While the world continues to go catatonic over the Internet
and its endless possibilities, there's another industry
quietly going about its business, racking up billions of dollars in profits, year after profitable year after profitable year. What industry is that? It's the mail order industry.
Yes, long before the birth and explosion of the Internet,
mail order shopping was a hugely popular and preferred
method of doing businessand still is. In fact, the
Internet has actually enhanced and contributed to the
overall success of mail order.
The mail order industry was created by Aaron Montgomery
Ward. Ward sent out his first mail order catalog in 1872
for his Montgomery Ward mail order business located at Clark
and Kinzie Streets in Chicago. The first catalog consisted
of a single sheet of paper with a price list, 8 by 12
inches, showing the merchandise for sale with ordering
instructions.
"Ward's gradually expanded the catalog. They became bigger,
more heavily illustrated, chock full of goods often
referred to as "dream books" by rural families."
Aaron Montgomery Ward was born on Feb. 17, 1844 and died on
Dec. 7, 1913. He first worked for Marshall Field, a
department store, as both a store clerk and a traveling
salesman. As a traveling salesman, he realized that his
rural customers could be better served by mail-order, a
revolutionary idea. He started his business with only $2,400
in capital. Montgomery Ward was a mail-order only business
until 1926, when the first Montgomery Ward retail store
opened in Plymouth, Indiana.
And the rest, as they say is history!
Over the years, I've actually owned several profitable mail
order businessesselling everything from books to vitamins
to my copywriting services.
It really is an amazingly fun way to do business! Absolutely
nothing beats the thrill of receiving checks in the mail!
And even though I'm no longer involved in mail order to the
degree that I once was, I credit mail order for giving me
the invaluable training, experience and skills I use on the
Internet every single day.
Not having much success on the Internet? Try your hand at
mail order. However, before getting started, I suggest you
read the following books:
"How To Get Rich In Mail Order," by Melvin
Powers, "Money In Your MailBox," by L. Perry Wilbur, "How To
Make A Fortune In Mail Order," by Al Stern and "Building A
Mail Order Business," by William A. Cohen.
Many books have been written about mail order, over the
years, but the aforementioned books are among the best ever
written on the subject. Granted, they are somewhat dated in
some areas, but the information itself is still solid as a
rock.
You should be able to find these books at your local
library, since they're all-time classics. However, if you
don't have any luck at the library, try Amazon.com.
These books will provide you with valuable insight into the
remarkable and enduring mail order industry, and you just
might discover a fun new way of doing business you never
even considered before!
About the Author
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer,
publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be
reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net
Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net