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Writing Winning Sales Letters
Sales letters are commonly used to respond to enquiries for further information about your products and service, normally generated from classified ads., both free and paid for. But sales letters can also appear in their entirety on your web site where they can be accessed by browsing visitors perhaps attracted via search engines, or from other traffic generation means, for example: e-zines, email, reports and information products, etc.
Tips
* To be successful a letter must create a favourable first impression. It must achieve this within a short space of time and, according to researchers, you have only a few seconds to attract your prospect's attention and get him to read your letter. Fail and it will go in the bin.
* Writing a sales letter is little different to writing one to friends or family. It needs to be informative and must show that you understand the reader, what his needs are and how they can be satisfied.
* The most effective letters address the reader by name, not as 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Reader', but as 'Dear Mr. Smith' or 'Dear Ms. Allen', and so on.
* Your letter should explain the benefits of what you offer as early in the text as possible. Say why it will make life easier, save time, save money, reduce problems, eliminate worries. Reiterate the most important benefits in a P.S. which should always be included.
* Don't worry about the length of your letter. Sometimes a long letter is necessary, sometimes a few lines will accomplish the same result. As always, try a few sample mailings using different letters and test which works best for each particular offer. Generally speaking, however, research indicates that a two-, three-, or four-page letter has more pulling power than a one-page letter.
* Write in a way that sounds natural, not forced, and not geared aggressively towards making a sale. Professional copywriters suggest that the writer should imagine himself sitting across the table to the customer, telling that person what the offer is, and what the major benefits are.
* Make ample use of order-pulling words and link phrases mentioned later, being careful not to overuse these devices for fear of creating suspicion. Underline certain essential points, create lists highlighted with bullet points, embolden certain main features of the product.
* Most importantly, keep every direct mail package received through your letterbox or downloaded from the Internet, especially those that attract you most. Notice what makes them effective and incorporate various techniques into your own sales letters.
* Try to get the reader straight into what you are offering or proposing, by using short crisp sentences at the very beginning of your advertisement.
* If your headline has attracted the reader, another compact group of words could well grab hold of the reader and maintain his attention until the very last word is reached and the prospect is reaching out for cheque book and pen to place an order. Or order by credit card instead!
* Your opening sentence can be a question, for example: 'Want to make £30,000 in your spare time this year?' Or it may be designed to shock: 'Every day someone stumbles on an idea that could make him millions'.
* Throughout your advertisement, it goes without saying that you should always talk sense, and not leave your reader wondering what on earth you were saying.
* Use everyday words and short sentences. Try to maintain the flow by not allowing your thoughts to wander, and by avoiding unusual words. Remember anything that confuses the reader is an easy way to lose an order. Lead the prospect gently through the advertisement, through the section that tells what benefits the product offers, and how to buy from you.
* Keep paragraphs short. Too much 'grey' matter deters the 'roving' reader. It's 'off-putting', even though the exact words have yet to be read.
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