Everybody will have written a letter at some point in their lives and most believe that because their spelling and punctuation is reasonably good, they”re able to write a sales letter. Unfortunately this isn”t the case.
To write a sales letter that will give you maximal results you need to know a whole lot more than just how to spell “recommendations” or when to use a semi-colon. You need to understand your target group, know what information is necessary and what isn”t, understand how your letter will most likely be read and how to maximise its readability.
Some will say that writing the perfect sales letter is an art but I disagree. An art is a talent you”re born with – writing sales letters is something that can be learned. Ok, you need to have a feel for words and how they can be used but as long as you have that, you”re well on your way.
Let”s take a look at what you need to understand if you”re going to write a sales letter that really sells.
1. To Whom It May Concern
NEVER EVER use the above. Always make sure you know the name of the person you”re addressing and use it. If you”re uncertain, call his secretary or ask the receptionist. Somebody will know so there”s no excuse for your not knowing. Make sure you spell his name correctly, too.
2. Key Information
You have about 10 seconds in which to convince the reader that whatever you”re offering is of benefit to him. 10 seconds or about 20 words. Maximum!
Decide what your key features are and make sure they”re mentioned right at the very start.
3. Headings
In order to get those key features into as few words as possible, it”s often beneficial to use a heading.
This would go beneath the Dear What-ever-your-name-is, and positioned about one quarter of the way down the page where the eye naturally meets the page first.
4. Tone & Style
Keep your tone directed towards the reader. Always use “you”, “your”, “yours” etc. Don”t speak of “me” and “mine”. The reader isn”t interested in you – he”s interested in what you can do for HIM (or her – feminists don”t shoot me, please).
The style you use in your writing will depend on your target. As a rule, always use the kind of language you”d expect to find in the kind of newspaper he”s likely to read.
5. Readability
In today”s busy society, your reader is likely to be very busy and will want to find the information he”s looking for quickly. Remember those 10 seconds?
Keep paragraphs short for easy scanning.
Use bullet points to highlight key points that”ll jump from the page.
Never use “big” words when a standard word will do. Sales letters are not the place to show off your command of the English language – they”re for selling a product or service and nothing more.
Your writing doesn”t need to be 100 percent grammatically correct. In fact, fancy constructions can often ruin clean, direct copy. KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Which leads me on to capitals. Don”t use them for more than a few words to stress a point.
Capitals are difficult to read as they remove the natural shape of a word. When scanning letters, readers look for recognisable shapes rather than read actual words. Capitals make this impossible. If you really need to stress a point it”s better to use bold or coloured type, or unlined words. Keep these to a minimum, too.
6. Tighten Up
Never use vague references. To explain what I mean, look at the following examples:
“I”d appreciate the opportunity to discuss the possibility of putting our services into place within you offices”
and
“Please call me to discuss how we can best apply our services to suit your needs.”
The first example is sloppy and loose. The second says that the seller is certain the buyer will want this service and knows it can be modified to suit the buyer”s needs. It says more, in fewer words and there are no loose “possibilities” involved.
Sloppy words like “could”, “maybe”, “might” and “if” should never appear in a well written sales letter. If you don”t believe in your product or service enough to use “will”, “can” and “when” instead, how can you expect a buyer to believe in it?
7. Size Isn”t Everything
A common mistake is to write letters that are way too long.
Always try to stick to one side of an A4 page. You want the recipient to be able to scan it and find the key information quickly. He”ll then decide whether he wants to read it properly or use it for target practise. Anything that continues over more than one page is likely to be missed.
It”s for this reason that you should never use more words than necessary and keep your sentences short and to the point. You”re not writing to impress – you”re writing to sell!
8. Post Script
There are arguments for and against the use of postscripts, or a PS as they”re more commonly called.
Some say a PS will draw attention back to the subject matter after the reader has read the sign-off, while others say a PS has an air of laxity about it, as if the writer hadn”t taken enough trouble to ensure the message was properly conveyed in the body of the letter.
Although I can see the truth in both arguments, I generally tend to agree with the first BUT ONLY if you have another piece of vital information to add. A PS just for the sake of it looks sloppy.
The recipient will no doubt be scanning your letter to find a price and as the last line stands out, this is good place to add it. “Free demonstrations are available on request” or “Your first order will include a year”s supply of [something necessary to use this product]” also make good PS material.
The only time I”d advise against using a PS is when your letter continues over more than one side of an A4 page.
~~ CONCLUSION
If you stick to the above points and have “a way with words”, I”m sure you”ll be able to write a sales letter that will pull it”s weight.
I”m not saying it”s easy – if it were, everybody would be doing it and there would be no need for professionals – but with some forethought and practice there”s no reason why you, too, shouldn”t be able to write the perfect sales letter.
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