FollowText.com » Writing » Copywriting » The power and magic of a sales letter that really sells.

The power and magic of a sales letter that really sells.

by: ScottNelson
Total views: 8 | Word Count: 762

One of the biggest mistakes made by business people is operating with prejudice based on ignorance. In the crucial areas of sales and marketing, this mistake is made most often by neglecting the absolute most effective vehicle for obtaining new customers and reigniting the interest of existing ones. An important mentor of mine, Dan Kennedy calls it "writing your own check". This vehicle is known commonly as a sales letter.

Basically it is a salesman on paper that keeps working and working without the need for profit sharing or vacation days. There is nothing particularly special or unique about good advertising copy, except that it works. The fact is that most businesses never make use of the power of good advertising copy in any form.

Fail to use the awesome power of well done advertising copy at your own risk. Don't be concerned about formality or following the herd of how it "should" be done. Just adopt the mindset that even bad copy is ok because it can be made great, often with minor changes.

To get started: Go to the nearest library and pick up a pile of magazines from the popular genres. The areas you are most interested in are sports, fitness, health, fashion, and entertainment. Pick a specific category within the genre and then a more general one. In the area of health and fitness, pick up Men's Health and then more specifically one dealing only with getting bulky through weightlifting. Read through them and focus on the ads.

The sales letters are often full or half page. They sometimes can be half page. Many times they offer a free written or audio material when you get in touch with them. You'll notice that the sales letter focuses heavily on the service or product offered and not at all on the company name. It is an unfortunate false perception that the big corporations are masters of advertising. In reality, most have not clue about how to draft or use a good sales letter.

How do you find really good sales copy? It finds you actually. It stands out and sucks you in and makes you interested enough to maybe spend money on the product offered.. Mark the page in the magazine and immediately go get a couple of recent back issues. Browse those for the same or similar ad. A repeat means the ad is probably successful. The more back issues it appears in, the better indicator of being successful.

The strategy of the big boys who throw their money around on the expensive ads is mass marketing to a mass market based on branding using singing polar bears and football playing frogs or whatever. It is highly likely that they have no idea of the ultimate effect of the millions spent. That's fine, they have that luxury in many cases. For the purposes of bringing your product or service to everyday people with choices, you need to bring them benefit and make it real clear up front what that benefit is.

So strategy #2 is have a way of conveying a benefit to your customer that is unique in your market. Right up front you want to answer the question: "Why should I be doing business with you v. my other choices for the same product or service?" Bluntly, what can you do for me , and it better be unique and more beneficial than the what the other guy can do for me.

It has been written many times over about the power that a simple USP (unique selling proposition) can have for a business. Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's pizza took a fledgling pizza joint in a college town (he lived in the back room at the beginning) by carving out special turf in the brutal market of pizza with: "Fresh Hot Pizza delivered in 30 Minutes or Less, Guaranteed".

A billion dollar empire ensued. With that USP, and the guts to try to back it up on a mass scale, Domino's eventually had the big boys racing to catch up.

But you might have noticed that having a powerful USP is strategy # 2. Where is strategy 1?

It is the headline. The headline is the first thing that captures the reader's attention. It is vital. How to put together a good headline is a great topic for future discussions.

About the Author

When you master the art-and-science of writing great direct-response copy for money letters, brochures, and ads, you can literally write any size check you want. Check out the Copywriting Clinic for 97 specific tricks-of-the-trade. Good copywriting = more money.

The power and magic of a sales letter that really sells.

About the Author

More Articles from: Copywriting