HOW TO LEGITIMATELY
MAKE MONEY STUFFING ENVELOPES
Liz Folger
Making money stuffing envelopes
is probably one of the oldest work-at-home scams out there! Since
1997 I've been warning moms about the dangers of sending money
to companies who claim you can make money assembling crafts, getting
lists of companies looking for home workers, and last but not
least, stuffing envelopes.
It seems so easy. Once you
pay your money, you'll get a list of companies who need people
to stuff envelopes with their promotional material, invoices,
you name it - and because you feel you can make money at it, you'll
do it. Unfortunately, that isn't how the envelope stuffing scam
works. Once you send in your cash, all you'll receive is information
on how to place ads, similar to the one you responded to, which
scams more people out of their hard-earned money.
But what if you really want
to make money this way. About a month ago I found something very
exciting for those intrigued with the whole envelope stuffing
business. I was amazed to discover that if this is your ideal
home business, it really can work.
Katie
Veseleny, author of Bizy's Guide To Making Money With Direct Mail
Services took time out to answer a few questions about this possible
home-based envelope stuffing business.
Liz:
Katie, what's up here? Can you really make money stuffing envelopes?
Katie:
Well, sure you can. But, don't expect anyone to drop off boxes
of envelopes and inserts and pay you a huge fee to put them together!
This is something that will be most successful when you offer
total service packages. I prefer to call it Direct Mail Services.
Liz:
What exactly is a Direct Mail Service Business?
Katie: A Direct Mail Service
Business is offering to take away a portion of the nuisance
work for your client. Much the same as a business owner would
hire an accountant, they will also hire companies (such as
yours) to handle this kind of work. Direct mailing is just
that - you take the mailing responsibilities away from your
client, and let them get back to business. You collect and
maintain the mailing lists for them, send out their regular
periodic mailings, as well as any sporadic mailings, and help
with anything else that will make their business more successful.
Liz: How does one start
a Direct Mail Service Business?
Katie: Start by looking
into who your clients are, knowing their mailing habits and what
they need. Put together service packages that really offer benefits.
Also, rather than asking your client to provide the inserts, envelopes
and mailing labels, you can actually create the inserts needed
as well as creating and maintaining their entire mailing list
database. I think you'll find it's more attractive to your potential
client when you're taking away the bulk of the nuisance work,
and allowing the business person to get back to doing what they
do best - running their business.
Liz: How does this business
differ from the envelope stuffing scam?
Katie: For starters, it's
your business. You know you're legitimate. Plus, it's a total
service package. It's not something that's going to make you rich
overnight. You need to work at it by building a clientele and
a biz reputation. I believe that if you do the math when looking
at those advertisements, you'll find it's absolutely absurd to
believe that you could make so much money with little or no work
required.
Liz: What equipment do you
need?
Katie: Your computer or
a good word processor to print the labels and keep track of the
mailing lists and databases. If you're inclined to offer design
services, you'll need additional software to help with the designing
of promotional material and other things. There are some frills
and 'wish for' equipment, such as paper folders and automatic
envelope folders, that will make things run more quickly, but
you can do without them initially. Let the biz buy those extras
later on.
Liz: What's the total cost
to get this business up and running?
Katie: This will vary with
each person. It's going to depend a lot on what you want to offer
in your service packages and what you have at your disposal right
now. You can start with only the cost of promotional materials
(biz cards, flyers, brochures, etc.), or you can put together
a portfolio of examples of your work if you're planning to offer
design capabilities. That will be a little more expensive.
Liz: What type of person
would do best at this business? I'm going to say, patient people.
Katie: This is a great business
for folks with little ones at home and those who have odd hours
of availability. It's something you can do in the evenings, early
mornings, anytime. The most necessary skill is being able to 'sell'
the idea to your clients. You'll need to know how to present your
service packages in a beneficial light.
Liz: How do you market this
business?
Katie: Face-to-face conversation
with your potential clients will work best. Talk about it with
everyone and get some positive interest going for yourself. Talk
with your friends and family members, they often know someone
who owns a business or works in an organization that would appreciate
your services. Talk with business owners you know and make appointments
to discuss the benefits you can provide.
Liz: Any last tips or suggestions?
Katie:
1) Take a look at the mail
you receive at home. How did you react to it? What changes would
you suggest to generate a more positive reaction? Can you verbalize
those suggestions to the sender?
2) Don't call it "Envelope
Stuffing" that sounds like a scam. It's Direct Mail Services,
which sounds more professional and definitely more credible.
3) Look at every business.
Don't cross anyone off the list until they say "no."
Direct Mailing is not just sending out advertisements. Other possibilities
include a businesses' need to respond to requests for more information,
sending acknowledgments when receiving resumes, sending greeting
cards and appointment reminders, etc. They NEED someone to handle
this for them!!
I've
always found that when you decide to do something, and put your
mind to it - anything can happen. If starting your own Direct
Mail Service Business is something that interests you - Katie
Veseleny's ebook, "Bizy's Guide To Making Money With Direct
Mail Services" gives you step-by-step instruction on how
to make this business work. It's available at: http://www.bizymoms.com
Liz
Folger is a Work At Home Mom Expert and author of The Stay At
Home Mom's Guide To Making Money. Liz has also created a resource
site for WAHMS at www.bizymoms.com.
