Everyone writes, talks and speaks, but we rarely stop to think about how powerful our words can be as tools to spark a conversation, to present a product or service in its best light or to convince potential customers to buy it. When we do stop for a second, and wake up to the potential that is available to each one of us, it goes without saying that our new awareness should spark a desire to delve deeper into the persuasive techniques of the written word.
There is one particular tool that, when used in the right way, can offer a real boost to both businesses and copywriters: whatever way you look at it, sales letters are an essential part of the marketing and business world, because they facilitate direct sales and lead generation (collating a potential client list), as well as improving relationships with existing customers and boosting the chances of closing a sale with them.
Sales letters are one of the most classic methods used in traditional marketing – the type of marketing used to reach potential clients and close a sale which requires that an actual letter in an envelope lands on the right person’s desk – and today they continue to evolve in digital form, with sales emails and other online messages aimed at reaching the public and persuading them to buy. The channels have changed, but the basis of this tool still follows the original direction shared in this volume: through research, understanding the clients, their needs and perplexities and writing persuasive texts.
At first glance, a sales letter might seem like a difficult tool to create and put into practice, especially if you are not a professional copywriter and you don’t much like writing. The good news is that by following the method explained by the author, not only will you be able to learn to write your own sales letters in a relatively short time, but you will also learn to write good ones, letters that lead to increased profit and new customers. With a little effort, anyone can do it, and achieve excellent results; the important thing is to follow the steps of the sales letter creation process carefully and closely, and to keep just a few a few concepts and tips in mind, as follows:
- don’t be intimidated by the process of writing;
- recognise the value and power of your unique understanding of your business, products, services and customers;
- assemble and organise ideas and samples in a “swipe file”; assemble and organise good reference materials;
- think selling: always write with a sales mentality;
- start writing, make corrections later;
- don’t be held back by perfectionism;
- understand that writing a sales letter is not a creative process, but a method that can be learned and put into practice;
- remember that the more you write, the easier the process becomes.
