The direct marketing industry employs top minds of our world to analyze and build databases and marketing campaigns to address only concerns and needs of a selected audience, which history has proven to be accurate 70% of time. Typically, budgets are based more on analyzing product, service and/or consumer rather than playing an ROI guessing game.

Brief Case Study of a Client

Here is a case study of a client that used direct marketing to increase their bottom line:

Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation (AHMCC), largest U.S. privately held mortgage banker/mortgage broker initiated a more sophisticated form of direct mail marketing in 2003, which included use of opt-in email files and multi-level marketing to reach new customers. The results were that AHMCC increased their revenues by 100% and increased their closing ratio by 15% by using email alone. Customer loyalty went up and referrals hit roof. AHMCC now has 700 offices in 49 states, Guam and Virgin Islands!

As marketplace continues to evolve and change due economic landscape and need to offset expensive ad campaigns, direct marketing continues to play a major role for success of any sized business. Regardless of negative connotations that public has on direct marketing, truth of matter is that corporations are vehicles that satisfy needs of people and marketing is channel that helps facilitate this process.

Ultimately, in order to be successful, companies must learn to maintain loyalty of their customers and get in front of new ones by practicing 1 simple rule: Providing good product and service to right people, at right time, in right place and in right way.

Brian Rice is the Founder & President of Red Clay Media, a full-service marketing data provider, direct mail and data services company. Visit www.redclaymedia.com or email Brian directly at brian @redclaymedia.com.

4. Control of your own destiny. As a mail order entrepreneur, you can decide how much or how little effort you want to put into it.

In traditional business, a change of career means a major change to your entire life, whether you like it or not.

A mail-order business will often begin as a part-time career you do in addition to your "normal" job. Then, as you progress, you can decide to expand your mail-order business until it becomes your only career. The point is: YOU make choice as to how fast this happens.

5. Tax considerations. With a mail order business, you can take advantage of many tax breaks. For instance, you can get a tax deduction on your house for space used exclusively for business. You can also usually deduct for computer equipment, extra phone lines, and other equipment you use to run your business.

An, as I mentioned early, you can use technique of income Splitting to keep income out of hands of taxman!

Whether you are looking for something to simply supplement your income or looking for a complete career change, mail-order businesses have a lot to offer.

As with any other business decision, it is important to look beyond just monetary benefits to see other advantages that are present. As you can see, mail-order business provides plenty of these advantages, as well as money-making ones, making it one of best businesses to be in.