Special Delivery 3 Mail order businesses that can bring you letter-perfect profits.

Direct mail generated $131.2 billion in direct-order sales toconsumers and businesses in 1995, according to the "EconomicImpact: U.S. Direct Marketing Today" report from the DirectMarketing Association (DMA).

When you think of direct mail, you may think just of the stuffthat lands in your mailbox--each day's smorgasbord of catalogsand offers from retailers, bankers, insurers and charities, allwrapped, folded, stapled or stuffed into official-looking envelopesand, sometimes, even sealed in plastic bags. According to the U.S.Postal Service's most recent Household Diary Survey, theaverage American household receives more than seven catalogs eachmonth. The DMA in New York City extrapolated Postal Service volumedata and determined that last year, 13.2 billion catalogs weremailed out, including both consumer and business-to-businessmailings.

Catalogs are a big part of direct mail, surely, but there areother opportunities for entrepreneurs who are interested in being apart of the overall mail industry. Following is advice from fourentrepreneurs who have been on all sides of the mailingbusiness.