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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

2. New York - The Specialist

Shelly Newman at 212 677-6760

3. Chicago - Aggressive List Management, Inc.

(312) 577-4455

4. Oklahoma - Direct Media, Inc.

(405) 348-8650

5. Ohio - Professional List Service

(216) 333-6070

Now, once you decide which lists you want to mail, you should also give some consideration as to how you are going to eliminate "deadwood" names which probably will never become one of your customers. Some of the ways you do this are very simple and only require a little common sense. If, for example, you are…

However, it's not always that simple. Suppose, for example, you are selling an upscale product with a big price tag... and... you know lower income people are not good prospects for you. Well, what you need to know here is some of the bigger list companies like Donnelly & Polk use what is known as a "demographic overlay." What this…

Another way you can choose people is by ethnic groups such as Italians, Germans, etc. And if, for example, you are publishing a magazine like Ebony that is written for a Black audience, you can ask for only those people who live in Zip codes with predominately Black households.

On the other hand, you can also eliminate Black households from your mailings if you are selling something which only appeals to Caucasians.

So, no matter what mailing list you decide to use, be sure and discuss the "selects" available with your list broker or whatever mailing house you are using.

In conclusion, I'd like to say the main things you should do, as a result of reading this Section are:

1. Browse through the SRDS List Book for several hours at least. It will really open your eyes... and... give you hundreds of ideas!

2. Call at least one of the list brokers or mailing houses mentioned in this Section and ask for their advice!

3. Put on your "thinking cap" and think of some fresh new ways to "customize" your mailings!

And finally... good luck!

Sincerely,

Gary C. Halbert

# a product self on tv

From:

W-a-y West of Jewfish Creek

Dear Friend and Subscriber

Over the last year or so, I have been influential in putting together 7 different 1/2 hour cable TV shows which have grossed an aggregate of more than 14 million dollars!

Here's an example. Do you remember Jake LaMotta? At one time he was the middleweight champion of the world and the movie "Raging Bull" starring Robert DeNiro and based on his life.

Well anyway, he and his wife Vikki have been divorced for a long time now and Vikki LaMotta has her own cosmetic business. She's a gorgeous…

Her Cosmetics

Are Great!

So, as it turns out, I'm in Manhattan on a business trip and I happen to meet the executives who run Vikki LaMotta Cosmetics and I get to talking to them about doing a cable TV show. And, to make a long story short, before long, they were on the air with a show that…

And It Didn't Cost

Them A Cent!

Would you like some of this action? If so, and if you can come up with what I call the three "S's", there's a good chance you too can have a hot cable TV show. Here's what's needed:

"S" #1: A Star: someone who is an authority on what the show is all about (real estate, lowering cholesterol, looking younger, etc.) or a star in the form of a celebrity spokesperson like Art Linkletter or some other well known person with "marque value."

"S" #2: A Story: something we can talk about in a TV interview format like "how I went from rich to poor by becoming a chicken farmer" or "how I learned to buy real estate with no money down" or maybe, "how I lost 200 pounds and lowered my cholesterol level more than 150 points." Etc.

"S" #3: A Solution: this is the most important "S" of all. Does your product or service solve a problem such as poverty, hemorrhoids, obesity, boredom, hunger or the need to be rich and famous?

So, are you marketing something that has all these elements? If you are, stay tuned because this section is going to open your eyes and…

First, some background. Listen: Cable TV is big. In fact, if it hasn't happened already, it will soon come to pass more people watch cable TV than broadcast TV. And, what this means is cable TV networks and independent cable stations are virtually starving for programming.

However, even though it's changing, right now, most quality programming goes to the big broadcast networks which are ABC, CBS and NBC. But, who or what is going to fill all those big holes in cable available time known as "avails"?

Enter The Entrepreneur

What's happened is many cable stations now, instead of paying some independent producer for the rights to broadcast his game show are, instead, getting paid to air certain programs created by self-serving entrepreneurs. The way this works is the entrepreneur will create a 1/2 hour TV "talk show" that interviews a real estate guru…

Like, for example, a home study course with audio cassettes and written material created by the "star" of the show which will teach you how to buy real estate with no money down.

Now pay attention to this: These shows won't work unless they have a unique angle and/or some news value to them. In other words, if…

See what you could do in a case like this is create a set of eight audio cassettes along with some written instructions which will show others how to do it. Then, what you do is contact someone (like me) who is interested in new TV ideas and, if that person likes the idea, he may very well put up…