced people

for the evening shifts. Break them in by having them "sit in"

with an experienced operator during the daytime hours, and have

someone close at hand during their first week on the evening

shift before turning them loose to handle the board by

themselves.

The most important qualifications to look for in an operator are

voice and attitude. The voice must be pleasant and sound alert,

interested and ready to help the caller. Warn your operators

never allow their "personal feelings" to show thru when they're

answering the phone. They represent your business and your

customers. As such, they must project a professional manner at

all times.

Teach your operators to answer the phones with a "happy smile" in

their voices. Train them to take their time with the callers, and

get the message right by reading the message back to the caller,

and also be sure they ask the caller for the correct spelling of

his or her name. Unless specifically instructed otherwise by a

customer, insist that your operators never allow an incoming call

to ring more than twice before answering it. Hardly anything

frustrates anyone calling a business number more than a telephone

that seemingly rings forever before someone answers it.

You can start you inexperienced people at $4 an hour, and your

experienced operators at $6 an hour. Try to explain to them that

the success of your business depends on them, and as your

business prospers, so will give them their monetary rewards. Get

them involved and interested in helping you succeed.

It's going to take aggressive selling on your part to reach

success with a venture of this kind. You must spend at least 50

percent of your time making sales calls--if you can't or don't

wish to do any personal selling, then you'll have to hire at

least two full time people to take your place. In addition to

your own sales efforts or people who will fill your shoes in this

area, you should hire at least one other full time sales person.

You should plan to have someone making telephone solicitations

for at least 3 hours out of each working day.

Selling your services--building an ever larger customer list--is

the name of the game for real success. You've got the start-up

information, and form here on, the rest depends on your own

ambition...

Associated Telephone Answering Exchanges, Inc.

Bankers Square

100 Pitt Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 683-3770

TYPICAL EQUIPMENT COSTS:

TWO OPERATOR CHAIRS...........................$90

DESK & CHAIR..................................100

TWO SIDE CHAIRS................................50

BOOKCASE.......................................50

FILING/SUPPLY CABINET..........................50

CALCULATOR.....................................50

USED TYPEWRITER...............................150

BASE FOR SWITCHBOARD...........................60

MESSAGE RACK...................................75

TIME CLOCK....................................250

OFFICE FURNISHINGS/DECORATIONS................150

5-THOUSNAD MESSAGE PADS........................25

24-DOZEN PENS..................................12

SWITCHBOARD LEASE (ONE BOARD)...............4,000

CABLE INSTALLATION (ONE BOARD)..............1,500

RENT ON OFFICE................................600

UTILITY DEPOSITS...............................50

BUSINESS LICENSES..............................50

BUSINESS INSURANCE............................350

LEGAL FEE.....................................100

SUPPLIES..................................... 200

TOTAL $7,957

HOW TO START A DATING AND ESCORT SERVICE

Starting and operating a successful Dating and Escort Service can

bring in $60,000 or more per year for the sharp, aggressive,

imaginative business person. The secret to success with a

business of this kind is advertising that presents your services

with a "show business" flair---while still maintaining good

taste.

To get started, you need an impressive looking application form.

Research into a number of successful operations seems to indicate

that a four-page application works well.

This should be typeset with an attractive letterhead or company

masthead on 11 by 17 inch paper, folded in half to give the

impression of a "personal file." your best paper colors are

either pale blue or ivory. The better paper stock you can afford,

the more impressive your application will be--giving a greater

aura of credibility to your business, and thus to prospective

clients.

In addition to the usual questions such as name, address,

telephone number, marital status, place of employment, hobbies,

likes and dislikes, your application should contain:

*** A short personality test which can be obtained with a bit of

research at your public library. For ideas, samples, and even

tests you can use intact, be sure to check some of the modern

women's magazines. And don't discount the idea of registering at

an already established business of this type; or possibly you can

see their application form without actually involving yourself

any further. Or inquire among friends and acquaintances who have

registered with a dating or escort service.

*** Near the end of the application, you should include a short

paragraph pointing up the fact that your organization, in

addition to bringing people together as a dating service, also

provides an escort service for out-of-town visitors and local

non-members. You then pose the question: "Would you be interested

in these kinds of dates, which would include all expenses, and a

minimum fee of $25 for what usually amounts to a very delightful

time with an interesting person. Your only obligation ever is to

be your usual charming self, and enjoy."

*** Just before or above the blank for your applicant's

signature, include a legal disclaimer to any responsibilities or

promises implied and/or not specifically stated within the

application.

The building in which your locate: for this one, you'll need a

store-front office, and it should be in a better part of the

business district in your city. Try to select a site that is

upbeat and attractive without being"jivey"--one that would appeal

to the more conservative or mature as well as the younger

generation. Many of your clients are going to be mature, and be

reminded, the mature, intelligent sector of our society

is"getting younger" and more vigorous,"still interested in

life"more than in years past. In other words, the section where

you locate should reflect a modern attitude, but with solid

values.

The reception area of your office should be large and comfortable

with as expensive a look as you can manage. Your receptionist is

very important--very. She should be attractive, with a vivacious

and outgoing personality. She should be able to quickly put your

prospective clients at ease, and generally make them feel that

belonging to your group is going to be the beginning of happier

times, fun, and lasting friendships.

You should have at least two expensive looking picture scrapbooks

on the coffee table in your reception room. These you can fill

with portrait or candid shots of members and clients. These

pictures can pose a problem for you while you are in the

beginning stages--so don't hesitate to gather pictures of various

relatives, friends who are not necessary located in your area--or

even visit a nearby campus and ask if you can take pictures of

some of the best looking men and women. You will need to get a

release signed by each one, and you simply explain that you are

putting together a picture display book of terrific looking

people in your area for the promotion of your business, and their

names and any other information will not be publicized or

released.

After your prospective client has filled out the application, the

next step is a personal interview. Your office should be cozy and

comfortable, but business-like, and you should arrange for

uninterrupted time in complete privacy with each person.

You should use the interview to go over the application, answer

any questions, and close the membership sale. you also use this

interview as the basis of your estimate of the kind of person

most likely to match this client. Be empathetic with your

clients; you are going to meet people who are tired of the

"dating game" as it is usually played out in the singles bars and

unproductive groups they had joined before. You might get added

help in the area of interviewing by writing for advertising

material and brochures from similar services in other areas,

adapting any techniques you like to your on interviewing process.

Most escort services we looked into publish a monthly newsletter

with tidbits of information and gossip about members. Who's doing

what; job changing; who's travelling where; plus a listing of

upcoming events and activities. Listing the names of new members

is also a good idea, and quotes from members who are active and

enjoying the service. Some of these newsletters feature"girl and

guy of the month" with lots of pictures-"on the town", involved

in hobbies at home, and candid shots in everyday life. Usually,

the escort service itself will sponsor an "all membership" party

about once every three months to introduce other members and

project a sense of "family" and belonging.

As we said earlier, advertising is the key to your success with

this project. A small classified ad, run for about a week in the

"Personals" column of your area newspaper,should start the ball

rolling for you. Some ideas for pulling inquires from men might

read like this: "Career woman, new to the area,seeking dates with

honest, fun-loving guys. Call Barbara 123-4567," or, "Young

recent divorcee ready to start dating again Call Linda at

234-5678."

And for attracting inquires from women: "Young business executive

wants to meet eligible ladies. Call Ron at 345-6789," or, "Active

and ambitious young man wants to meet wholesome, All-American

kind of girl. Call Brain at 456-7890."

At the time you have an ad this type running, you'll want to have

a bulletin board ads and notices on all the college campuses, in

as many company newspapers as you can get into, and where ever

people are most likely to take notice. This ad should be a

straight advertisement inviting people to "get out of the rat

race" of the singles game by joining your organization. You'll of

course emphasize confidentiality, respectability, and the fact

you deal only with people who are really serious about meeting

new friends and forming lasting relationships.

Your ads soliciting new members should tell readers you'll help

them meet new friends and enjoy dates with people especially

matched to their own likes and dislikes. A sense of fun and

excitement should be conveyed, but at the same time, honesty,

respectability and trust. You cannot use flashy headlines or

pictures of models that give a connotation of an invitation into

the bedroom. write your ads from the point of view of the people

you want to sell to--build from what you believe to be their

special wants, and visualize their thinking. Put yourself in the

place of the prospective new member, and understand that it takes

a great deal of nerve, we might even call it COURAGE, to make

that move to ask for help in dating. (It is generally easier to

just let things slide along--stay in the same old "lonesome rut"

than ask for help--and risk disappointment.)

You'll have to have a "planned explanation" when people call in

answer to your ads. Quickly get the name and phone number, ask a

few questions, then set up an appointment for him or her to come

into your office. When you are in the interview, be

bright,inviting,but factual and brief--and DON'T lose control of

the conversation. Best to have your questions and answers written

out in order that works best to pull the prospect into your

office, and then follow it to the letter.

When you're ready to expand with the Escort Services, get the

word out to all the likely places where people are wanting these

services will see your ads or hear about you in friend-to-friend

conversation. Have some interesting posters made up inviting

people to call asking about your good-looking, friendly, and

charming escorts for every occasion--dinner dates, banquets,

parties, theater dates, dancing, special occasions. Try to get

one of these upon the wall at the airport, train and bus

stations, and in better hotel and motel lobbies in your

area--anywhere else that travelers are likely to notice them.

Run a regular ad in your Thursday and Fridays papers, and also in

the yellow pages of your telephone directory. Pass out business

cards to all the car rental agencies and restaurants near the

travel centers and to anyone and everyone having anything to do

with convention or tourist arrangements in your area.

You will have to experiment and test to determine the right fee

to charge for providing an escort, but with most escort services,

the minimum is $50, pus all expenses.

This is a business that will provide pleasure and profit to a

person who is outgoing, fun-loving, gregarious, but who is

sensitive to the needs of others, and enjoys seeing people "get a

new start," or seeing more reserved ones "come out of their

shells." It takes more to get started in this business than it

does for some other endeavors, but this is one that can start

small and grow, improve, and even spread to franchising size.

HOW TO START A PROFITABLE HOME-BASED BUSINESS

In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends

meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people

are investigating the possibilities of starting their own

extra-income business. Most of these part-time endeavors are

started and operated from the comfort and privacy of the home.

Most of these people are making the extra money they need. Some

have wisely and carefully built these extra income efforts into

full-time, very profitable businesses. Others are just keeping

busy, having fun, and enjoying life as never before. The

important thing is that they are doing something other than

waiting for the government to give them a handout; they are

improving their lot in life, and you can do it, too!

The fields of mail order selling, multi-level marketing, and

in-home party sales have never been more popular. If any of

these kinds of extra income producing ideas appeal to you, then

you owe it to yourself to check them out. But these aren't the

only fields of endeavor you can start and operate from home,

with little or no investment, and learn as you go.

If you type, you can start a home-based typing service; if you

have a truck or have access to a trailer, you can start a

clean-up/hauling service. Simply collecting old newspapers from

your neighbors can get you started in the paper recycling

business. More than a few enterprising housewifes have found

success and fortune by starting home and/or apartment cleaning

services. If you have a yard full of flowers, you can make good

extra money by supplying fresh cut flowers to restaurants and

offices in your area on a regular basis. You might turn a

ceramics hobby into a lucrative personalized coffee mug

business. What I'm saying is that in reality, there's literally

no end to the ways you can start and operate a profitable extra

income business from your home.

The first thing you must do, however, is some basic market

research. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many

people there are in your area who are interested in your

proposed product or service, and would be "willing to stand in

line and pay money for it". This is known as defining your

market and pinpointing your customers. If after checking

around, talking about your idea with a whole lot of people over

a period of one to three months, you get the idea that these

people would be paying customers, your next effort should be

directed toward the "detailing" of your business plan. The more

precise and detailed your plan - covering all the bases relating

to how you'll do everything that needs to be done - the easier

it's going to be for you to attain success. Such a plan should

show you start-up investment needs, your advertising plan, your

production costs and procedure, your sales program, and how your

time will be allocated. Too often, enthusiastic and ambitious

entrepreneur jump in on an extra income project and suddenly

find that the costs are beyond their abilities, and the time

requirements more than they can meet. It pays to lay it all out

on paper before you get involved, and the clearer you can "see"

everything before you start, the better your chances for success.

Now, assuming you've got your market targeted, you know who your

customers are going to be and how you're going to reach them

with your product or service. And you have all your costs as

well as time requirements itemized. The next step is to set

your plan in motion and start making money.

Here is the most important "secret" of all, relating to starting

and building a profitable home-based business, so read very

carefully. Regardless of what kind of business you start, you

must have the capital and the available time to sustain your

business through the first six months of operation.

Specifically, you must not count on receiving or spending any

money coming in from your business on yourself or for your bills

during those first six months. All the income from your

business during those first six months should be reinvested in

your business in order for it to grow and reach your planned

first year potential.

Once you've passed that first six months milestone, you can set

up a small monthly salary for yourself, and begin enjoying the

fruits of your labor. But the first six months of operation for

any business are critical, so do not plan to use any of the

money you business generates for yourself during that period.

If you've got your business plan properly organized, and have

implemented the plan, you should at the end of your first year

be able to begin thinking about hiring other people to alleviate

some of your workload. Remember this: Starting a successful

business is not a means towards either a job for yourself or a

way to keep busy. It should be regarded as the beginning of an

enterprise that will grow and prosper, with you as the top dog.

Eventually, you'll have other people doing all the work for you,

even running the entire operation, while you vacation in the

Bahamas or Hawaii and collect or receive regular income from

your initial efforts.

For more details on market research, business planning,

advertising, selling, order fulfillment, and other aspects of

home-based businesses, check with the distributor from whom you