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increase your income
writing a sales letter that gets results
by Sue Barrett
Today, there are many ways you can market your product – from direct mailings to internet advertising, and on and on….
In ALL cases, however, you must know how to write an effective sales letter. If you send only the material requested, you will drastically decrease your chances of success.
The PERSONAL sales message is the most VITAL piece of any direct or response marketing campaign. Write a good one, and you can literally make a fortune.
Try this exercise before proceeding with the rest of this article.<> First, write a letter from 300-500 words long explaining to your friend why you got involved in your product/business opportunity, and why it might be something he would like to try. Next write a letter of the same length explaining the same thing to a prospect.
Sales Letter Evaluation
Now, note the differences between your two letters. If you're not experienced with this, you will notice that you gave both the prospect and your friend different reasons why they will like your product/opportunity. Excellent - the most effective sales letter for BOTH will be somewhere in the middle.
The letter must be short to keep the reader's attention. Many of the people you reach receive loads of offers EVERY WEEK. Focus on the most important benefit the owner will enjoy from your product or opportunity. Then tell the customer about the benefit in a COMPELLING way.
Let’s take examples from this sales letter selling the Crust- Buster Widget. (The best widget available for busting crusts, and reduces the daily time required to bust crusts).
"I'll have to admit I was shocked. Two weeks after I got my first Crust-Buster Widget, I got so mad it was frightening."
Intriguing? You bet. You've caught the reader off-guard – put those two lines in capitals at the top of your letter, but don't use underlines or it will look too contrived. You could use this line to open a letter to a friend or a stranger. Now, here's where you're taking the reader:
"At first, I was amazed that the Crust-Buster really did cut a lot of the time it takes to bust crusts. But when I realized how long I'd been doing it the old way, and how many chances I had to own a Crust-Buster Widget, I was furious at how stubborn I had been."
The first sentence does not explain the rage mentioned in the lead sentence, so the reader has to READ ON to get the explanation. It also explains the major benefit of the product without saying anything about BUYING it. The writer is "amazed". The product "really did" the job.
By using a personal testimonial, (an excellent technique), the writer talks about busting crusts the old way – a situation the reader has probably encountered. He can subtly point out why the prospect doesn’t own one and show how he relates to him.
Now, the writer knows that it is a mistake not to own the product, but if he actually came out and said "If you don't own the Crust-Buster Widget, you're wrong", he's not going to make any friends or sell widgets.
"I'm not saying it'll do for you just what it did for me..."
This soft-sell approach works wonders. It tells the reader that the product is not perfect. It's honest. It implies that the reader should see FOR HIMSELF how useful it will be.
"...but it's allowed me to spend a lot more time doing other things, and that's meant my business runs more efficiently and makes bigger profits."
This is the benefit the reader has been waiting for... money. Depending on the product, it could be happiness, beauty, anything. All products touch on human needs to either increase happiness or avoid unhappiness.
The writer has led up to this benefit (climax). At this point, it's a good idea to mention that the product will pay for itself over a certain period of time, if indeed that’s the case. It’s effective because it makes the product look nearly cost-free.
Use emotion-charged words and phrases often but don't overdo it - you'll seem like a cheap hustler. "An extremely good value" or "jammed with amazing ideas" are good phrases. Excite people's emotions and hold their interest.
How many of these points did you include in your letters? Take out any filler material or excessive hype. Find the middle ground, and rewrite the letter. It should be ideal for both your friend and for your prospect. Make sure to get it checked for sentence structure and grammar.
Now, add a short note before your signature, reminding the reader to look over the sales material and make his OWN decision. Follow it with something unique like, "May you make thousands rich and yourself happy, (signed)" is thoughtful, conveys the writer’s sincerity and leaves you with a good feeling about the person who wrote it.
Use top-quality stationery; the best you can afford, and make the one-time investment of having letterhead made up.
Especially if you're marketing income opportunity information, you must look as if you're doing well yourself. Then, sign each letter individually.
Include a personal hand-written note (50 words or less) attached to the major letter (like a yellow sticky note). If you've received a request for specific information, target the note toward that person’s needs. If not, simply advise the person to look over the material carefully.
Using this note makes it unnecessary to put an address such as "Dear Sir" at the top of the sales letter, which will alienate your readers. Unless you are using a specific person’s name, don’t use an address at all – just start the letter.
Sue Barrett works for HomeBusinessCenter.com and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs successfully start their own home-based businesses.
More Information: The 5-Minute Sales Letter | Autoresponder Letters
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