SELLING BY MAIL ORDER

Copyright 1990, William A. Cohen. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or transcribed
without the permission of the author. SBA retains an irrevocable,
worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, unlimited license to use
this copyrighted material.

While we consider the contents of this publication to be of
general merit, its sponsorship by the U.S. Small Business Admin-
istration does not necessarily constitute an endoresment of the
views and opinions of the authors or the products and services of
the companies with which they are affiliated.

All of SBA's programs and services are extended to the public on
a nondiscriminatory basis.

INTRODUCTION

This publication provides basic information on how to run a
successful mail order business. It includes information on
selecting, pricing, testing and writing effective advertisements
for your products.

MAIL ORDER SUCCESSES

Almost a hundred years ago, Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald
founded Sears, Roebuck and Company, which eventually became a
$10 billion corporation. At the same time Aaron Montgomery Ward
started his company, which also became a multimillion dollar
operation. These three entrepreneurs were the world's first mail
order millionaires.

Since then, countless part-time and full-time entrepreneurs have
been attracted to the mail order business. Although many have
failed, a surprising number have succeeded in both good times and
bad. Today you can buy everything from clothes to insurance to
live lobsters through the mail.

WHAT QUALITIES ARE REQUIRED?

For marketing wizards, a mail order business can be highly
profitable. Melvin Powers, a mail order publisher, started with a
single book. Today he has more than 400 books in print and has
sold millions of copies. Another marketing genius, Richard
Thalheimer, built a multimillion dollar company, The Sharper
Image, starting with a chronograph watch and an advertisement in
Runner's World. He now sells not only by mail but also through
retail outlets across the country. Although everyone cannot
expect to achieve the same level of success as these exceptional
entrepreneurs, your chances of building a profitable mail order
business increase if you possess the following essential
qualities: imagination, persistence, honesty and knowledge.

Imagination

Imagination is needed to visualize the special appeal that will
compel a potential customer to buy your product. In How I Made
$1 Million in Mail Order, Joe Cossman described how someone once
offered him the rights to sell earrings with little bells
attached, a previously unsuccessful mail order product. Cossman
turned this product into a mail order winner simply by renaming
the product "mother-in-law earrings" and selling the earrings to
newlyweds.

Persistence

Persistence is required because success is rarely instantaneous.
There are always obstacles and setbacks. Cossman struggled over a
year before his first success. While holding down a full-time
job, he worked at his kitchen table, tackling false leads,
problems and failures. He did nothing but lose money. Less
persistent entrepreneurs would have given up much sooner. But
when he finally was successful, his first product made him
$30,000 in less than a month.

Honesty

Absolute honesty is necessary because a successful mail order
business is built on trust, satisfied customers and repeat sales.
Cheat your customers even a little and you've lost them forever.

In addition, federal, state, and local government agencies, as
well as Better Business Bureaus and consumer groups constantly
monitor advertising and are quick to act against unsubstantiated
claims or infractions of laws.

One of the most well-known laws applicable to the mail order
business is the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Thirty-Day Delay
Delivery Rule. Basically, if you don't mention a specific
delivery period in your advertisement, you have 30 days after
receipt of an order to ship it. If you can't make shipment within
30 days or by your stated date, you must notify the buyer of the
new shipment date before the original date passes. You also must
enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and give your buyer a
chance to cancel the deal.

This rule is nothing to fool around with. A well-known, very
reputable mail order firm in Chicago was forced to pay a fine of
several hundred thousand dollars when a snowstorm caused mailing
delays and the firm didn't notify customers of their cancellation
rights using the required method. The fine wasn't meant to
reflect on the firm's integrity, but it showed that no company is
exempt from the rules.

Knowledge

Without proper knowledge your chances for success are minimal.
Success stories like Ward's, Sears' and Cossman's are built
around those individuals' constant search for the answer to one
important question: What works?

You must continually increase your knowledge if you are to
succeed. You can do this through both reading and experience.
Experience is a valuable but expensive way to learn. Because you
can save time and money learning through the experiences of
others, extensive reading is highly recommended.

You can also learn from successful competitors. Thoroughly study
advertisements in magazines and newspapers, over a period of
time. Note those that run consistently month after month or
several times a year. Answer advertisements that are particularly
interesting. Carefully study the catalogs, sales letters,
brochures and other literature you receive. Particularly study
all follow-up mailings. Know what your competitors are doing.

SELECTING A PRODUCT

It may appear that you can sell almost any product through the
mail, but this isn't true. To develop ideas for products, study
trade publications, attend product shows, contact manufacturers
and answer advertisements. To increase your chances of picking a
winner, look for a product that

* Is lightweight.
* Is nearly unbreakable.
* Has a broad appeal to a large, specific segment of the
population.
* Has a large profit margin.

To maintain a high enough profit margin to offset the cost of
advertising, you should select a product that will sell for three
or four times what you pay for it. (Retail merchants can usually
sell at about twice their cost.) Although you can't get this kind
of markup with all products, you can charge even more for many
products. If customers won't pay the price you need to make a
profit, sell a different product.

However, many mail order advertisers are willing to lose money on
initial sales to obtain a customer's name. They hope to make up
for the loss by selling other products to that customer in the
future. Without the high cost of advertising, direct mail repeat
sales can be made at much higher profit margins. Again, this is
one of the reasons honesty and efficiency in mail order
operations are so important.

Evaluating Your Products

If you have many products to promote, decide which are your best.
Do this with a two-step process: first, rank all factors that
apply to a certain type of product in order of importance, then
grade your particular product for each of those factors on a
scale of zero to four (zero meaning "poor" and four meaning
"excellent"). The result of your calculations, a value rating,
will help you determine which products to sell.

For example, let's say you decide four factors are important and
you determine their relative importance as follows:

Broad appeal 30%
Large profit margin 30%
Light weight 20%
Breakability 20%
100%

Now take two candidate products. One is a beautiful vase imported
from Japan and the second is a gold plated "lucky" coin manufactured
in your city.

We'll look at the vase first. Let's assume that the vase appeals
to a reasonably broad segment of the population interested in
art. So you assign the vase three points for that factor.
However, due to the cost of the product, import duties and
shopping, the product has only a fair profit margin--this merits
only one point. The vase is moderately light, so you give it two
points for light weight. Finally, there is breakability. No
matter how carefully you package the vases, you're going to have
some breakage. So give the product zero points on that factor.

Use the same method to evaluate the lucky coin. Let's assume that
you decide to assign one, one, three, and four, respectively, for
the same factors.

Now you can build a comparison matrix like this:

Factors Importance weighing x Evaluation points = Value
(% expressed in decimal) rating

Vase
Appeal .3 3 .9
Margin .3 1 .3
Light weight .2 2 .4
Breakability .2 0 .0
____
1.6

Coin
Appeal .3 1 .3
Margin .3 1 .3
Light weight .2 3 .6
Breakability .2 4 .8
----
2.0

Since 2.0 is greater than 1.6, this tells you that the coin is a
better product at this time. If any of the factors change, you
will need to do another analysis.

Of course, in real life there are many other factors you may want
to include in your analysis, such as the total market potential,
the need for the product, the availability of the product in
stores, the potential of the product to create repeat business,
the investment required, etc.

PRICING STRUCTURE

How you structure your sales offer is also important. You may
have the right product and the right price but still lose
customers simply by your presentation.

For example, you want to sell a widget at two for $1.00. You
could advertise your offer just like that, or you could advertise
one widget for $1.00 and a second widget free. Or you could sell
one widget for $.99 and offer a second for $.01.

All of these offers are exactly the same; however, they are
perceived differently by your customers. Tests have shown that
there can be a vast difference in response depending on the way
you present an offer. Unfortunately, because every situation is
different, no one can tell you which is the best offer without
knowing the product and project intimatelyand without doing
extensive testing.

FORECASTING SALES

Always be cautious when forecasting sales. Your break-even point
(the number of units to be sold in order for a product to stop
losing money and begin making money) should be set very low, at
least while you are testing your probable level of response. For
example, if your break-even point is 5 percent of the names on a
mailing list, up to 5 percent of the people can respond to your
offer and you still do not make a profit. Keep your expectations
reasonable. For many businesses, one quarter of 1 percent is an
excellent response.

The same idea is true in forecasting orders from magazine
advertisements. One famous advertiser is happy if he gets
1.25 times the cost of his advertisement in sales. This means
that if the advertisement cost $100, he is delighted if the
resulting sales amount to $125. For one publication, this means
.10 of 1 percent of the readership responded. However, many
advertisements don't even bring in .01 of 1 percent of their
readership.

TESTING MAIL ORDER'S SECRET WEAPON

Successful mail order operators test almost everything. They
measure the response to an advertisement or mailing by testing
all advertising variables, such as

* Offers.
* Headlines.
* Mailing lists.
* Formats.
* Prices.
* Advertising media.

Testing is a scientific approach to mail order selling. It
permits a mail order entrepreneur to fail with four out of five
products and still walk away with big profits on the fifth
product.

How is it done? Spend a small amount of money for a test
advertisement or mailing list. A complete failure tells you to
drop the whole project. Marginal results tell you to experiment
and rework some aspect of the project. A major success gives you
the green light for a larger investment.

In this way, you can afford to lose money on several dismal
failures. But when your testing indicates a clear success, you
can move immediately to capitalize on what you know to be a
winner. The idea is not to risk a lot of money until you are
fairly certain of success.

ADVERTISING

Nothing determines the success of a mail order enterprise so much
as its advertising, whether it be via magazines, newspapers,
radio, TV, direct mail or some other form of promotion. Writing
advertising copy, preparing art, selecting media, determining
price and other aspects of creating ads usually require expert
skills. If you decide to work with an advertising agency, select
one primarily on the basis of its successful experience in
producing profitable mail order advertising.

Whether you decide to use an agency or go it alone, there are
some important points to remember.

Where to Advertise

It is important to recognize that everyone is not a good prospect
for your business. Concentrate your efforts on the media reaching
those segments of the market that are more likely to buy your
product or service. A good strategy is to advertise in the same
place where similar items are advertised. This is true whether
the media you are considering is a magazine or a list of names
for a direct mail campaign.

When to Advertise

The month in which you advertise a product or service can greatly
affect the results. Follow these general guidelines:

1. Seasonability--Although most products can be advertised all year,
some should be advertised and sold only during certain seasons.
For example, you should not try to sell garden hoses during the
winter.

2. Outside influences--Major events can affect the results of your
promotion. For example, November is usually a good month for most
products; however, depending on what you are selling, November
sales may be better or worse in an election year. Similarly, a
war, the death of an important person or other major events will
affect the results of a mail order promotion.

3. Best months for mail order business--Whatever your product, some
months are better for mail order sales than others. You can only
find out the best months for your product by testing. Generally,
months for mail order sales are ranked from best to worst as
follows: January, February, October, November, March, September,
August, April, December, July, May and June.

When starting with a new product or service, advertise during
the logical months, considering your product and the season.
Then analyze your response. If you test in a good month, the
results may be much better than you can expect in an average
or poor mail order sales month. In the same way, if your test
advertisement appears in a bad month and the results are only
marginal, you may get better sales in other months.

4. Frequency of advertising--Depending on the strength of the
response, you can estimate the most effective frequency for
advertising. For example, if the response was strong, you may
decide to advertise your product frequently. If the response was
only moderate, you should probably advertise less
frequentlyperhaps every other month or once a quarter or only
during certain peak months. Finally, if the response was weak
during a good mail order month, you should possibly advertise
this particular product infrequently.

What to Put in Your Advertisements

The words (or copy) in your advertisements are critical. They
should not be just a casual consideration. In his book Tested
Advertising Methods, John Caples described two ads that were the
same size, used the same illustrations and were in identical
publications. Only the copy differed. One ad sold 19 times as
many goods as the other. This is not just the difference between
failure and success; it can be the difference between failure and
a small fortune.

There are many different formulas for developing copy. Initially,
you should write your advertisement according to a definite copy
structure. Once you know that you can write good mail order copy,
you can experiment with less structured forms of communicating.
The copywriting checklist included in this publication lists
several important considerations. A basic structure to begin with
is described below.

* Get attention
* Develop interest
* Show the benefits and advantages of your product or service
* Build and maintain credibility
* Deliver a call to action

Get Attention

The most important element of your ad and copy is the headline.
This is how you gain attention. Yet many copywriters spend hours
writing the body of the ad and just a few minutes on the
headline. The weekly magazine Advertising Age once related that
Maxwell Sackheim sold 500,000 copies of a book by changing the
title, from Five Acres to Five Acres and Independence.

All good headlines have certain things in common. First, they
appeal to the reader's self-interest and stress the most
important benefit of the product or service. A powerful headline
arouses the curiosity of the reader, presents startling news or
suggests a quick and easy way to obtain benefits.

Second, good headlines use key words that are psychologically
powerful in attracting potential readers. In Confessions of an
Advertising Man, David Ogilvy says that the most important of
these key words are free and new, but there are many other
powerful words. Here is a list of some words psychologists have
discovered to be powerful in stopping readers and getting their
attention(1):

amazing announcing at last
bargain challenge easy
how to hurry important
just arrived last chance miracle
power remarkable revolutionary
secret sensational success
wanted who else why

(1) For a comprehensive list, refer to William A. Cohen, Building
Mail Order Business, 2nd Edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 1985)

Demonstrate Benefits

Once you have gained the reader's attention, demonstrate the
benefits of buying. The benefits must override the cost of the
product and the trouble involved in finding a stamp and envelope,
writing a check and mailing the order. Don't sell product
descriptions. Sell benefits. A customer at a restaurant buys the
taste, smell and sizzle of meat not a piece of meat. It is your
job to describe your product in terms of taste, smell and sizzle.

Build Credibility

Credibility is very important in making your copy effective.
Regardless of what you say about the benefits or advantages of a
product, if your potential customers do not believe what you say,
they will not place an order.

Testimonials can be helpful, particularly if you have permission
to use the name of an individual whose testimonial is on file. An
alternative is to omit the name or use only initials.

You can also achieve credibility by identifying a bank,
accountant or attorney as a reference. Even showing a picture of
the building that houses your business can add credibility,
especially if it is an imposing structure.

Encourage Orders

A basic law of sales is that a face-to-face salesperson must ask
for an order. As a salesperson selling through an advertisement,
you should also call your customers to immediate action. You
don't want your customers to cut out the coupon and put it away
for another day. You want your customers to order immediately.
Research has demonstrated that regardless of initial intent, in
most instances, if your prospects don't order immediately, they
won't order at all. Include incentives, such as a statement on
limited quantities or a time-limited offer.

What Does Advertising Cost?

Top quality advertising costs more, but it usually brings the
best results. However, don't overspend on advertising, direct
mail and other promotions. Don't invest in full color printing
when one or two colors will do the job. There is no need to use
the most expensive paper, elaborate art or other extravagances to
sell profitably.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Use of Post Office Box Numbers

Some states require that you include a business (or home) address
in your advertisement, even if you want orders to come to a post
office box number. If you have the choice using a post office box
number or your home address, consider these trade-offs:

1. A classified advertisement will probably cost more with a home
address as you pay by the word.

2. Use of a post office box will allow you to pick up mail seven
days a week.

3. A prospective customer generally associates lower risk in
ordering from a business or home address. Thus, you are likely to
have more returns with a full address than with a post office box
number.

4. A post office box number protects your personal privacy if you
don't want to be bothered at home by customers.

Whether or not you use a post office box will not mean the
difference between success and failure. It is more a personal
preference decision.

Credit Card Sales

Credit card sales will increase your returns. This is because
prospects who aren't familiar with your company do know the names
VISA and MASTERCARD. Use of credit cards also means that your
customers can order higher priced items easily on credit, with
the advantage that the bank grants the credit, not you. Since
some mail order companies find that they are able to collect only
about 60 percent of their credit sales, this may be no small
consideration. However, the bank will charge you several
percentage points on each order charged against its credit cards.
If you are new to business, you may also have a problem
convincing a bank to let you use its credit card service.

You should also know that some individuals who have become mail
order millionaires did so dealing on a strictly cash basis with
no credit cards.

If you sell expensive items, or inexpensive items likely to total
a fair amount for each order, credit card sales may be worth
investigating. If you are going to enable your customers to order
through a toll-free number (see below), credit cards definitely
make sense.

Toll-Free Numbers

Toll-free numbers allow your customers to order more easily,
which will increase your sales. The question is, will it increase
your profits? Toll free means that the caller doesn't pay; but
you do. Some mail order operators have found that, for their
product, use of a toll-free number is not profitable. Others have
found that a toll-free service is what makes their business
profitable.

As with other important business decisions, one way to find out
whether you should use a toll-free number is to test one.
Installation and toll costs vary; you can find out more about
toll-free numbers through your telephone company.

COPYWRITING CHECKLIST

Headline

* Does the headline appeal to self-interest, offer exciting news or
arouse interest?
* Is the headline positive rather than negative?
* Does the headline suggest that the reader can obtain something
easily and quickly?
* Does the headline make use of the powerful words of mail order
advertising?
* Does the headline stress the most important benefit of the
product?
* Does the headline grab the reader and cause him or her to read
further?
* Is the headline believable?
* Does the headline tie in with the copy?

The Offer

Are all the following elements of the offer present in the copy?

Product Price
Terms Guarantee
Options Additional reasons to buy
Dates Places

* Do you gain interest at once through the use of a story, a
startling or unusual statement, a quote or news item?
* Do you show benefits and advantages that appeal to emotional
needs so that your offer is irresistible?
* Do you establish credibility with your reader through the use of
testimonials, statements by your accountant or some other means?
* Do you encourage immediate action by listing a reason to order
now, e.g., limited quantities, time-limited offer, etc.?

Copy Quality

* Is the copy written in a conversational tone?
* Does your copy move right along?
* Do you use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs?
* Do you use several subheadings throughout your copy?

MAINTAIN GOOD RECORDS

A word of caution: to succeed in mail order, keep accurate
records of all figures that are important to the success of your
business, such as

* Results of advertisements.
* Advertising costs.
* Printing costs.
* Postage costs.
* Cost-per-order.

However, do this in the simplest, easiest and least
time-consuming way possible.

Use a Computer

Although you can start a mail order business without a computer,
it is hard to imagine anyone operating very long without one.
More than any other single tool, a computer will help you keep
accurate records, increase your productivity and stay
competitive. Before you buy a computer, wait until your business
is established and you have a profitable product. Once you have
established good credit, a computer should be one of your first
important investments.

A computer can help you to perform most of the key functions of
running a mail order business. Below is an outline of how
different software systems can help you.

Data Base

* Maintain an updated list of customers.
* Find new customers.
* Research media.
* Track most popular products.
* Record ordering information: how frequent, average size,
fulfillment dates, etc.

Spreadsheet

* Maintain income tax records.
* Make what if forecasts and plans.
* Record price information.
* Maintain cash flow information and projections.

Word Processor

* Write and maintain a file of your business letters.
* Personalize your direct mail.

Desktop Publishing

* Write advertisements.
* Do your own layout.
* Do your own typesetting for advertisements.

The computer has revolutionized the mail order business, and it
can help you to become successful. When you are ready to get a
computer, go to your local business software store. They can show
you many of the programs available. If your town doesn't have a
software store, get a copy of one of the many computer magazines
that are published. You will see many programs advertised and
described and you can obtain catalogs listing hundreds of
programs that can help you run and build your business.

REPEAT BUSINESS--KEY TO MAXIMUM PROFITS

Continuous profits come from continuous sales. As already
suggested, rarely is a profitable mail order business established
on a one-time sale. Paul Muchnick, president of Paul Muchnick
Company in Los Angeles, suggests the following methods for
stimulating repeat orders at minimal cost.

1. Never forget the customer--Your list of customers is your most
valuable asset. Use it to send offers of merchandise at frequent
intervals.

2. Use package stuffers--Include a regular catalog or special offer
in outgoing orders. Such enclosures can bring in new sales and
will ride free, as postage and packing costs already are being
paid to ship the merchandise.

3. Offer quantity discounts--Everyone loves a bargain. A discount
price or a similar incentive for an order over a given amount
will stimulate larger orders. Gift certificates are another way
to spark sales, especially during Christmas and other holiday
seasons.

4. Advertise on envelopes--If you are enclosing advertising in the
envelope, consider using the envelope itself to feature one or
more special offers. The additional printing cost may prove
insignificant compared to the extra sales produced.

Mail order can be a profitable and interesting full- or part-time
business. But remember, you will probably lose money before you
start making it. So don't make major investments until you have
gained experience and until you have found the right product, the
right price and the best means of communicating to the most
receptive market.

REFERENCES

Books

Brumbaugh, J.F., Mail Order Made Easy, North Hollywood, CA, The
Wilshire Book Company, 1979.

Burnett, Ed, The Complete Mail List Handbook, Englewood Cliffs,
NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989.

Caples, John, Tested Advertising Methods (fourth edition),
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1989.

Cohen, William A., Building a Mail Order Business (second
edition), New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1985.

Cohen, William A., Direct Response Marketing, An Entrepreneurial
Approach, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1984.

Gosden, F. Jr., Direct Marketing Success, New York, John Wiley
and Sons, Inc., 1986.

Hoge, Cecil C. Sr., Mail Order Know-How, Berkeley, Ten Speed
Press, 1982.

Hoge, Cecil C. Sr., Mail Order Moonlighting, Berkeley, Ten Speed
Press, 1976.

Holtz, Herman. Mail Order Magic. New York, McGraw-Hill Book
Company.

Joffe, G., How You Can Make At Least $1 Million (But Probably
Much More) in the Mail Order Business, New York, Harper and Row
Publishers, Inc., 1978.

Jutkins, Ray, Direct Marketing: How You Can Really Do It Right,
Costa Mesa, CA, HOL Publishers, 1989.

Katzenstein, H. and W. Sachs, Direct Marketing, Columbus, OH,
Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company, 1986.

Kobs, Jim, Profitable Direct Marketing, Chicago, NTC Business
Books, 1979.

Lewis, H.G., More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Mail Order
Advertising, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983.

Nash, Edward, The Direct Marketing Handbook, New York,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1984.

Nash, Edward, Direct Marketing: Strategy/Planning/Execution
(second edition), New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986.

Ogilvy, David, Confessions of an Advertising Man, New York,
Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., 1988.

Powers, Melvin, How to Get Rich In Mail Order, North Hollywood,
CA, The Wilshire Book Company, 1976.

Rapp, Stan and Tom Collins, Maximarketing, New York, McGraw-Hill
Book Company, 1987.

Roberts, Mary Lou and Paul D. Berger, Direct Marketing Implement,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1989.

Schwartz, Eugene M., Mail Order, New York, Boardroom Reports,
1982.

Simon, J, How to Start And Operate a Mail Order Business (fourth
edition), New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1987.

Stone, Bob, Successful Direct Marketing Methods (fourth edition),
Chicago, NTC Business Books, 1988.

Tepper, Ron, Secrets of a Successful Mail Order Guru: Chase
Revel, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1988.

Directories

Mail Order Business Directory, Coral Springs, FL, B. Klein
Publications, Inc.

Guide to American Directories (tenth edition), Coral Springs, FL,
B. Klein Publications, Inc.

O'Callaghan, Dorothy, Mail Order USA, Washington, DC, Mail Order
USA.

Direct Mail List Rates & Data, Skokie, IL, Standard Rate & Data
Service, Inc.

Consumer Magazine & Farm Publications, Skokie, IL, Standard Rate
& Data Service, Inc.

APPENDIX: INFORMATION RESOURCES
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

The SBA offers an extensive selection of information on most
business management topics, from how to start a business to
exporting your products.

This information is listed in "The Small Business Directory". For
a free copy contact your nearest SBA office.

SBA has offices throughout the country. Consult the U.S.
Government section in your telephone directory for the office
nearest you. SBA offers a number of programs and services,
including training and educational programs, counseling services,
financial programs and contract assistance. Ask about

- Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), a national
organization sponsored by SBA of over 13,000 volunteer business
executives who provide free counseling, workshops and seminars
to prospective and existing small business people.

- Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), sponsored by the SBA
in partnership with state and local governments, the educational
community and the private sector. They provide assistance,
counseling and training to prospective and existing business
people.

- Small Business Institutes (SBIs), organized through SBA on more
than 500 college campuses nationwide. The institutes provide
counseling by students and faculty to small business clients.

For more information about SBA business development programs and
services call the SBA Small Business Answer Desk at 1-800-8-ASK-SBA
(827-5722).

Other U.S. Government Resources
Many publications on business management and other related topics
are available from the Government Printing Office (GPO). GPO
bookstores are located in 24 major cities and are listed in the
Yellow Pages under the "bookstore" heading. You can request a
"Subject Bibliography" by writing to Government Printing Office,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9328.

Many federal agencies offer publications of interest to small
businesses. There is a nominal fee for some, but most are free.
Below is a selected list of government agencies that provide
publications and other services targeted to small businesses. To
get their publications, contact the regional offices listed in
the telephone directory or write to the addresses below:

- Consumer Information Center (CIC), P.O. Box 100 Pueblo, CO 81002
The CIC offers a consumer information catalog of federal
publications.

- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Publications Request
Washington, DC 20207
The CPSC offers guidelines for product safety requirements.

- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
12th Street and Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
The USDA offers publications on selling to the USDA.
Publications and programs on entrepreneurship are also available

through county extension offices nationwide.

- U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
Office of Business Liaison
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Room 5898C
Washington, DC 20230
DOC's Business Assistance Center provides listings of
business opportunities available in the federal government. This
service also will refer businesses to different programs and
services in the DOC and other federal agencies.

- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Public Health Service
Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Drug Free Workplace Helpline: 1-800-843-4971. Provides
information on Employee Assistance Programs.
National Institute for Drug Abuse Hotline:
1-800-662-4357. Provides information on preventing substance
abuse in the workplace.
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information:
1-800-729-6686 toll-free. Provides pamphlets and resource
materials on substance abuse.

- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Employment Standards Administration
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
The DOL offers publications on compliance with labor laws.

- U.S. Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
P.O. Box 25866
Richmond, VA 23260
1-800-424-3676
The IRS offers information on tax requirements for small
businesses.

- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Small Business Ombudsman
401 M Street, SW (A-149C)
Washington, DC 20460
1-800-368-5888 except DC and VA
703-557-1938 in DC and VA
The EPA offers more than 100 publications designed to help small
businesses understand how they can comply with EPA regulations.

- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
200 Charles Street, SW
Washington, DC 20402
The FDA offers information on packaging and labeling
requirements for food and food-related products.

For More Information
A librarian can help you locate the specific information you need
in reference books. Most libraries have a variety of directories,
indexes and encyclopedias that cover many business topics. They
also have other resources, such as

- Trade association information
Ask the librarian to show you a directory of trade associations.

Associations provide a valuable network of resources to their
members through publications and services such as newsletters,
conferences and seminars.

- Books
Many guidebooks, textbooks and manuals on small business are
published annually. To find the names of books not in your local
library check "Books In Print", a directory of books currently
available from publishers.

- Magazine and newspaper articles
Business and professional magazines provide information that is
more current than that found in books and textbooks. There are
a number of indexes to help you find specific articles in
periodicals.

In addition to books and magazines, many libraries offer free
workshops, lend skill-building tapes and have catalogues and
brochures describing continuing education opportunities.



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