Msg: 3303 *Conference*

10-12-92 09:53:57

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : TONY MANTURUK

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #3294 (NEC 8201A)

You aren't the only one who's lost their catalog.  It's a common problem with
mail order-based businesses.  Making and mailing catalogs on a regular basis is
costly, and must be factored in.  You're not alone.  I, too, "lose" catalogs
cause they "pile up" and must be thrown away.  We all suffer with the illness
of the 90's... information overload.  Regarding catalogs, we tend to throw them
away cause we've gotten used to receiving the same catalogs over and over again
throughout the year.  We usually glance at the catalog, perhaps have it set
around for awhile, then toss it with the newspapers.  Very few folks maintain a
catalog filing system.  Very few, indeed.  I'll send you a new one.
 
FYI: One of the items leading to the exit of Traveling Software from the Model
T community was directly related to the cost vs. return of their catalog.  The
shere financial weight of servicing their mailing list overwhelmed them.  Think
about that for a moment.  TS was servicing about 100,000 Model T owners.
That's not much for a 50 person business.  We service over 17,000.  What about
JC Whitney, or Sears (note: They don't "automatically" send catalogs, do
they?), or American Clearing House, or Easter Seals, or Walter Drake, or LL
Bean, etc.  What do you think the size of their mailing list is and what do you
think is their catalog budget, and what do you think the return on that
budgeted investment is?  The answer to these questions are available from your
local library, the Small Business Administration, and SCORE, as well as many
private, business consulting firms.
 
Just thought this information might prove helpful to those reading this thread,
thinking of opening a mail order business.