Sales Information |
The Anatomy of a Sales Letter
When Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed "it's alive... it's alive," he thought he had brought wonderful new life to the world. What he really did was create a monster. He took a bit from here and another piece from there and sewed it altogether. Then he was distressed to see how things turned out. Many marketers create their own monsters in the form of sales letters. They throw everything into them and then are distressed at the response. Sales letters work best when you have something to sell. You make an offer. Too many sales letters from smaller businesses are of the "Hi my name is..." school. When it comes right down to it, I'm busy; I don't care if you just started this wonderful venture because you love to serve people. What can you do for me right now? Why should I take time reading any of your letter? Make me an offer I can't refuse. Quickly convince me that I need what you have to offer. When creating a better monster--er sales letter--start off where Frankenstein made his biggest mistake. He used the wrong head. The right head (or headline) can make or break your sales letter. Focus it tightly on your target market. Address a big problem your target faces (assuming you have the solution for it) or play on their desires. If you can do this with a clever play on words, by all means go for it, but if wordplay isn't your forte, keep it simple and straightforward. There's no perfect length for a headline, but don't waste words. Keep it to one sentence. The point is, make them care. Once you've grabbed them with your headline. Don't let them escape. It may seem odd, but the last words of your letter--the PS--are often read right after the headline. A PS is the best way to end your letter. It sticks out from the body and grabs attention. Don't waste your PS. Say something that will encourage your reader to go back to the beginning and start to read. The first paragraph is crucial, so get to the point. Give them the guts of your offer and what makes your offer so good. How much money is it going to save/earn them. How will their lives be dramatically improved. Whatever makes your offer worthwhile must be there. By this point you either have their interest or you don't. If you do, the remainder of the letter must answer the basic questions and address the common doubts your reader may have. After all, you've worked hard get them this far, it would be a shame to lose them on a technicality. Fill the body of your letter with benefits, not features. Give it the "so what" test. If a benefit doesn't answer the question "so what?" for your target audience, it's a feature not a benefit. Dig deeper and discover what your offer really delivers to your target. Speak to your target in their language. Write informally. Ask rhetorical questions. Create as conversational a letter as you can. However, take care when using humour. It can backfire, because we don't all have the same sense of it. Unless you know for sure, keep humour to a minimum. Busy, busy, busy. I know it, you know it. Everyone is busy. They probably won't read everything in your letter, but guide them to the good bits. Embolden the bits they'll care about. It'll encourage them to keep reading. (But don't embolden your company or product name. Your names may be interesting to you, but they're not what's interesting to your target.) Now that you've told them how great your offer is, get someone else to tell them too. It sounds so much better coming from someone else. In the body of your letter, sprinkle a testimonial or two. Write them yourself, and then ask one of your best clients if they would be comfortable having it quoted under their name. Focus on the results your clients have achieved. Testimonials are best if they are believable and don't gush. Once you've covered all the possible doubts and questions in the body, it's time to put your best foot forward again. Repeat your offer. And, if you can, offer a guarantee of satisfaction. Make trying your services a risk-free endeavour. Unfortunately, this is difficult for some service-based companies because often their services aren't directly quantifiable. Just to make your life more difficult, with business-to-business marketing, keep your letter to one page. If your letter is more than one page, re-write it. Before you set your letter loose upon the world, try a test on a limited number of prospects. Fine-tune it according to your responses. Then continue to track your responses to further fine-tune both the letter, and your target market. A sales letter won't do it all. Keep up your other marketing efforts, and don't forget to quickly follow up on all leads generated by your sales letter. Put together with care and skill, a good sales letter will prepare your audience for your sales approach. A great sales letter will have them out looking for you. Keith Thirgood, Creative Director Capstone Communications Group Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330 Subscribe to Thrive-on-line http://list.capstonecomm.com/mail.cgi?f=list&l=thrive_on_line
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Everything in Life is Selling Robert Louis Stevenson said 'Everything in Life is Selling' and it is. Whether as a child you cry until you get what you want; whether as an adult you provide a service to your employer in return for payment; or whether as an individual you make sure that you look your best before meeting someone on a date, they can all be defined as selling. Flea Marketing Lessons A few days ago, I was signing copies of my book - Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness - at the flea market. Nobody expects an author to sign books at a flea market. Plan For Your Next Trade Show Appearance To Be A Success Most people who consider trade show planning think of it in terms of logistics planning. In other words planning for details like finding an exhibit, producing graphics, shipping the exhibit to the show, ordering services, etc. Book Yourself Solid THE 7 KEYS TO GETTING MORE CLIENTS THAN YOU CAN HANDLE EVEN IF YOU HATE MARKETING AND SELLINGClients often ask me how I built a six figure income working as an independent professional in less than 10 months. I narrowed it down to 7 simple steps. 101 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Response 1. Mail to your customers more often. How to Sell High Tech Solutions Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security, and accessibility of business technologies, especially satellite and broadband connections to the internet. While customers are becoming more savvy, many don't speak 'tech-ese,' and they still are baffled by terms such as routers, IPSEC, T-1s, WIFI, and broadband. Customer Service Revival Value is in the Eye of the BeholderSales today is filled with stereotypes. The "sleazy car salesman", the "annoying telemarketer", and the ever-present "pushy commission salesman". Are You Selling What They Want To Buy? Is It An Appropriate Solution? Let me tell you about my friend Peter who has four children. With a family of six, he finds buying cars rather trying. Want More Sales? Write A Barry Bonds Sales Letter I'm not a baseball fan. Never have been. How to ASK for Business -- WITHOUT appearing Pushy -- GIVING Vs "SELLING"Never lose sight of the importance of providing a "reason" to buy BEFORE you attempt to SELL anything to a client/prospect.In the current business climate you have to GIVE first. 60 Ways to Increase Your Mail Order Catalog Sales This article is meant to inform. Please don't construe this as legal advice. The Power of Thank-You When was the last time you thanked your customers?This often neglected gesture is a very powerful sales tool. As a small business owner, I want to know that the companies I chose to work with appreciate my business. Marketing Conversations, And Conversation Stoppers Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you have with yourself, before you even pick up the phone or initiate the handshake. As independent professionals, usually at the helm of solo businesses, we sometimes find ourselves facing daunting internal obstacles as we try to begin our day's marketing activity. An Ideal Selling Situation The largest sale that I ever closed was negotiated over hot dogs and a soft drink at a refreshment stand, just off the exhibit floor, at a Superintendent of School Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I met an educator who was interested in the summer study abroad programs that I was selling at the show. Selling the Dr. Seuss Way "I am Sam. Sam I am. Its Better When They Tell Them You know that word of mouth can grow your business. You hear your customers say nice things about your company all the time. Selling Commodities "How do you create a perceived value to differentiate yourself from the competition, when you are both selling a commodity?" That's a question I'm often asked in my seminars. It uncovers a problem that is spreading to almost every industry. Nothing Happens Until Someone Sells Somthing You can always tell a good salesperson, they are always on the look-out for opportunities to do exactly that. Every chance they get they'll promote whatever it is they offer. Needs Based Selling I am sure you are familiar with the phrase, "I could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo." First, allow me to personally congratulate anyone out there who has sold ice cubes to an Eskimo, for I believe this to be quite a difficult task to accomplish. Lance Has What It Takes Lance has what it takes and then some.Did you know . |
home | site map | contact us |