Business Lyceum

e-Letter
Practical Instruction in the Arts and Sciences of Making Money


Editor/Publisher:  J.F. (Jim) Straw

OCTOBER 2004

Greetings & Salutations:

Looking through my file for last month,  I discovered that I had answered a ton of questions for my readers and received a healthy stack of good stuff -- SO  ...

This month, I'm going  to  forego my customary editorializing and go directly into the  ....

Questions & Answers, Comments & Other Good Stuff!

Bill Amadeo needed an advertising idea ...

" Jim, I am in new car sales.  I'm trying to increase my customer base.  Being new, I have no customer loyalty and only a few referrals. -- Other than being a LOT LIZARD and competing for every UP; most of which are Just Looking or as I call them CTKs (Certified Tire Kickers), I was hoping to get new customers with a post card campaign. -- In this months Lyceum you had a running dialogue with a person involving card decks.  I've never heard of them, what are they? -- Any suggestions for getting my own customers? -- My dealership uses come on ads with a ton of fine print disclaimers which seems to piss off most of the people who do respond to the ads."

Bill:

Card Decks are a package of 3"x5" cards with advertising printed on them; mailed to a mailing list of  people interested in a  specific  subject ... there  are sometimes as many as 200 different cards  mailed in a single deck.

I would think it would prove very effective for a local car dealership  ... IF you can find a company that specializes in  local mailings. -- BUT  ...

In the February, 2004, issue  of my eLetter, I tell you about an idea I  used to sell cars by mail.  That  plan  could very easily be adapted to your sales efforts.  Check  it out at:

Feb04.html


Nathan Anderson" has an idea for you ...

"You mention classifieds in one of your Q&A's. -- Have I ever mentioned to you that I can place classified ads nationwide in American Classifieds (Thrifty Nickel)? -- I get the lowest price offered by the chain, and can place 110 ads in a matter of seconds through my online system. -- Check it out if you like and pass the URL on to anyone that you think might get use of it! -- Again, thanks for a great newsletter!"

Thank You, Nathan ...

Okay, Gang ... if you need  nationwide classified advertising, check out Nathan's offers at:

http://www.thrifty5.com


Codrut sent me a review copy and asked me to tell you about his ...

Success Stories of 12 Affiliate Marketing  Rookies.


Says you can  discover real-lfe, tried-and-true marketing strategies you can instantly use to find the  best money-making affiliate programs, protect your  affiliate commissions and explode  your affiliate sales by 397% or more - plus- find out how  to create your own  marketing system that brings multiple  streams of residual income 24/7, 100%  Guaranteed, and much, much more.

Find  out  all  about  it  at:

SuccessStories


Jerald Tuck, Jr. didn't know where to find'em ...

"When locating sellers in my area for possible exporting opportunities (as a finder), what is the best approach in  locating these companies? -- Should I contact these companies directly, or find the buyer first?"

Jerald:

All ya gotta do is check your local Telephone Book Yellow Pages and your local  Chamber of Commerce.  Find the "manufacturers" in your area.  Call and ASK for their current catalog.

After you get their catalog, ASK them if they export their  products. -- If they don't, start looking for buyers  overseas - then - follow the procedure in my course, once you have a foreign buyer who might be interested.



Anony Mouse wanted to know where to look ...

"I have a resource that is willing to purchase old cell phones and give me an (x) amount of dollars for each phone I send to him. -- I was wondering what ideas you could help me generate /implement on how to collect or how to have people and or businesses give me these old, I mean not currently used, phones that are sitting in peoples houses, garage, etc. collecting dust. without me having to pay for them. -- Of coarse, I don't want to pay for something that may not be of value... only certain phones bring any value. -- I know there has got to be a way for people to give up these phones without me shelling out bucks for something that may or may not be of value.  Any ideas?"


Mouse:

If I were doing it, I would contact the "charitable" organizations in your area.  Tell them that you will pay them a small amount for every old, used cell phone they can collect.  They'll send their members out to collect every one they can find ... so they can put the money into their charitable works.



Patrick G. O'Regan was wondering ...

"Just a simple question please... Of all your money-making opportunities, if you needed to make 10k per month from scratch, which one would you start?"

Patrick:

Ain't  no  way  of telling.

I would simply observe what was going on and respond with what  the market wanted or needed.



David Nghiem was looking for leads ...

"What is the best way to find qualified export leads? -- After attempting to do business on the internet for two years, I've now come to the opinion that way too many of these listings on the net are fly by night operations, sceondary sources, brokers, etc.  Besides, I enjoy face to face conversation and contacts.  As a result, I figured that the most effective method is to go to the country's representing office. Am I right or wrong? What would you do?  Am I doing the steps correctly?  You're the master!"

David:

The best place to  find leads that I have found  over the years are Trade Publications published in the countries to which you are interested  in  marketing.  You'll find the various Directories of International  Periodical Publications at your local public library  ...  if they don't have such a directory,  ASK them to get one for you from their regional library.

Those directories,  are categorized by industries in the various  countries, so you can  select publications that go  to companies that may be interested in your line of products.  Just contact each of the publications.  Tell'em you are considering advertising in their publication and ASK for a "media  kit" with their ad rates (which will include a copy or 2 of  the publications). -- You may want to advertise in some  of them yourself - but  - you can always find  leads in the ads  in  those publications. 

Looks like you're on the right track all the way.



Omar Svavarsson needed to know ...

"Could you advise me regarding a Bank Letter of Credit,  or any other financial guarantee, that I  could rent or buy without a huge upfront to greedy brokers?"


Omar:

You can learn all about Letters  of Credit in the December, 1999, issue of my eLetter:

Dec99.html

Check out some of the other issues in the archives for financing methods you may be able to use.



David Oliver wanted to copy me ...

"I want to do an experiment. I want to make my sales letters one page like you have (for $30 to $80 products).  I have been seemingly brainwashed into believing that sales letters will out perform one page flyers. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Dave:

It all  depends upon the words you use.

My one-pagers sometimes do better than the 4-page letters  - but - not always.  The  only thing you can do is test to see if it works.  Then, test some more to be sure.



Rick Castello wanted to know ...

"If  I purchase the self-liquidating loan report ... ... am I guaranteed a  loan?"

Sorry, Rick ...

You can't make a loan self-liquidate unless you can FIRST get the loan.

All of the Self-Liquidating Loan deals are con-games.  My report explains how the con works and explains all of the elements involved.

The report has been used by the FBI and States' Attornies General in order to convict some of those  con-men.

IF you can get a loan, there are ways  to make it self-liquidate ... but, you have to  get the  loan  FIRST.

Sorry.



I just read a fascinating statistic ...

Did you know that the #1 best selling  ebook  last  month  was  about beating the lottery?


Well ...

Ken Silver tells me ...

"You'll  be amazed when I tell  you about my  astonishing 80.3% Success  Rate with  my  Honest Lotto System and  reveal how I wonover $2  Million Dollars.  Now, you  can discover the secret for  yourself."

Okay, Gang, check it out for  yer ownself at:

Lotto


Terry Stevens was going in the wrong direction ...

"As a Finder, when looking  for money for a contact, what kind of fees does one negotiate?   Do you take  the initiative or does the contact?  Especially after working months to find  money?  Doesn't a broker/lender receive their 1% commission once  a loan is  closed?  Howmuch of a commission  should one  request?  5%?"

Terry:

It is very, very, very difficult for a real Finder to  act as a "Money Finder."

Why?  Because both the borrower  and the  lender will be looking to you to provide vital information. 

The borrower won't want to pay you a fee  if all you do is introduce them  to a lender because they want someone  to actually  get the money for them.  The  lender won't want  to pay you a fee for the introduction  only because they will want you to  provide them  with all the pertinent details before they even agree to look at  the deal.

A real Finder only introduces the  parties, then steps back and lets them  do  their  deal ... or not.  But, the  vast majority of borrowers don't  want  to go to the effort to provide all the detailed information  the lender needs.   They want  someone to  do it  for  them.

If you are going to be working as a "MoneyFinder," you will  either have  to become a "broker" or you will have to affiliate with a real broker who will compensate you for introducing them to possible borrowers.  In those cases, the fees will be much, much smaller than you might expect because you won't be doing the broker's work.

You really need  to take my Finder's Fee course at: 



Joe Willis was concerned about competition ...

" When going up against big names like amazon, how do you get people to disregard name and just buy the best priced product."

Joe:

Contrary to popular belief, "big names" aren't what people buy.  They buy from whomever can give them the best deal; lowest price maybe,  or easiest ordering, or fastest delivery.

Amazon loses a good many sales to local bookstores simply because the bookstore has the same book at the same price but it can be delivered locally and it is easier to order from the bookstore than to jump through the ordering procedure at Amazon.

Don't worry about the competition ... let them worry about you.



Matthew Muth was considering a franchise  ...

"Well you said there wasn't anything you didn't know about so here goes.  I absolutely hate my job so I decided to look in possibly getting a franchise.  What do you think about franchises?  I have never done this so I have literally no information.  My main concern is the financing end.  So I have a few questions. -- 1.  Should  I  go for a personal or business  loan? -- 2.  I really don't  have a lot of  liquid assets.  Will they need to use my home as collateral? -- 3.  What's the safest route - if there is one? -- By the way, you and the newsletter are  awesome!!!"

Thank You, Matt ...

I greatly appreciate your kind remarks.

Franchises are like any other business opportunity ... there are good ones and bad ones.

Usually, Franchise financing is just about like any other business financing ... requiring whatever collateral is acceptable to the financier - but - in many cases, the Franchisor has financing arrangements already established; all you have to do is qualify and that depends a great deal on the franchise itself.

Your best bet is to determine what franchise you want, then investigate the financing that they require and any financing they might  offer.   Determine what kind of business you want.  Check out any and all franchises in that field.  Weight the pros and cons.  Take your time and chose what really interests you because you may be doing  it for a long time.

Just be careful of franchises that will give you 100% financing ... it  usually means the franchise isn't worth much and the franchisor will be happy to get anything you can pay, until you quit  paying.

Sorry ... there is no safest route in the business community.  If you are looking for safety, best just keep your  job.



David Garfinkel said ...

"I've got a new newsletter you might be interested in ... and, if you want to  tell your readers about it as well.  I would certainly appreciate it!"

Okay, David  ...

I'll tell my readers they can learn all about  it at:

http://www.world-copywriting-institute.com


Stephen B. Lord had a question ... 

"I have a question.  I want to become a distributor of electronics, specifically a company out of Germany.  I want to get the distributor pricing because I want to buy equipment for my church. -- How do I go about becoming a distributor? -- I have a corporation with a Tax ID Number, but when I go to their website, I don't see any info on how to become a distributor.  Or, do I need to do that through their North America Division?"

Steve:

Your best bet is to write directly  to them in Germany.  They  will, in turn,  put you  in touch with their  North American  Division.

Since your request will  be coming from  the  home office, it will get fast service from the North  American Division.



Issa Kambwanya  wanted to know how and where ...

"Can you please help me with the following two questions:  1) I still am interested in the Finder business. You talked about it before. Can you tell me the best source one can use to locate business buyers and sellers through merger transactions? What might be the investment cost to run such a business? -- 2) Have you heard about "NO-BURN" products? I read in a magazine that there is a series of products that, once spread on something, they prevent that thing from catching fire. Based on the article, there is a need for distributors/dealers and the demand is supposed to be huge Do you have any advice about it?  Thank you for your help."

Issa:

The best place  to start looking for buyers/sellers in the M&A field is in the various  trade publications for the industry in which you are being involved.

Start up costs can vary so widely, there is no way I  would venture a guess in your specific situation.

Don't know much about the "No Burn" products - but - below is an item that appeared in a recent issue of my "WorldWide Business Exchange" newsletter.

You can t have a fire, if nothing will burn. -- This contact offers you an opportunity to make money, save lives and prevent a family s home from disaster.  They are looking for Dealers for No-Burn ... a new technological invention.  No-Burn is a non-toxic, non-carginogenic, non-staining clear liquid that; when sprayed on anything porous...wood, cloth, paper, etc. ...will not allow that material to burn.  You can even spray No-Burn on paper, put a match to it, and it will not catch fire. -- Even though No-Burn has thousands of uses like schools, hospitals, daycare centers, etc., it s greatest market are the 1.6 million new homes being constructed each year. -- It s better than sprinklers, fire extinguishers & smoke alarms.  Those work AFTER the fire starts... No-Burn stops the fire from ever starting. -- If you are interested in selling No-Burn  in your area, contact offers a Package that includes brochures, builder s flyer, dealer agreement overview, independent laboratory test results, manufacturer s letter of longevity & health hazards & warranty information...with a video of actual fire & test footage.  The Package is only $25. -- Order your Package, today.  Every community needs a No-Burn dealer. -- Contact:  NO-BURN, P.O. Box 185, St. Clair, MI  48079 c (800) 989-8577 -- OnLine:  http://www.noburn.com



Dr. Brad Beirmann knew a lot of you were interested in finding Drop Ship sources for products, so he said ...

"We offer a free preview of our drop ship directory database, free newsletter, free articles and coming soon a free e-book on drop shipping. -- I can assure you our information is up to par.  As a matter of fact our company has raised the bar on drop ship directories. -- We don't sit around an office and call people to source product or just scour the internet looking for drop shippers, anyone can do that. We hit the streets and go to the trade shows to find the true source of the products.  No other drop ship directory primarily searches trade shows for product sourcing. "

So ...  if'n you are looking for Drop Ship sources for any kind of product, check it out at:

DropShip


Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every issue responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions; or tell me what sources or resources you need to build your business; or give me any thoughts you want to share with your fellow members.

Believe it or don't ... I ain t a mind-reader. -- If n you doesn't tell me what you need, I may never touch upon the information, sources or resources you need.

This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ... I am just your moderator.

 Until next month, keep well ...

J.F. (Jim) STRAW
Grande Panjandrum


Thought For The Month!

"I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them." -- Harry Truman

"Me, too!" -- Jim


Can you stump the old master? -- Betcha can't!

Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles of money in direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist & Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing, finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the case ...

No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just starting, well on your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've probably been where you are, done what you are doing. -- So ...

Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something in your business - or - if you have any comments about anything I've said in issues of this e-Letter; or if you want to add your 2 cents worth ... just "ask" me or "tell" me.

Send your Questions, Comments or 2 Cents Worth to ...

with "Question" - "Comment" - or, "2 Cents Worth" in the SUBJECT.

If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you may ask, I will contact some of the professionals in your field of endeavor (I will probably know one or more personally) to get the real 'skinny' for you.

Note: If you want to ask a question anonymously just tell me so when you send in the question. -- Nobody but you and I will know who asked the question.


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