Try this sales letter formatI don’t know how many sales letters you have to send out in your business but this is the kind of sales letter format that I use. As an author, I find myself sending them to college instructors and managers of college bookstores for my book on Writing Essays & Term Papers. I send them to sales trainers because my book on Writing Proposals is geared to sales people as well as to small business entrepreneurs who make up so many of the visitors to this site. Sales letters help get the word out about what you have to offer. Now I know there are lots of pre-scripted sales letters out there on the Net, many of them successful. I’d rather break the format down for you so that you understand what the components of a successful sales letter are. For me there are five elements: 1. A hook
A hookThe first element of the sales letter format - a hook - is exactly what it means – a way to grab attention. I once used the headline “Cold Remedy” along with a medicinal bottle to promote a winter airline package to the tropics. It worked well as a grabber. That’s what this is about. Finding a headline that reflects what you have to offer, and easily connects with the main body of your sales letter.I haven’t always found it easy to come up with that hook, especially off the top. I need time to think about it just as you may. A useful practice is to wait until you’ve got the other pieces together. Once your sales letter has a sense of direction, it’s often easier to come up with the hook. A statement of the problem, issue or situation in the marketplaceThe reason you need a product or service is because you’re faced with some problem or issue and you can’t solve it yourself. Or you discover something that you are so enamored of that you have to have it; for example, the introduction of All Wheel Drive on some car models. Its added promise of safety, especially in winter, was a strong buy motivation.As a key part of the sales letter format, you must identify that problem or issue in the marketplace that is not being satisfactorily resolved. One classic example is weight loss. Those concerned about their weight are always looking for a newer, better, easier way to address the problem. You may have an answer for them. The focus in this section, however, is defining the issue or problem in the marketplace. Why your product or service is the answerThis is a straightforward part of the sales letter format – explaining why your product or service is the solution to their particular situation. Now this may include the benefits as well as features of your product and service. I try and keep the benefits part separate so that clients don’t confuse benefits with features.Benefits of what you have to offerThis is your opportunity to clearly explain why the client should purchase your product or service. Sometimes known as WIIFM (What’s In It For Me), make sure you present the benefits as strongly and powerfully as you can.Action stepsAction steps are the final part of the sale letter format. You want the customer to act on what you have to offer so you make the offer as attractive as possible by:a. Giving customers an incentive Both these important steps are designed to achieved one thing – have the client act on your request for the order.
|
