How
to Write Killer Sales Letters
7
Easy Techniques that Will Skyrocket
Your Income
Learning how to write a results-getting sales letter is a valuable skill
that will keep paying you dividends as long as you are in business. Here
are seven tips you can use right away...
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Use
a Headline and Subheads
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Professional
copy writers know that headlines will make
or break a sales letter. In fact, headlines
will account for 80% of a sales letter's
success or failure! Five times as many people
read the headline as read the sales letter
itself. Well written headlines will help
drive stunning increases in response rates!
Test after test has proven that a sales letter
with a headline will outperform a letter
without one every time.
In addition, these same pros use subheads like the ones in this article
to highlight major points in the body of a sales letter. People don't have
a very long attention span these days. Use subheads to keep the reader
interested longer and reading more and more of the letter. Think of it
as "sound-bite" writing.
Any time you spend learning
the art of writing great headlines and
subheads will pay back huge dividends in terms of increased sales. Looking
for examples? Go to any newsstand and read the covers of the magazines
for sale there. Editors are masters in crafting cover copy that makes you
want to pick it up and buy their publication... especially the tabloids!
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Don't
be Afraid of Long Copy
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In
fact, embrace it! But
don't make the reader labor to then end to
get the point of your letter. Make your point
in the first paragraph and use the rest of
the letter to supply the necessary details.
About a month ago, I received a 16 page sales letter from a highly successful
individual who I have done business with in the past. I read every word
of it and will buy his product. Without the detail, I would have tossed
the letter in the trash without a second thought. Why? Because one page
would never had convinced me! Long copy works because short copy doesn't
adequately address enough benefits, concerns and objections to motivate
the reader to action.
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Write "Love
Letters"
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Imagine
sitting down and writing a love letter to
that special someone in your life and starting
it off like this:
Dear
Sir or Madam, |
I am 6'1" tall
and have blue eyes and have an expensive
new car. I want begin by telling you all
about myself and am not really interested
in your needs and wants.
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Ridiculous?
Yes, but take a look at most of the sales
letters you get in the mail and promptly
toss in the trash. You will find striking
similarities.
Love your prospects. Think of them as that "special someone" in
your life. (They pay your bills don't they?) Whenever possible use their
name rather than "Dear Ford Owner". Open your sales letter with
a statement about them and include a benefit in the first line or two:
Dear Steven, |
As the owner
of a pre-1982 Mustang, you know how tough
it can be to find the right replacement parts
for your car. Now there is a new online resource
to help make that time-consuming search much
faster and easier for you!
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Use
Compelling Testimonials
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People
like to do business with those that they
know, like and trust... unfortunately building
such credibility can take time. You can accelerate
the process with the help of others through
their testimonials. Take advantage of human
nature by getting and using testimonials
from satisfied customers.
The best testimonials are specific and results oriented. Quotes like "Excellent,
Great Site or Really Interesting" mean little as they are vague and
don't relate to benefits. Customers don't usually do a very good job of
writing testimonials, so you have to help them. When a customer compliments
you, ask if you can write it up for their signature. Most people will agree.
Here's an example:
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"Your
online Mustang parts source has saved me
countless hours searching catalogues and
parts houses. I found the '69 engine mounts
I needed for my last project in just 14 minutes!"
Steven Smith, Quality Auto Crafters, Kansas City, MO
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Testimonials
mean more when the specific name and location
of the writer is included. "S.S., Kansas
City" often means that the testimonial
is not genuine. As with any testimonials,
maintain copies of their signed letters in
your office files.
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Use
Color to Add Impact to Your Letter
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Study
after study has shown that color sells. But
what most sales letter writers don't know
is that the limited use of color sells more.
Use color to add impact to certain parts
of your letter--- key benefits, a special
price, limited availability etc. If everything
is in color, nothing stands out.
Here's another secret of professional copy writers: Use Courier as your
typestyle of choice for your sales letter. Don't ask me why it almost always
gets better results. Maybe it because it looks like a traditional typewriter
and elicits feelings of trust. (This
sentance is in Courier.)
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Start
with the Envelope
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There
is an old rule of thumb in the direct mail
business that says that 50% of all sales
letters never reach the prospects hands---
they're tossed out by an employee or spouse
without the prospect ever seeing it. Of the
remaining letters, a huge percentage are
discarded by the recipient without having
ever been opened. Anything you can do to
get that envelope opened and your letter
read will go a long way towards increasing
the response you get from your sales letters!
Consider crafting a headline for the outside of the envelope to get the
readers attention. (Some sellers of expensive equipment to senior executives
use Priority Mail envelopes from the Post Office to get their letters opened
and read--- Expensive but worth it for certain marketers.)
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Use
a "P.S."
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After
the headline, the most read part of a sales
letter is the post script. It is your final
chance to convince the prospect of the reason
they should buy your product or service.
(If they've read this far, they're probably
interested!) Use the opportunity to summarize
your main benefits and consider adding a "time-kicker" to
help create a sense of urgency on the part
of the reader. This can take the form of
a discount that expires on a certain date
or a "limited supplies" warning.
Remember the 16 page sales letter I mentioned? There are sample sales letters
that come to your mailbox every week. Instead of throwing them away, read
them carefully. Analyze them for the techniques listed here and keep the
ones that motivate you to buy. File them as part of your study and refer
to them when crafting your own letters. While you can't copy them, the
techniques employed are universal!
Copyright 2004 J. McCraigh,
Business Growth Strategies
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