Start Your Own Mail Forwarding Service

One of the best ways to become self-employed with a work-at-home business of your own is a mail-forwarding service. With only a tiny investment, this business can easily earn you $35,000 per year. It's easy to start, easy to operate, and anyone can do it.

What is a mail forwarding service? It simply involves using your mailing address as a place where other people can have their mail forwarded to.

At first glance it may seem strange that someone might want to have their mail delivered to one address, then forwarded to another location. But in fact, many people are looking for this very thing.

Who are they?

Here are a few examples:

* Traveling salesman * Inmates in jails or prisons

* Those who live in motor homes * Military personnel

* People employed overseas * Foreign clients

* Business people * People getting divorced

Now multiply each category above by the hundreds (or thousands) of people they represent and you will see tremendous potential in the mail receiving/forwarding service business.

What is this business and how does it work?

Basically, you agree to accept a client's mail at home or office address, then remail it in your own envelope to the address your client has given you.

Laws governing this type of operation differ throughout the world, but in the U.S. you must instruct your potential clients to notify their local post office and fill out the necessary forms authorizing you to receive their mail at your address. Your client then keeps a copy and sends the other copy to you for your files.

If you are soliciting clients from outside the USA, it would be wise to either instruct them to discuss the laws and procedures at their local post office, or contact each post office yourself in countries you expect to be doing business with in the execution of your service.

Once you have acquired a new client, immediately make arrangements as to how often he/she wants mail forwarded. It can be daily, weekly, monthly or at times in between. You should have an individual box, slot or large envelope for each client, with all delivery data written on it so yo know instantly your status with that particular client and how you are to proceed as mail begins arriving.

Your service fee should be based on the current market rate for the same type of service, if you know what the current rate is. You might find that similar services charge by the individual piece, but most of them have established a monthly or yearly rate.

A ballpark figure:

$15 per month --- plus postage

$150 per year ----plus postage

If you feel generous you can include postage charges in your fee instead of tacking it onto each mailing. When dealing within the boundaries of the USA, the cost of re-mailing will probably be minimal, but it could become costly if you have several clients in foreign countries.

To establish a relationship with a new client, it's usually best to ask for advance payment (monthly or annually) and bill the client periodically for additional postage, assuming you will be charging for it. Or, you could offer to pay the postage as a free bonus incentive for clients who pay a full year in advance.

Unless a particular client receives an exceptionally heavy mail delivery, the total cost of postage (even on a weekly basis) should not exceed $25 a year, and considerably less if you are forwarding monthly.

Supplies and equipment

Fortunately, you will not need expensive or sophisticated equipment other than a typewriter and postage scale. If you already have a computer and are proficient in its use, fine. But don't run out and buy one right away. For now, your typewriter, and a pad and pen will be sufficient.

Naturally, you should have an ample supply of postage stamps on hand, plus a few rubber stamps, depending on your needs. One might say HOLD FOR A LATER DATE, another might be FOREIGN, and still another could say USA ONLY. It's best to wait until you get going before having rubber stamps made so you can have each one customized according to your specific needs.

Most importantly, you MUST have neatly printed stationary. If you attempt to operate this type of business with hand written notes and letters on plain paper, you will get NO business at all! Check with several printers for the lowest bid to print your personalized stationary. Competition among printers is always fierce, so their prices will vary greatly. You won't need two color inks, embossed stationary or expensive paper stocks, just sharp, clear printing on your letterheads and envelopes in black and white. Later on you might want to include printed invoices or statements, but typed messages indicating costs will do for the present time, and these can be done on your regular stationary.

When your mail becomes heavy, you might want to rent a postage meter to assist you with the business load. Again, wait before rushing out to rent one.

Your business name

What you call your business can help or hurt you, so think carefully and choose wisely. You'll want to express yourself, not impress your potential clients, so make your business name simple, easy to spell and remember, and avoid the temptation to put on a big front.

Depending on who you are, what your family name is, or where you are located, here are a few examples to use in naming your business:

Jackson Mail Forwarding Services

Fred's Fast Forwarding

Forwarding by Barber

You have an uncommon sounding name that is difficult to pronounce, spell and remember? Okay, then how abot using the street or your town:

Stockton Remailers Huntington Forwarding

Vine Street Remailing Service Prompton's Prompt Remailing

Incidentally, if you live in a famous city, possibly a resort area or a location that is instantly recognizable or that might actually induce greater response, by all means use it as part of your name or closely associated with it.

Miami Beach Remailers Las Vegas Remailing Services

Hollywood Mail Forwarding Honolulu Mail Forwarding

In all of the examples above, the dominant words are "remailing" and "forwarding" because that's what this business is all about. It's always best to include the exact nature of your business in the name you choose.

How will you attract clients?

Obviously, everything up to this point will mean nothing if you don't have a few clients to work with. There is really only one way to get your clients, and that is to ADVERTISE!

This is by far the most expensive step in your business, but the cost can be as large or as small as you wish to make it. To get things underway, figure a minimum of $100 for a couple of small classified ads. You might want to step up to display (space) ads later on, but a simple classified should be enough to get the ball rolling.

As with the selection of your business name, keep it short, simple and right to the point:

"LETTERS REMAILED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, FAST, EFFICIENT, INEXPENSIVE. FREE INFORMATION." (Your name and address).

"YOUR MAIL FORWARDED WORLDWIDE. SPEEDY, DEPENDABLE, CONFIDENTIAL SERVICE. WRITE: (Your name and address)

To those who reply, send a friendly (but business-like) letter explaining your service, your rates and terms, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope.

An alternative to this would be to keep your sales message basic, explaining your service, your dependability, honesty, confidentiality, etc. and have prices listed on a small index card with an order form. Indicate all necessary information on the form so all the client has to do is check off what he/she needs and enclose a check with the proper amount. the rate card and order form makes it easier on the client, thereby, prompting the client to take advantage of your service faster is the client doesn't have to compute fees for what he/she needs, then write you a letter in return. Make it easy for clients and they will respond faster.

Or course, you can resend mailing lists of prospective clients, if you knew exactly who you wanted to reach and where they were. A list of traveling salespeople might be available from a list broker, as would a list of owners of travel trailers and recreational vehicles. You might want to test both methods.

Another thing you might want to test is adding a toll-free phone number to your ad asking readers to call for all information rather than write. In this age of electronics and telecommunication, a phone number almost always increases response from an ad. The question is -- and this is what you'll want to test -- is whether the increase justifies the increase in cost.

Go the basic route at first. You can always make the additional tests as time goes on and your business increases.

Right from the start, be assured that you will build your business and enjoy any success that comes along by creating these benefits in the minds of potential clients:

HONESTY -- CONFIDENTIALITY -- SPEED -- INTEGRITY -- EFFICIENCY

These are what potential clients will be looking for. If you can offer them and abide by your promises, your business will grow and prosper.

As with all businesses -- and everything worthwhile -- it will take a little time to become established as a mail receiver and forwarding business, so if this is the type of business you would like to have stick with it -- it's a great way to make lots of money right from the comfort of your home.