The Gary Halbert Letter, Exact Name Mailing List

O.K., what we've been talking about so far are compiled lists. Another type of list is known as a "buyers list." This type of list is usually much more responsive but, often, it is not regional in nature. A "buyer" list, for example, might contain all the names of the several million people who bought a certain diet product in the last few years. Or, it could be a list of people who have bought books by mail, tools by mail, etc.

There are two primary sources that have info on these types of lists. The first is the Standard Rate & Data (SRDS) List Book. This is a huge book containing a description of literally thousands of different mailing lists. Your library should have it (ask for SRDS Direct Mail Lists Rates and Data) and, if they don't, you can call SRDS direct at (312) 256-6067.

By the way, I strongly suggest you get a copy of this publication (it's being updated all the time) and spend about 20 hours just reading all the various listings.

Believe me, it will really open your eyes!

The other source for those names, is your handy, dandy list broker. A list broker works very much like a real estate broker except his product is names and addresses rather than homes. Once again, your phone book is the first place you should check to find a list broker in your city. If there aren't any in your local area, I suggest you go to your library and see if they have, as many libraries do, the phone books from major cities all over the country. If they do, then simply check under "Mailing List Brokers" in the yellow pages of the phone book of the largest city near you.

And, just for instance, I'm going to give you here the names and phone numbers of five list brokers in different parts of the U.S. Here they are:

1. Los Angeles - Thulin Communications, Inc.

Jim Thulin at (213) 930-1919