Fred Burn Co.

A new approach to serving one of the oldest and most basicneeds of even the smallest business community, a home-basedsecretarial service can satisfy the entrepreneurial needs of eventhe most ambitious woman!This kind of service business with a virtually unlimited profitpotential.
Third year profits for businesses of this type, inmetropolitan areas as small as 70,000 persons are reported ar4100,000 and more.
It’s a new idea for a traditional job that’sgrowing in popularity and acceptance.
As for the future, there’s no end in sight to the many andvaried kinds of work a secretary working at home can do forbusiness owners, managers and sales representatives.
Varioussurveys indicate that by the year 2,000–at least 60 percent ofall secretarial work, as we know today will be handled by womenworking at home.
For most women, this is the most exciting news of things tocome since the equal rights amendment.
Now is the time to getyourself organized, start your own home-based secretarial serviceand nurture it through your start-up stages to total success inthe next couple of years.
Our research indicates little or no risk involved, with mostsecretarial services breaking even within 30 days, and reports ofsome showing a profit after the first week! your cash investmentcan be as little as $10 to $25 if you already have a modern,electronic typewriter.
You can set up at your kitchen table, makefew phone calls, and be in business tomorrow.
If you don’t have a modern, office quality electric typewritercomparable to the IBM Selectric–a portable just won’t do,because it’ll break down, wear out, and fall apart after a monthof heavy use.
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If you’re aware of this delicacy of a portableelectric, you can conceivably begin with one, but you’lldefinitely have to graduate to a bigger, heavier machine as soonas possible.
An IBM Selectric, complete with start-up supplies kit whichincludes a dozen ribbons, can be purchased for less than athousands dollars.
On the contract, this would break down aboutto about $175 for down payment and monthly payments of less than$50 per month over a 2-year period.
Naturally, you’d want toinclude the standard service contract which costs about $100 peryear, and means that whenever you have a problem or want yourmachine serviced, you simply pick up the phone and call theservice department.
They’ll ask you what kind of problem you’rehaving, and then send some one to fix it immediately.
Shoestringers can rent an IBM Selectric for about $60 per mont,plus a small deposit.
And those of you who are really on a tightbudget, can contract an equipment leasing firm, explain yourbusiness plan, and work out an arrangement where they buy themachine of your choice for you, and then lease it back to youover five or ten year period for much lower payments.
Whatever you do, get the best typewriter your money can buy.
The output of your typewriter will be your finished product, andthe better, “more perfect” your finished product, the moreclients you’ll attract and keep.
It’s also imperative that youhave one of the modern, “ball” typewriters.
Only these kinds oftypewriters give each character a clear, even and uniformimpression on your paper.
Typewriters of the “arm & hammer” typequickly become misaligned, producing a careless look on yourfinished product.
As mentioned earlier, you can start almost immediately fromyour kitchen table if you’ve got a typewriter.
However, in orderto avoid fatigue and back problems, invest in a typing stand andsecretary’s standard typing chair just as soon as you can affordthem.
Watch for office equipment sales, especially among theoffice equipment leasing firms.
You should be able pick up a new,slightly damaged, or good used typewriter stand or desk foraround $20 to $25.
A comparable quality secretary’s typing chaircan be purchased for $50 or less.
While you’re shopping for things you’ll need.
be sure to pickup a chair mat.
If you don’t, you may suddenly find that thecarpet on the floor of the room where your do your typing, needsreplacing due to the worn spot where the chair is located andmaneuvered in front of the typewriter.
You’ll also want a workstand with place marker and a convenient box or storage forimmediate paper supply.
If you plan to do a great deal of workduring the evening hours, be sure to invest in an adjustable”long arm” office work lamp.
When buying paper, visit the various wholesale paper suppliersin your area or in nearby large city, and buy at least a halfcarton–6 reams–at a time.
Buying wholesale, and in quantity,will save you quite a bit of money.
The kind to buy is ordinary20 pound white bond.
Open one ream for an immediate supply atyour typewriter, and store the rest in a closet, under your bed,or on a shelf in your garage or basement.
In the beginning, you’ll be the business–typists, salesman,advertising department, bookkeeper and janitor, so, much willdepend on your overall business acumen.
Those areas in which youlack experience or feel weak in, buy books or tapes and enhanceyour knowledge.
You don’t have to enjoy typing, but you shouldhave better than average proficiency.
Your best bet is selling your services is to do is allyourself.
Every business in your area should be regarded as apotential customer, so it’s unlikely you’ll have to worry aboutwho to call on.
Begin by making a few phone calls to formerbosses or business associates–simply explain that you’restarting a typing service and would appreciate it if they’d giveyou a call whenever they have extra work that you can handle forthem.
Before you end the conversation, ask them to be sure tokeep you in mind and steer your way any overload typing jobs thatthey might hear about.
The next step is “in-person” calls on prospective customers.
This means dressing in an impressively professional manner, andmaking sales calls on the business people in your area.
For thistask, you should be armed with business cards (brochures alsohelp.
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), and an order or schedule book of some sort.
All of thesethings take time to design and print, so while you’re waiting fordelivery, use the time to practice selling via the telephone.
Atthis stage, your telephone efforts will be more for the purposeof indoctrinating you into the world of selling than actuallymaking sales.
Just be honest about starting a business, and sincere in askingthem to consider trying your services whenever they have a needyou can help them with.
Insurance companies, attorneys anddistributors are always needing help with their typing, so startwith these kinds of businesses first.
For your business cards, consider a freelance artist to designa logo for you.
Check, and/or pass the word among the students inthe art or design classes at nearby college, art or advertisingschool.
Hiring a regular commercial artist will cost quite a bitmore, and generally won’t satisfy your needs any better than thework of a hungry beginner.
Be sure to browse through any Clip Art books that may beavailable–at most print shops, newspaper offices, advertisingagencies, libraries and book stores.
The point being, to come upwith an idea that makes your business card stand out; that can beused on all printed materials, and makes you–yourcompany–unique or different from all others.
I might suggest something along the lines of a secretary withpad in hand taking dictation; or perhaps a secretary wearing adictaphone headset seated in front of a typewriter.
You mightwant something distinctive for the first letter of the company,or perhaps a scroll or flag as a background for your companyname.
At any rate, once you’ve got your logo or company design, thenext step is your local print shop.
Ask them to have thelettering you want to use, typeset in the style you likebest–show them your layout and order a least a thousand businesscards printed up.
For your layout, go with something basic.
Expert typingservices, in the top left hand corner.
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Dictation by phone, in thetop right hand corner.
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Your company logo or design centered onthe card with something like, complete secretarial services,under it.
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Your name in the lower left hand corner, and yourtelephone number in the lower right hand corner.
Everybody that you call on in person, be sure to give one ofyour business cards.
And now, you’re ready to start making thosein-person business sales calls.
Your best method of making sales calls would be with a businesstelephone directory and a big supply of loose leaf notebookpaper.
Go through the business directory and write down thecompany names, addresses and telephone number.
Group all of thosewithin one office building together, and those on the same streetin the same block.
Be sure to leave a couple of spaces betweenthe listing of each company.
And of course, start a new page forthose in different building or block.
Now, simply start with thefirst business in the block, or on the lowest floor in a buildingand number them in consecutive order.
This will enable you tocall on each business in order as you proceed along a street,down the block, or through a building.
You’ll be selling your capabilities–your talents–and chargingfor your time–the time it takes you to get set up and completethe assignment they give you.
You should be organized to takework with you on the spot, and have it back at a promised time;arrange to pick up any work they have, and deliver it back tothem when it’s completed; and handle the dictation or specialwork assignments by phone.
You should also emphasize yourabilities to handle everything by phone, particularly when theyhave a rush job.
Establish your fees according to how long it takes you tohandle their work, plus your cost of supplies–workspace–equipment and paper–then fold in a $5 profit.
In otherwords, for half hour job that you pick up on a regular sales ordelivery call, you should charge $10.
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Another angle to include would be copies.
Establish a workingrelationship with a local printer, preferably one who has a copymachine comparable to a big Kodak 150 Extraprint.
When yourclients need a sales letter or whatever plus so many copies, youcan do it all for them.
Only make copies on the very best of dry paper copyingmachines, and only for 50 copies or less.
More than 50 copies,it’ll be less expensive and you’ll come out with a betterfinished product by having them printed on a printing press.
Whenyour furnish copies, always fold in your copying or printingcosts, plus a least a dollar or more for every 50 copies yousupply.
By starting with former employers and/or business associates,many businesses are able to line up 40 hours of work without evenmaking sales call.
If you’re lucky enough to do this, go with it,but-Start lining up your friends to do the work for you–girls whowork all day at a regular job, but need more money, andhousewives with time on their hands.
You tell them what kind ofequipment is needed, and the quality of work you demand.
Youarrange to pay them so much per hour for each job they handle foryou–judging from the time you figure the job would take if youwere doing it, or on a percentage basis.
I feel the bestarrangements is on a hourly basis according to a specified amountof time each job normally takes.
Whenever, and as soon as you’ve got a supply of “workers” linedup, you turn your current assignments over to them, and get backto lining up more business.
If you’re doing well selling byphone, and your area seems to respond especially well to sellingby phone, then you should immediately hire commission salespeople.
Train them according to your own best methods and putthem to work assisting you.
Your sales people can work out oftheir own homes, using their telephones, provided you’ve got yourarea’s business community organized in a loose leaf notebookstyle.
All you do is give them so many pages from your notebook,from which they make sales calls each week.
Even so, you should still make those in-person sales calls.
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Iffor some reason you get bogged down, and can’t or don’t want to,then hire commission sales people to do it for you.
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Generally,women selling this type of service bring back the most sales.
Andfor all your commission sales people, the going rate should be 30percent of the total amount of sale.
Point to remember: Sooner orlater, you’re going to have to hire a full-time telephone salesperson, plus another full time person to make in-person sales foryou–Eventually, you want workers to handle all the work for you,and sales people to do all the selling for you–So the sooner youcan line up people for these jobs, the faster, your business isgoing to prosper.
Later on, you’ll want a sales manager to direct your salespeople and keep them on track, so try to find a “future salesmanager” when you begin looking for sales people.
Your basic advertising should be a regular quarter page ad inthe yellow pages of both your home service telephone directoryand the business yellow pages.
You’ll find that 50 percent ofyour first time clients will come to you because they have animmediate need and saw your ad in the yellow pages, so don’tskimp on either the size or the “eye-catching” graphics of thisad.
A regular one column by 3-inch ad in the Sunday edition of yourarea’s largest newspaper would also be a good idea.
Anyadvertising you do via radio or television will be quiteexpensive with generally very poor results, so don’t even giveserious consideration to that type of advertising.
By far, your largest advertising outlays will be direct mailefforts.
You should have a regular mailing piece that you sendout to your entire business community at least once a month.
Thisis handled by sending out 200 to 500 letters per day.
For this,you should obtain a third class postage permit or else thesepostage costs will drive you out of business.
Your mailing piece should consist of a colorful brochure thatdescribes your business.
It should explain the many differentkinds of assignments you can handle–a notation that no job istoo small or too large–and a statement of your guarantee.
Do notquote prices in your brochure–simply ask the recipient to callfor a quotation or price estimate.
It’s also a good idea to list background and experience of thebusiness owner, plus several business testimonials or/compliments.
You could also include a couple of pictures showingyour workers busy and actually handling secretarial assignments.
The most important part of your brochure will be your closingstatement–an invitation, indeed–a demand that the recipientcall you for further information.
All this can very easily be put together in a Z-folded, 2-sidedself mailer.
Again, look for a freelance copywriter and artist tohelp you put it together.
Once you’ve got your “dummy” prettywell set the way you want it, make copies of it, and either takeor send it to several direct mail advertising agencies.
Ask themfor their suggestions of how they would improve it, and for a bidon the cost if you were to retain them to handle it for you.
Listen to their ideas and incorporate them where-and if- youthink they would make your brochure better.
And, if one of themdoes come in with a cost estimate that’s lower than yourindependent, “do-it-yourself” costs, then think seriously aboutassigning the job to them.
This is definitely the most important piece of work that willever come out of your office, so be sure it’s the best, andpositively indicative of your business.
This will be the businessimage you project, so make sure it reflects the quality, styleand credibility of your business–your thinking, and yoursuccess.
Your brochure should be on 60 pound coated paper, in at leasttwo colors and by a professional printer.
The end result is theZ-folded brochure–Z-folded by the printer–with your third classmailing permit showing on the cover side.
This cover side shouldbe flamboyant and eye-catching.
You want your mailing piece tostand out in a pile of 50 or 60 pieces of other mail received bythe recipient.
When you’re ready to mail, simply take a couple of cartons ofyour brochures to an addressing shop, have them run yourbrochures through their addressing machine, loaded with yourmailing list, bundle them and drop them off at the post officefor you.
This takes us back to the planning on how to compile yourmailing list.
I suggest that you begin with Cheshire Cards byXerox.
You type the name of your addressee on the cards, maintainthese cards in the order of your choice, take your boxes of cardsto the addressing shop whenever you have a mailing, and there’sno further work on your part.
The addressing shop loads theirmachine with your cards, prints the address on your cardsdirectly onto your brochures, and gives the cards back to youwhen the mailing is completed.
A mailing of 100,000 brochures,via this method–generally could be completed and on its way inone 8-hour day.
In essence, you’ll want to solicit business with a regularroutine of telephone selling, in-person sales calls at theprospective client’s place of business, media advertising anddirect mail efforts.
All of these efforts are important andnecessary to the total success of your business–don’t try to cutcorners or spare the time or expense needed to make sure you’reoperating at full potential in these areas! In addition to thesespecific areas, it would be wise for you to attend chamber ofcommerce meetings, and join several of your area civicclubs–you’ll meet a great number of business leaders at thesemeetings and through their association, you’ll gain a great dealof business–and even help in many of your needs.
Once you’re organized and rolling, you can easily expand yourmarket nationwide with the installation of a toll free telephoneand advertising in business publications.
Perhaps you can add toyour primary business with a “mailing shop” of your own–therental of mailing lists–specialized temporary helpservices–telephone answering services–and even survey work.
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The “bottom line” thing to remember in order to achieve totalsuccess, is planning.
Plan your initial operation through fromstart to finish before you even think about soliciting your firstcustomer.
Get your operational plan down on paper–itemize yourneeds, estimate your costs, line up your operating capital, andset forth milestones for growth.
Set profit figures you want to be realizing 3-months.
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6-months.
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1 year.
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2-years.
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and 3-years from yourbusiness start-up date.
Learn all you can about the “supportsystems” involved in operating a profitable business–planning,advertising, selling, bookkeeping, and banking–and continue toup-date your knowledge with a program of continuous learning.
Doyour homework properly, an there’s just no way you can fail witha Home-Based Secretarial Service.