LEGIBILE HAND WRITING AVOIDS CONFUSION.
What happens if the fulfillment house who handles your orders misread
your handwriting? What happens if they can't read your correct street
address or zip code?
One problem is that some people fail to put their return address on the
envelope. There is no excuse for this! The Walter Drake Company will sell
you 1,000 address labels for $1.00. They are inexpensive, handy and a great
antidote to your address being misread by other people.
Another problem is people trying to abbreviate their city and state in
one line, where there is absolutely no reason to. For example, some people
will abbreviate Minneapolis, Minnesota to MN,MN.
A common problem with many people who have just started a mail order business
is that they have never been in business before. They have no idea how to
fold a business-size letter to fit in a business-size envelope. Many have
never worked in an office environment before and have no clue about running
an office effectively. They are taught by some to hand-address envelopes so
that people will open them. In fact, I just read something the other day
that came through the mail that said: "Using mailing labels on your
envelopes will get 88% of your letters tossed in the trashcan!"
The fact is _ ANY legitimate mail order dealer will open an envelope
regardless of what is on the outside. They are only concerned with the
contents INSIDE the envelope. Ask yourself: Do you go through your mail
each day and throw away anything with a label on the outside? If you do,
you are definitely part of the minority. EVERYONE uses labels these days.
It is the 1990's folks! The age of the computer! No one has the time to
hand-address envelopes anymore. Hand-addressing them only shows that you
are a newcomer to business.
But back to the problem at hand. If you have been mentally programd to
believe that hand-addressing envelopes and hand-writing your return address
on your materials is okay, make sure people can READ your writing plainly.
PRINT rather than write. Make sure people can easily see your "a" is not
an "e." And by all means _ if you have an uncommon name, print it plainly.
You wouldn't believe how many people scribble their name for me to typeset
So, before you get upset and wonder "why" you never received an order;
ask yourself if you originally sent it with a handwritten note and/or
abbreviated address. Chances are, the company may not have been able to
read your handwriting! And to combat this problem in the future _ please
invest $80 in a typewriter or $300 in a starter computer. If you can't make
this investment right now, then work your regular job until you can.
And last but not least _ if you have no exposure to office procedures, go
get a book at the library and learn the bare minimum basics, please!
