What Is This Falsity About You Shouldn’t Advertise During The Summer Months (written May, 1998)

Sometimes I wonder who the knucklehead is that started this ridiculous rumor regarding our wonderful industry.  We are in the Money Making Opportunities/Mutli- Level Marketing/Mail Order Industry. Do we know that or not?  Well my friend, people who are in this industry want to find ways to enhance their standard of living 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.  I work on most major holidays – reluctantly – and I do get calls from people even on Christmas Day!  Yes, I do work everyday.  I haven’t had many vacations since 1989 and maybe I should take one, but neither here nor there, we are in a much different industry than most of what we read about in conventional papers and magazines.  The type of person we deal with is anybody, anytime, in any profession, and by all different Creeds, Nationalities, Religions, and Races.  Period!  That simply means, you and I must promote ourselves and advertise all the time – non-stop!  When you stop advertising, a funny thing happens – absolutely nothing!!!!…..and that does not make me laugh.  How’s about you?

For starters, please don’t compare this industry with other industries.  Maybe this is what happened when somebody started this nasty false rumor for our industry. Let’s look at other industries briefly.  Take Mail Order Merchandising, for example.  Of course there are going to be different times of year to promote skies as opposed to summer clothes?  Right!? Not too many people want to purchase a Football during the Baseball season.  Would you agree?  How many people buy ice cream from an ice cream truck during the Winter?  How many Landscapers you know mow lawns during the winter?  How many people ice skate during July?   What I’m trying to say is that some industries do have “slow months” in which they should cut down – not eliminate – on their advertising. These are referred to as “seasonal businesses”.  Even during their slow months, through testing, these businesses in these industries should still advertise some “special” offer or service.  Whatever it may be.  But for us, in our industry, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we should be advertising in as many places as we can afford to and make sure our fully tested message is in front of everyone!  We are not a “seasonal business”.  So when you do not advertise during these so called slow summer months, you are losing money and killing your business – unintentionally – and that is a shame.

“But what about the people who go on vacation during the summer months?”  So what!  These people who go on vacation are probably not even in our industry.  How many Mail Dealers do you know who are doing this business full time, go on vacation?  And even when we do, somebody “keeps shop” for us for the week or two that we are gone. You want your own Multi-Level Marketing/Money Making Opportunities/Mail Order Business? Then start to advertise year round.  Send your advertisement in to the many fine publications and to myself. Test your offers repeatedly and never stop.  Don’t listen to the people who say to “shut down shop” during the summer months because business is slow.  In a nutshell, learn to understand your business because this is a wonderful industry and I love it so much!  I hope you do to.

The author of this article is Larry Costello, President of All-American Print & Mail, 2200 Wilson Blvd #102-57, Arlington, VA 22201.