- Geekmaster
- 2020-06-14 09:47:33
- 9 minute(s)
Writing the perfect sales letter that sells is the Holy Grail for business development professionals . But in practice, it can seem as if there are a million and one reasons why your ideas don’t flow as well on paper as they do in your head.
No, sales letters aren’t dead. In fact, they can have up to 1,300% ROI.
Don’t you want results like that? Then you need to understand how to write a good sales letter. Even in this digital age, a sales letter can convert prospects into customers if you know how to write one.
A sales letter does not have to take a long time to write because people don’t like reading long letters anyway.
A letter with three or four paragraphs is often enough, with some paragraphs consisting only of one sentence. Following a simple formula helps you quickly organize your thoughts and put them down in writing.
You don’t have to be an award-winning copywriter to create effective sales letters.
ImportantIn fact, writing great sales letters is more of a science than an art. Even the pros use proven templates to create sales letters that get results.
How do you write the sales letters that will engage your customers and persuade them to do business with you? Follow these five steps to learn how to write a sales letter that sells!
Grab Their Attention
In order to write a sales letter that sells, you have to capture your reader’s attention . Headlines can be used in letters to tell readers something they want to know in a bold way that grabs their attention.
Vague and generic headlines don’t tell customers anything.
They are boring and will make them want to throw out your sales letter faster than they opened it. That’s why ultra specific headlines work so well .
Use a bold opening sentence – something that will attract and hold your reader’s interest.
Build on your sentences and paragraphs so the reader is encouraged to continue reading. Every sentence needs to be interesting ; a reader can become bored quickly.
Your introduction should engage the reader right from the get-go.
It might be helpful to tell your customer who you are and why you’re sending the letter. Take a sentence or two to introduce yourself and the product or service that you hope to sell to the customer.
People are self-interested, and interested in what you can do for them.
Involve the reader in the letter by bringing it to life with a steady flow of interesting information. They don’t want to hear the detail of your product or service, they want to know its benefits and end results as they relate to their own needs.
The message should appeal to your target reader to encourage him to continue reading the letter.
For example, if you are selling family cars, you might appeal to the reader’s desire for convenience, space and durability. If you are selling sports cars, you should focus on style and speed.
ImportantTo check if your message will confuse your average prospect, ask someone outside your business to read your primary message without context. If they easily grasp what you do or what you’re trying to communicate, you’re in the clear.
how to write sales letters that sell
Keep Things Simple
Many sales letters are thrown away without being read simply because they appear too complicated. Don’t let this happen to you.
Many business writers tie themselves in knots trying to write ‘properly’.
ImportantDon’t feel you have to make your letter formal – this can put your reader off. It can make your product or service sound too complex or obscure its benefits through jargon or complicated terms.
Go back to the old, “Keep It Simple Stupid,” philosophy.
Use bullet points instead of long, boring sentences . Bullets also help break up the page visually, which also makes your sales letter more inviting to your customers.
Don’t crowd the message. Don’t word vomit.
Keep things simple and purposeful . Once your prospect reads the sales letter, you only have a few seconds to convince them not to drop it in the recycling bin.
Use short sentences. Compose short paragraphs.
Once you start writing more informally, you’ll notice your sentences will get shorter. People like to have breaks in their reading . If it doesn’t flow smoothly and sound natural, rewrite it.
Make sure your letter flows and tells a story. Every word is a soldier.
A start, beginning and end will encourage your audience to read on. Make sure every sentence – and every word – plays a role. Cut out all the unnecessary words until you’re left with a tightly-worded letter where every word counts.
how to write sales letters that sell
Give Social Proof
After you’ve presented all your benefits the reader will again begin to doubt you, even though they secretly want all your claimed benefits to be true. To build your credibility and believability present your reader with testimonials from satisfied customers .
Testimonials can be a great addition to a sales letter for increasing conversion rates.
They make you and your product credible while helping your customers state exactly what it is they like about your product. Use testimonials sparingly and shorten them up.
ImportantAn interesting statistic you may not know is that testimonials impact 67.7% of purchasing decisions. They act as social proof which builds trust with potential customers.
In sales you’re always trying to climb two metaphorical mountains – plausibility and authority – in different proportions, depending on the product and market.
Plausibility means can you convince the reader a solution is possible. Authority means the reader trusts that you have the ability to solve the problem and that you have a monopoly on the solution.
Justify your claims by providing facts and details.
You might mention the awards your product or service has received, the technical features, and statistics. Numbers break up text and attract your reader’s eye . Plus, it’s another way to prove your value.
Eventually, you will assure your readers that they will be satisfied with their purchase.
Offering your reader a “fail-safe” such as a money-back guarantee or a free trial offer are an excellent way of doing this.
how to write sales letters that sell
Call To Action
Potential customers won’t know what you want unless you tell them what to do next. It’s important to urge your readers to take action right away . The longer it takes them to respond, the less likely it is you’ll hear from them.
Let them know what they will get by taking the next course of action.
Using an incentive gives your sales letter more mileage with the customer because you’re offering them something just for that select group of people receiving your sales letter.
Most people take their time responding to offers, even when they are irresistible.
But when people think there is a scarce supply of something they need they usually rush to get some of it. You can create a feeling of scarcity by telling your reader that either the quantity is in limited supply or that your offer is valid for only a limited time period.
Motivate your reader to take action. State what you want the reader to do, make it easy for them to do it and give them some incentive.
ImportantSince customers will convert for different reasons, you will want to place a call to action within every major section of a sales letter . What I mean by this is what some people may purchase after reading testimonials, but others will after understanding the benefits of the product.
Nothing focuses the mind like the thought of missing out on a good deal.
how to write sales letters that sell
Give The Solution
How will customers know they need your product if they don’t even know they have a problem you can fix? Write your sales letter from the customer’s point of view and not your own .
Your letter can stand out by not selling, but offering benefits.
ImportantPeople don’t buy products or services, they buy the benefits derived from their purchases . Keep stating the benefits and features of your product. If you don’t keep the momentum going now, your sales letter will lose steam and not help move your customer to the end.
There’s no copywriting formula used more than PAS, which stands for “Pain + agitate + solve”. An absolutely classic.
It’s simple. It’s easy to implement. And it works really damn well. The general idea is that you present a pain point which customers are experiencing, agitate it, and then position your product as the solution .
Don’t make the common mistake of telling all about the features of your product without talking about the benefits.
As I already stated, people are interested, not so much in you, or even your product or service, but what it will do for them. Think about the obvious benefits and not-so-obvious benefits of the each feature .
Most of the time your product will have hidden benefits that people won’t naturally think of.
how to write sales letters that sell
Final Thoughts
Writing a good sales letter that sells can seem like a challenge – even a chore. But by following these five simple advices, you can make the letter-writing process easier – and make sure your letters win you business.
ImportantWriting a sales letter is an effective and cost-efficient approach to generating sales . It takes very good copywriting to pull off great results, though.
Using a formula like those I outlined earlier help craft the body of a sales letter that gets customers itching to buy.
Most anyone can write a powerful sales letter that sells by just following the aforementioned steps. Make sure that you include each of these steps because each step builds your case in a unique way and adds to the reader’s emotions .
When you’re learning about copywriting, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
Great copywriters have existed for hundreds of years. If you want to become a great copywriter, or even just a better one, it makes sense to learn from the masters like David Ogilvy, Claude Hopkins etc.
What are you waiting for? Start writing a sales letter that sells today with these strategies and watch the cash roll in!
As an entrepreneur, you can also leverage pre-suasion techniques to craft compelling insights and concepts, and to help your brand communicate more effectively.
If you enjoyed the article or have any comments, recommendations, or tips for improvement please do comment below.
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