Friday, July 29, 2005

Winning Sales Letters


Writing the perfect sales letter can be a daunting task. Use the following recipe as a starting point.

Headline
Your headline is what counts. If it's strong and well targeted, they will keep reading. If not, it'll hit the circular file quicker than the envelope it came in.

Subheading(s)
One sentence summary of the letter.

The Hook
Deliver the hook. Don't build to it. Your first paragraph needs to appeal to your prospects and offer solutions to their needs quickly and concisely.
Body You've kept their attention to this point, now fill them in on the details of your offer. Be as informative as possible. Take care to avoid redundancy.


The Guarantee
Guarantee your offer and quell your customer's fears. After all, "No Risk" is a positive thing, right?

The Close
Present a call to action. Have them do something.

Add extra punch to your pitch with the following!

Callouts and Highlights
Used sparingly, callouts & highlighted text can bolster your message. Be careful not to overdo it or your letter will overwhelm and confuse your prospect.

Testimonials.
Testimonial statements are still the best means of communicating "trust" in a product or service especially if they are delivered by a prospect's peer.

Other Tips

  • Add a more personal touch to your letters by using first class postage instead of bulk postage if possible.
  • Real signature tells your prospect that they are worth your time. Scanned or script font signature says "you're one of a thousand people I'm writing".

A winning sales letter doesn't have to start from scratch. Create a file folder to house the sales letters that you find interesting and effective as inspiration. Whenever you need a bit of a boost, it'll be a drawer away.

www.aflmarketing.com
market smarter.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great ideas.

Anonymous said...

"Amazing! Just point and click and you can be on the way to having kick-butt sales letters!
A brilliant idea!"
Joe Vitale, author,
There's A Customer Born Every Minute