The sales letter is the most important part of any direct
mail package and in our case direct email. Writing a good sales letter can take
10 to 20 hours to get it right. It is often the most frequently blown aspect of
marketing your business. Why? Most people just don't know how to write a sales
letter.
1) Try to make the sales letter personal. Be very graphic
and detailed and when possible relate personal stories and get the reader
involved. This is the most difficult thing to do. People are getting blitzed
day and night with ads, ads, and more ads. I don't know the real figure but I
read somewhere that the average American, is EXPOSED to more than 2000 ads a
day! So when he sits down to his computer, he wants to be entertained and
educated... not SOLD SOMETHING!
2) Remember to indent paragraphs. And don't follow my
example with this newsletter! Keep your paragraphs SHORT! I repeat, this is so
very important, keep your paragraphs SHORT! And try to keep your sentences
plain and simple. Try not to use words that could even remotely confuse your
average reader. Now I KNOW people who can log onto and use the Internet should
be able to read at a higher level, but we've ALL gotten emails where it looked
like the person hadn't passed fifth grade so don't ASSUME anything about your
readers. You know what they say about people who assume, it makes an ass out of
you and me.
3) Try to write like you talk. It helps the paragraphs flow
together and make sense.
4) Don't worry too much about how your letter looks. The
more unconventional it looks, the more it usually gets read!
5) Again, try to use simple words. Pretend you're talking to
an eighth grader. Don't talk down to them, of course, but also make SURE they
can totally understand your message.
6) Pretend you are writing the letter to yourself. If you
received it, what would your response be? Would you delete it immediately, take
action and buy, or put it aside to act on it eventually. There usually is
little you can do with the first group, the majority of your prospects won't
buy from you. But you could also be shooting yourself in the foot by not
writing a compelling enough letter. Let many of your friends read it but don't
tell them you wrote it! Tell them you got it on the Internet or through email
and you want to know what they think!!!! That way they will give you their
HONEST opinion. You are kidding yourself if you don't think it matters whether
your letter is super good or just good enough. IT MATTERS!!! Make sure your
letters are SUPER!
7) Try, when possible to break up your paragraphs with one
or two sentence paragraphs... like this one!
8) Readers scan from the top right to bottom left hand
corners. Use ALL CAPS sparingly. Use them to draw attention to and show the
importance of ideas you feel are crucial.
9) Try to make your copy interesting and readable. Whenever
possible, use CAPPED words, slashes, parenthesis, asterisks, and bullets.
10) Use a P.S. in your letter each and every time. This is
one of the secrets that the direct marketing gurus use everytime. It gets as
much attention as your subject and headline!
11) Use testimonials whenever available. This is the single
most unused tool and it is the MOST effective.
DREW ERIC WHITMAN IS A GENIUS!
Look at this excerpt from one of his sales letters:
"....I defy you to find a better offer than that on
ANYBODY'S cassette tape program!
But wait! I'm not done yet!
If You Promise to Send Me Your Honest Opinion on Your
Company's Letterhead within 15 days After Receiving the Tapes, I'll Chop Off an
ADDITIONAL $5.00!
(I Told You this was Going to be a Crazy Offer!)
Listen to the entire program. Soak up all the great tips,
tricks and techniques. Then take 5 minutes and type me a short letter on your
company's letterhead. Tell me what you think about the tapes. Give me
permission to use your quote and a copy of your letter in my promotional
materials and I'll take yet another $5.00 off the already reduced
price....."
ISN'T THAT GENIUS!!! He probably gets hundreds of
testimonials everyday! In fact I'd bet a million dollars that every person who
buys his product chooses to send him a testimonial. Because both he and his
customer get something....he gets the testimonial and his customer saves
$5...it's a win-win proposition!
And hey, if you're a greedy bastard and you don't want to
give away those Lincoln's just
raise your price $5....
12) Always, always, always make an offer. Make an offer that
is next to impossible to refuse! Also, give your customers something else of
value for FREE. That word is the most important word in the English language!
Use it! Some readers will respond just for your offer but there is a small
percentage that will only respond if you give them a PREMIUM, something
additional of value!
13) Use follow up mailings...mail to every person about 7
times over any given year. Because people PROCRASTINATE with everything they
do. If you don't remind people of your offer they will put it off FOREVER! Use
things like OFFER EXPIRES IN 30 DAYS, or 20% discount if you order in the next
10 days, whatever but make those who are interested, ACT!
14) In addition to making an offer, ASK FOR THE ORDER! You'd
be surprised at how much junk I get that doesn't ask for the order. What a
total waste of money for the marketer sending that crap. Tell your customers
what to do. Give them step by step instructions. Take them by the hand and show
them the way! If you don't your competitor will and guess who will get their
business.
15) Make your sales letter compelling, exciting, inviting.
Make sure if it is a long letter that they will want to read it to the end.
Some of the best letters are long. The ones I use are anywhere from 8 to 20
pages! And they get READ! You'll see why in a minute.
16) Whenever possible give a money back or satisfaction
guarantee. Rarely do people return things and it gives them a feeling of
security. You really are losing sales if you're not already doing this.
17) Make the reader act and participate in your sales
letter.
18) Tell the reader more than once what they should do. Give
a telephone number several times. Make sure that important information is
repeated. Put vital information in bold letters. Make everything easy for the
reader. Most of all, make it easy for the reader to respond to your offer.
19) Give your reader options on ordering. Give them credit
card, check, money order instructions for ordering. Try to accommodate them in
any and every way possible. People are very afraid of commitment. So don't make
the reader feel 'too' committed by responding to your offer. Give them a
toll-free phone number to call or allow email or form ordering for those with
web pages.
Almost all people have better things to do than read your
sales letter. They will only respond when there is something real and tangible
in it for them. A poorly written sales letter is a waste of your time and money
and will alienate your potential customer. Your sales letter is one of the most
valuable pieces in getting new business, try to use it for all it's worth!
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