Writing a sales letter that sells
Steve Gibson from Steve Gibson Consulting based in Edinburgh, wrote a wonderful article for me that went out to my mailing list, so I thought I would share some of it here for you.
“When someone responds to your ad or your sales letter, they’re not buying the product, they’re buying the description of the product contained in the words on the page.
Therefore, it’s not the more desirable or superior product that sells, it’s the more desirable words.
So, how do you make your sales message more appealing?
Effective sales copy – whether it’s an advert, letter or web page – tends to have certain elements and each of these elements serves a purpose and should appear in a logical order.
And one of the key mistakes I see from businesses is that they cripple their response rates by leaving out essential parts of the sales message.
To avoid this, here are 5 things you should look to cover:
• This is what I’ve got
• This is what it can do for you
• This is why you should get it from me
• This is why you should believe me
• This is how you can get it
It’s not cast in stone – other copywriters have different steps – but it’s a great place to start.
If you look at your own ads or your website homepage, does it have those elements? And does it have them in this order?
- Can the reader quickly see what the offer is?
- Does it explain why he or she should buy from you instead of your competitors?
- Is there evidence that backs up the claims you make about your product or service?
- Is it obvious to the reader what he or she should do next?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, you’re probably letting a lot of money slip through your hands.
