SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES LIMITED

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How To Write Sales Letters That Actually SellA FREE Report From Sales And Business Development Strategies Limited

A FREE REPORT FROM

SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES LIMITED

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Contents

STAGE 1 –Preparation ...........................................................................4Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. 4

The Most Important Thing Is The Target Market ........................................................................................ 4

Laser Beam Focus........................................................................................................................................ 5

The Offer...................................................................................................................................................... 6

STAGE 2 - Using A Headline To Grab Attention .................................8Introduction:................................................................................................................................................. 8

Effective Headlines Fulfil These Four Key Objectives… ........................................................................... 9

Formatting Your Headline ........................................................................................................................... 9

Proven Words To Use In Your Headlines….............................................................................................. 10

Conversely Don't Use These "Bad" Words In Your Headline…............................................................... 10

Different Types Of Headlines… ................................................................................................................ 11

48 Effective Headline Templates ............................................................................................................... 16

Test Your Headlines................................................................................................................................... 21

The Two Rules You Must Obey For Effective Headlines… ..................................................................... 21

Here Is A Secondary Checklist That Will Help You Add Power To Your Headlines............................... 22

STAGE 3 - Write Down All The Reasons Why People Won’t Respond................................................................................................................24

STAGE 4 - Getting Started - The First Few Words ............................2632 Proven And Effective Openings You Can Use Right Now................................................................... 27

STAGE 5 - Generating Interest ............................................................29Immediately Expand On Your Most Important Benefit Or Offer.............................................................. 29

Generate Interest By Focusing On A Specific Problem Followed By Your Solution To The Problem - this is my favourite approach............................................................................................................................ 30

Generating Interest Using Comparisons .................................................................................................... 31

STAGE 6 - Creating Desire ..................................................................32

STAGE 7 - Adding Conviction (Social Proof) .....................................34

STAGE 8 - Call To Action And Getting People To Respond NOW ...361. Summarise The Main Benefits............................................................................................................... 36

3. Decide On The "Stimulator" To Get People To Respond Now ............................................................. 37

4. Offer Multiple Methods Of Responding To Make It Easy For The Prospect ........................................ 37

5. Tell The Reader What To Do................................................................................................................. 37

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6. Explain What Will Happen When They Respond ................................................................................. 38

STAGE 9 – The P.S...............................................................................39

STAGE 10 – Getting Your Sales Letter Noticed And Opened ............40Avoiding The Clutter And Getting Your Letter Opened And Read By The Right People........................ 41

The Personalised Look And Feel ............................................................................................................... 42

Getting Past The Gatekeeper...................................................................................................................... 43

Grabbing Massive Attention Using Gimmicks .......................................................................................... 44

Summary – Your Own Personal Checklist ..........................................45

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STAGE 1 –Preparation

Introduction

I have a confession to make- I love junk mail, that’s because it shows me that so many small businesses can’t write good sales letters…that’s why they get perceived as junk mail.

But the great news is that test after test has proved that a well written sales letter will get better responses than any other marketing piece. In fact well written sales letters have been responsible for £billions of sales in every imaginable industry.

And, when you get it right you can use it again and again so instead of selling one to one you can successfully sell one to many. What’s more a sales letter will never phone in sick , it won’t get stuck in traffic and it won’t take holidays in fact it works 24/7

So that’s three really powerful reasons to learn how to master the art of writing response driven sales letters

You’ll get a great response You can use it over and over again saving you time and

earning you money You’ll blow your competitors out of the water because they

haven’t got a clue how to write a good sales letter.

Before I go into the detail of how to write the letter there are a few things that weed to be adhered to EVEN BEFORE YOU WRITE A SINGLE WORD .In fact if you get these right you dramatically increase your chance of success.

The Most Important Thing Is The Target Market

I’m sure you know that the success of all marketing stands or falls by how good its targeting is. When it comes to writing your sales letter there are two things you must consider…

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Who are you writing to?Remember your target market needs to want or desire your

products or service, it needs to be able to afford it – especially important right now-it needs to have the buying authority and it needs to be easily reachable

Write your letter focussed on your target marketYour letter needs to be written totally focussed on the

target markets needs, fears and wants. And if you have more than one target market then adapt your letter to each market , even if you have a few different ones.

What you will be doing is showing your prospects that you understand their fears issues and concerns and you, and only you, can solve them.

Applying your message in this way will allow you to outperform over 90% of your competition in almost any market.

Laser Beam Focus

This is a fundamental mistake many make when writing sales letters (or any other marketing piece for that matter).you will no doubt have seen such letters that ramble on and you just don’t know what is expected of you.

Think about it

If YOU don’t know what you want your reader to do how will THEY know?

Before you set pen to paper decide upon the exact objective of the letter. For example it may be to get the reader to ask for a free report, it may be to send back a coupon for a free trial, it even could be to actually order.

Whatever it is begin with the end in mind and your prospects will know exactly what is expected of then so they will be more likely to respond

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The Offer

And talking about response, that’s the whole reason for writing a sales letter isn't it?

Let me show you a way to stop your prospects in their tracks and take action now.

As they say in the movies

Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse

The offer is what they get when they respond; in fact it isthe inducement to get this response. There are four kind of offer-soft, hard, negative and deferred with hard and soft offer being the most common…

Soft OffersA soft offer is one where there is no personal interaction

between the buyer and the seller and typically involves some form of printed media.

For example a soft offer could be

Free Special Report Free Brochure Free Catalogue Free Newsletter Free Information Pack

Hard offer, on the other hand often involve some form of interaction between the seller and they buyer, even the sale.

Here are a few examples

Free Trial Free Exploratory Meeting Free Planning session Free Seminar or Workshop Free Webinar

Now whichever is most suitable for you business or campaign if the offer is free (or even a discount) it still needs selling. There are two elements to an offer that gets response

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Limited Time A Powerful Benefit

As an example let’s imagine that a Telecoms Company had sent an offer for

“A Free Audit.”

Now I suppose a few may reply however if their competitor sent an offer like this…

Which one would persuade you to make contact?

Now you’ve identified your target markets, you’re focussed on exactly what you want to achieve and you’ve created an irresistible offer the next step is to begin creating the letter. It starts with the headline…

A free £297 telecoms audit which shows you the strength and weaknesses of your telecoms infrastructure and where you can reduce costs.This time limited offer expires on 31st Jan 2011Remember this audit is completely free and there is no obligation whatsoever

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STAGE 2 - Using A Headline To Grab Attention

Introduction:

The headline is the one thing that grabs the prospect’s attention. If they dismiss your headline – that's it, you've lost them. They won't start reading your letter, ad, brochure, etc., or listening to your telephone script or radio ad – and you won't get a response.

Your headline is the difference between success and mediocrity – it's that important.

To emphasise the importance of headlines, here are a couple of

quotes from two of the most highly respected copywriters of all time…

"If you can come up with a good headline, you are almost sure to have a good ad. But even the greatest writer can't save an ad with a poor headline."

John Caples - How To Make Your Advertising MakeMoney

"On average five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy."

David Ogilvy - Confessions Of An Advertising Man

What does this mean? Basically, if you get your headline right you almost guarantee your success. Get your headline wrong – and your results will suffer!

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Effective Headlines Fulfil These Four KeyObjectives…

Get attention

Select an audience

Deliver a complete message

Draw the reader into the body copy

The good news is that creating winning headlines can be achieved by following some simple and proven guidelines…

Formatting Your Headline

Here are the proven methods for laying out your headline in your letter…

Place the headline above the salutation

Set the headline in a large font (at least 4 points larger than your copy font size)

The First Letter Of Each Word In Your

Headline Should Be Capitalised, Like I've Done In This Sentence

Emphasise one or two important words of

the headline in larger type, or capitals

Long headlines generally work better than short headlines because you need enough words to convey a benefit that stops the reader

Never end a headline with a period (full stop,

exclamation mark) – it just stops the reader

dead!

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Proven Words To Use In Your Headlines…

Over the years there have been certain words which constantly prove themselves when used in headlines. All the successful headlines contain one or more of these words. Make sure your headlines contain these words…

You Results Breakthrough

Your Here Facts

Discover Quick Easy

Exciting Yes Money

Only Guaranteed Proven

Secrets Instantly New

How Amazing Free

Now Reveals Winning

Introducing Magic Announcing

Conversely Don't Use These "Bad" WordsIn Your Headline…

Buy Difficult Failure

Order Bad Cost

Sell Death Loss

Decision

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Different Types Of Headlines…

There are many types of different headlines. I've listed 19 of the most successful ones here. By applying a number of these different headline types you'll start to see how easy it is to create winning headlines…

1. Benefit headlines (all your headlines should contain a benefit of

some sort)

2. Use a two- or three-word headline (but remember, long headlines

are almost always more successful than short headlines)

Burn Fat Faster

Get June Free

Double Bonus Sale

Oh My God!

Gosh

At Last

Millionaire Secrets

If Only…

3. Headlines that focus on quick and easy solutions

Fast And Simple…

Ridiculously Easy And Fast…

Idiot Proof…

In Just 10 Days…

The 7-Minute Workout…

The Lazy Man's Way To…

Instant, Automatic Results…

The Quick And Easy Way To…

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4. Warning headlines

Read This Before You…

Don't Buy…Until You've Read These Facts

5. Testimonial headlines

A Specific Benefit Written Testimonial From A Customer

“Or It Can Just Be A Headline In Speech Marks Like This Written Like A Testimonial”

6. Reasons-why headlines

Seven Reasons Why You Should…

37 Invigorating Reasons…

6 Ways To…

7 Steps…

Here's How…

7. Offer headlines

Put your offer in the headline…

Try-before-You-Buy Carpet Cleaning

8. Question headlines

When using question headlines you must ask a question that the reader can empathise with or would like to see answered.

Also never focus on your company in the question, i.e. "Do You KnowWhat ABC Company Is Up To These Days?"

Why…? Should You…?

Which…? Can You…?

If…? What Makes…?

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When…? Is Your…?

Have you…? Would You…?

Who else wants…?

9. Question headlines that solve a problem

Do You…?

Are You…?

Is Your…?

Does Your…?

For example…

Do You Make These Common Mistakes In English?

Is Your Appearance Holding You Back From Promotion?

Are You Struggling To Make Payroll Each Month?

10. Question headlines that state a desirable outcome

If you can state the desirable outcome clearly, it can be very effective.The question begins "Do you want…"

Do You Want To Live Your Life Free Of Pain And Discomfort?

Do You Want To Lose 15 Pounds Without Going Hungry?

Do You Want A Rewarding Career In Accountancy?

11. Question followed by a benefit

Are You…? Read On To Discover How To…

What's The Secret To…? Read On. You'll Find Out What It ReallyTakes To…

Serious About…? Here's How To…

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12. Advice headlines

Advice To (type of person you're targeting)…

For example, "Advice To Solicitors…"

13. How-to headlines (always successful when used properly!)

How-to headlines are one of the most effective types known. They always grab interest.

How…

How To…

Here’s How To…

How Many Times Have You Said To Yourself…?

14. Start with FREE

FREE…

15. Story headlines

How I Improved My Hearing In Two Weeks

Often A Bridesmaid But Never The Bride

16. Frustration/problem/solution headline

Identify the problem and then offer the solution…

Tired Of Paying…? Here's How To…

Paying Too Much For…? Now You Can…

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17. Risk reversal headlines

Put your risk reversal/guarantee in the headline…

Project Management Guaranteed To Help You Complete Your ProjectsOn Time, On Budget, And On Target…

18. News headlines

The first…

Introducing…

Finally There's An Effective Way To……

Announcing A Major Breakthrough. Now You

Can…… Presenting…

New FREE Information Guide Tells You How

To…… Now…

At Last!…

19. Combination of more than one of the above

By combining two or more of the above types of headlines in one headline, you'll create even more power…

Do You Have What It Takes To Market Your Business Successfully?This Free Book Will Help You Find Out.

Yours Free! Marketing Your Business Successfully…5 Steps To Success

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48 Effective Headline Templates

Combine the different types of headlines above with these proven headline templates and you automatically create winning headlines. You really can't fail.

Simply add the missing words to create instant response-generating headlines…

1. They Didn't Think I Could … But I Did

(They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano – But When I Started To Play)

2. Who Else Wants…?

(Who Else Wants An Extra Hour A Day)

3. How To… (Get, Have, Acquire, Solve Profit, Own, etc.)…(the

biggest benefit you've got)

4. How…Made Me…

(How A "Fool Stunt" Made Me A Star Salesman)

5. Are You…?

(Are You Smarter Than Your Boss?)

6. For (type of person): How To…

(For Busy Doctors: How To Educate New Patients In Half The Time)

7. If You're…, You Can…

(If You're A Solicitor, You Can Save 20% On Professional Indemnity Fees)

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N o t e s8. The Secrets Of… (biggest benefit you've got). (Or The SuccessSecrets Of…)

(The Secrets Of Not Only Surviving, But Thriving In Today's Tough Economic Times)

9. Give Me… And I'll

(Give Me A Chance To Ask Seven Questions And I'll Prove You're Wasting A Small Fortune On Your Advertising)

10. … Ways To…

(101 Ways To Get More Clients)

11. The Complete Guide To…(biggest benefit)

12. The Quick And Easy Way To…(biggest benefit)

13. How To Get… (Benefit 1), (Benefit 2), And … (Benefit 3)…In Just… (actual time period in hours, days, etc.). Guaranteed, or…(guarantee specifics)

(How To Grow Your Business, Gain More Free Time And Profit Like Never Before After Just Three Easy Sessions – Guaranteed)

14. … (Have, Get, Be, Enjoy, etc.)… (Benefit) In… (time period) –Guaranteed, No Matter What… (your age, condition, bank account, skill level, etc.)

(Get Fit In Record Time – Guaranteed, No Matter How Out Of Shape You Are)

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N o t e s15. … (Eliminate, Overcome, Laugh At, Master, Beat, Wipe out, etc.) …(major problem or frustration or anxiety)…(Secret, Solution, Developed, Cure, Remedy, New, etc.) From … (an expert, mysterious place, unusually simple place, etc.)

(Overcome Any Fear Almost Instantly With This Two-MinuteTechnique Revealed By A World-Famous Speaker)

16. … (Imagine, Picture This)…You … (situation, millionaire, skilled, computer technician)

(Picture This…You Open Your Mail Box And Find It Stuffed With Literally Hundreds Of Cash Orders! Welcome To The Exciting And Profitable World Of Mail Order Marketing)

(Imagine…Sipping Pina Coladas On The Sun-Drenched Beaches Of Beautiful Antigua Where There's Always A Gentle Breeze In The Air And The Most Difficult Decision You Face All Day Is Which Five Star Restaurant You'll Choose For Dinner Tonight?)

17. … (specific number) Ways To… (dramatise big benefit)

(101 Little-Known Ways To Add Perceived Value To Your Home So It

Sells Within Days For At Least 97.5% Of The Full Asking Price!

18. … (number of) Reasons Why You Should… (major benefit or major warning)

(57 Reasons Why It Not Only Saves You Money To Use Our Marketing Services, But It Actually Puts More Cash In Your Pocket –100% Guaranteed)

19. No More… (Major pain, frustration or problem). Here's A …(quick and easy, remarkably simple, little-known, etc.) Way To … (achieve the ultimate benefit)

(No More Nervousness! No More Fear! Learn The Tricks The Pros Use To Speak With Ease To Any Size Of Audience!)

(No More Lost Sales! Here's An Automatic System For TimelyFollow-Up With Every Prospect!)

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Please Note:

The following headline templates require you to think more in terms of the words you will use. In most cases, the actual words that appeared in the headline are given in brackets. You just need to find alternatives to fit your circumstances.

20. Offbeat Ways To….

21. These…(top bankers) Use … To …

22. Simple New … (cures) Can Help You …

23. A Little Mistake That Cost A … (farmer) ….(£3000) A Year

24. Advice To … (wives) Whose …(husbands) Don't Save…(money)

– By A …(wife)

25. How A New … (discovery, etc.) Made A … (plain girl) …

(beautiful)

26. You Can …(laugh) At … (money worries) If You Follow This

Simple … (plan)

27. Who Ever Heard Of A … (woman) losing/gaining, etc. … (weight) -

And Enjoying, etc. … (3 delicious meals) At The Same Time

28. How I … (improved) My … (memory) In One Evening, etc.

29. Discover The Fortune That Lies Hidden In Your … (service

business)

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30. How I Made A Fortune With A … (fool) idea

31. How Often Do You Hear Yourself Saying: "No, I Haven't Read It;

I've Been Meaning To!"

32. Thousands Have This Priceless Gift – But Never Discover It

33. How A New Kind Of … (clay) Improved My … (complexion)

In … (minutes, hours, days, months)

34. Profits That Lie Hidden In Your … (farm, service business)

35. Everywhere … (women) Are Raving About This Amazing New …

(shampoo)

36. Today – Add … (£10,000, thousands of pounds) To Your …

(estate, house, etc.) For The Price Of A … (new hat, first-class stamp)

37. How To Do Wonders With … (a little land)

38. How Much Is (worker tension, traditional marketing) Costing Your

Company?

39. Right And Wrong … (farming methods) – And Little Pointers

That Will Increase Your … (profits)

40. It's A Shame For You Not To … (make good money) – When

These… (men, businesses) Do It So Easily

41. Great New Discovery … (kills kitchen odours quick) – Makes …

(indoor air) … (fresh)

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N o t e s42. Announcing The New… That Makes … (it fun) To … (learn

things)

43. Here's A Quick Way To…

44. 67 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You To Answer Our Ad

A Few Months Ago

45. Suppose This Happened On/When/After … (your wedding day)

46. What Everybody Ought To Know – About This … (stock and

bond business)

47. FREE BOOK – Tells You … (12) Secrets Of … (better lawn care)

48. Greatest Goldmine Of Easy … ("Things to make") ever crammed

into one big book

Test Your Headlines

It's impossible to pre-judge which good headline (notice the word ‘good’) will work better than the next. Therefore you must test all your headlines. Pick the three or four best ones and test them against each other.

The Two Rules You Must Obey ForEffective Headlines…

Your headline must obey the following rules 100% of the time.Without meeting these two rules your headline will fail…

RULE 1: They must force the reader to read the next sentence.

RULE 2: They must stand alone. Would your headline work in aclassified ad with the words "Call now for further information" after it?

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N o t e sFor example, here's a few "headlines" I've just got out

of the Yellow Pages under the category of “Accountants”…

Sturgess Hutchinson & Co. Call now for further information

Accountants and business advisors. Call now for further information

John F Mould & Co Ltd. Call now for further information

Here to help you at your convenience – not ours. Call now for further information

Providing perfect solutions. Call now for further information

Do any of these "headlines" stand alone? Would they move you to call them? In my view, none of them would!

Please don't dismiss this simple test. It is by far the most powerful method for evaluating headlines that I have ever come across.

Here Is A Secondary Checklist That Will Help You Add Power To Your Headlines

Don't forget if your headline doesn't fulfil the two rules

mentioned above, you need to improve it. The following

guidelines will help…

Does the headline promise a benefit or reward for reading on?

Is the headline clear and direct? Don't be clever,

etc. Is the headline specific? ("Lose 22

pounds in four weeks" is better than "Lose weight fast".)

Does the headline select the audience?

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Avoid negatives – Instead of "Contains

No Impurities", write "100% Impurity-Free." Always make the headline positive.

Does the headline reach out and grab your reader's attention?

Avoid headlines that merely provoke curiosity:

"The trouble with married men is…" You must not have a clever or cute headline –

it simply doesn't work.

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STAGE 3 - Write Down All The Reasons Why People Won’t Respond

Effective copy needs to answer the prospect’s objections, fears and frustrations. It's no good just pointing out the benefits of the product or service. No matter what the business sells, prospects will have several doubts, fears or objections.

Write down all the reasons why the reader/listener won't respond to your OFFER – objections, doubts, worries, concerns, excuses, etc. Then put them in descending order of importance and write down the answers to them all!

For example, a common doubt is this: "How do I know you can deliver the results you say you can?" By recognising these doubts, you can easily overcome them in your copy.

Here's how you could deal with objections in your letter…

As attractive as this offer is, our marketing experts tell us that only about X% of the people receiving this letter will respond. Although that's okay with us from a business standpoint, it still bothers me personally.

You see, I know how much the owners/users of our service/product benefit from it. I read their letters; I talk to them on the phone; I see them personally when they visit us; and tens/hundreds/thousands/millions each year tell me that "(strong testimonial goes here)".

Because of this, I just hate the thought of someone not getting our service/product because of some error or omission in our explanation. That's why I held a special brainstorming session with a group of our people to try and figure out why you might say "no" to our free trial offer (or whatever). After several hours our group could think of only three possible reasons. Here they are:

(Then list each reason for not buying and answer it)

Alternatively you could include a page of FAQ's and answers in your sales letter or an FAQ in your ad (difficult to achieve when lack of space is usually your number one enemy!).

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The common objections are written down as a question and answered using a direct answer, a testimonial backing you up, or a restatement of the guarantee/risk reversal.

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STAGE 4 - Getting Started -The First Few Words

Sometimes the hardest part of copywriting (any writing for that matter) is putting down the first few words. However, the first few words are critical. Your reader/listener will quickly determine whether they should keep reading/listening or not.

There are three simple and proven rules to follow when starting your ad or sales letter…

1. Understand that the purpose of your first sentence is to get the reader to read the second sentence and so on

Your goal when writing is to get your reader to read as much of your letter as possible. You must keep the reader interested throughout the letter. Consequently your first few sentences are critical.

2. Make your first sentence and first paragraph short.

If your first sentence is long (a common fault with many ads and sales letters) your reader will lose interest. Long sentences are hard to read. Your reader will assume the rest of your ad or letter is going to be like this – and consequently gives up.

Your first sentence can actually be your first paragraph.

If your first sentence and first paragraph are short, your reader will automatically be drawn into your letter.

3. Don't waffle. Get straight to the point.

Another very common fault with sales letters is that the writer starts the main part of the letter after the fourth or fifth paragraph. Don't fall into this trap. Your reader hasn't got time. Get to the facts quickly in your opening sentences.

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32 Proven And Effective Openings You Can Use Right Now

Here is a list of proven openings for your sales letter. To get many more effective openings, there is one book available that is truly brilliant. It's called "Sales Letters That Sizzle" and is written by Herschell Gordon Lewis. He is one of America's finest copywriters.

The book includes over one hundred effective openings, some of which are listed below…

If you're like me…

Which would you rather be…?

At last!

Five years from now will you…

What if…

Congratulations!…

Why have I enclosed this free…?

I've got good news…and I've got bad news. The good news is…

Did you know…?

Have you ever wished…?

I've enclosed…

This letter is going to be short and to

the point (tell them what it is quickly)

I'll get right to the point…

I know you're busy so I'll get straight to the

point…

Now you can…

At last!…Wouldn't it be great if…

The best…just got better.

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If we could show you a way

to…would you be interested? How would you like to…

Here's the deal… Remember when… I'm going to make your day… When was the last time you… The word is out!…is not a secret anymore… Imagine… I just couldn't wait to write to you…. It's been a while since… I won't waste your time…. Thank you… I bet I can guess the question you're about to

ask yourself: Why do I need another… Test yourself… If you <state a major problem or solution>, I

have good news… (this is one of my favourites)

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STAGE 5 - Generating Interest

Having started your copy you next need to generate interest. This is simple. There are three tried and tested ways to generate interest…

Immediately Expand On Your MostImportant Benefit Or Offer

In the following example the offer is the FREE no-obligation appointment. There's no waffle, and interest is generated from the second paragraph onwards…

Dear Mr Jones

I'll get straight to the point…

Do you want to grow your service business? If you don't, I'm sorry because I've just wasted about 10 seconds of your time.

If on the other hand, Mr Jones, you want to grow your business with increased profits, then I think you're going to be very interested in what I'm about to tell you.

The purpose of this letter is simple. I want you to contact me to arrange a FREE no-obligation appointment. But before you do this, I want to give you something for your trouble. I want to give you something that you can apply right now that will have an instant impact on your business…

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Generate Interest By Focusing On ASpecific Problem Followed By Your Solution To The Problem - this is my favourite approach

The product or service by its nature solves a specific problem or problems for customers.

This approach generates interest because the reader automatically identifies him/herself with that problem even if they weren’t previously aware of it!

Let's see how it works…

First, outline the reader’s problem (he or she could know about it or not!):

You, the small business owner, are already the government's No.1 tax target. Every time you look at your mail, there's another tax form demanding your attention and your money. You struggle day in, day out to make an honest living and make a profit, and then when you do, the government takes 20% in corporation tax. And then again when you pay yourself. But what if you discover a few secrets normally used only by "the big boys" to fight back?

(If your problem is bigger and more complex, you may need to go into greater detail and add proof to what you're saying.)

Next, stir up emotion. Tap into the reader's anger, fear, guilt and any other negative emotion:

…but if you insist on just wearing any old pair of ordinary shoes, here's what you have to look forward to in your so - called golden years: fallen arches…intense discomfort in golf or tennis shoes…even pain from just walking around your home! You'll be asking your friends to slow down so you can keep up. You might even need pain pills just to get to sleep.

Now you've got the reader agitated. They now start thinking – if only there were an answer. This is what you want. Now comes the solution…

Give them your solution:

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I’m ABC and here's what I’ll do for you… (List what you do to counter the problems, frustrations, etc.).

End by saying…

Why suffer with unproductive computers, unhappy staff, anger, and frustration? Call ABC today for a FREE, NO-OBLIGATION 30-MINUTE CONSULTATION…

Generating Interest Using Comparisons

This technique has been used successfully for many years. It's effective because it shows what the reader could be missing out on if they don't act now. Don't forget, fear of losing something, or not gaining something are powerful emotions we all don't like.

Here's a good example…

Last spring two neighbours re-seeded their lawns. Now it's June. One has a beautiful, lush, thick, green lawn. As perfect as the best golf course in the country. A lawn to be proud of.

His neighbour, though, has a different lawn. With little brown patches. Uneven texture. Crabgrass and weeds fighting for territory.

What made the difference?

If you were a gardener would you want to know the difference? Can you apply that in your business? Can you explain the difference clients get when the use your product or service?

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STAGE 6 - Creating Desire

After generating interest you then need to ‘hit’ the prospect with the benefits of the product or service, to increase desire.

Tell the reader specifically what he or she is going to get and what it means to them. And explain what could happen if they don't get the product or service.

Here's how to create desire, using your bulleted list of

benefits. You must list your benefits, starting with the most

important one, and so on.

For example, here’s a bulleted list of benefits from a successful letter

(it’s for a golf club selling memberships)...

One FREE Round Of Golf To ‘Try Before You Buy’. Worth £20.

All Year Round Access To Our

18-Hole, 6,239 Yard, Par 70 Golf Course. Worth £920 Per Year.

FREE Priority Booking Service For

Members.

FREE Golf Score Card For Each Round You Play. Use Them To Keep Track Of Your Long-Term Golf Improvements. Worth £10 Per Year.

Unlimited Access To The Chipping

Area (Time Spent Here Pays Dividends On The Course!). Worth £14 Per Month.

FREE £20 Worth Of Credit Added

To Your ‘19th

Hole Members Card’. Use It Like A Top-Up Card

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For All Your Drink And Food.

FREE Custom Fitting Golf Club Service (Worth £24 Per Year). You Won’t Find This Anywhere Else. It’s Perfect For Finding The Best Golf Club For You.

FREE ‘Try Before You Buy’

Service On All Major Golf Purchases. Worth £27 Per Year.

FREE ‘Member’s Equipment Part

Exchange Scheme’ To Make Your Equipment Upgrades Even Easier. Worth £14 Per Year

FREE Priority Access To Golf Lessons From One Of Our Three Club Professionals.

That’s a benefit package worth over £1,000…

Here’s a great list of ways to start your benefits…

How to…Quick and easy… Five simple ways to… No more…The vital ingredients… Discover… Introducing…The secret of…The no-lose way to…4 facts you must know about… A simple technique for… How to quickly and easily… New ways to…

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STAGE 7 - Adding Conviction (Social Proof)

Every time you state a fact about the product or service, you must back it up. Don't let the prospect think, “Yes, well, anyone could say that.” Tell them and then prove it!

The problem with most testimonials is that they are just too bland. You know what I mean…

“They were great”“It’s the best I have had”“The service was second to none”

On their own brilliant but they lose their impact when everyone uses them, which mean people ignore them and then base their buying decision on price.

To make a testimonial work to make a reader think “wow they really deliver on their promises” here’s the four parts of a successful testimonial

Explain the problem the clients had before they found you

Then how they solved that problem Then the results they got

And be specific

Let's see it in action…

Notice the specifics in the testimonial. Notice the testimonial is backedup by saying the reader can see a list of other customer comments...

“£2.2 million extra business”

"The object of the ABC project was to achieve an increase in turnover of 20% from 20 named key accounts within 18 months.

“In just 13 months the objective was reached and exceeded. The turnover on the selected key accounts increased by 27.2%. In monetary terms this equated to £2.2 million."

Mr John Smith, ABC Computers. Tel: 01234 5678910

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Finally use the results as the headline as that will force the reader to actually read the testimonial

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STAGE 8 - Call To Action And Getting People To Respond NOW

You've taken the right steps, your copy grabs attention. Itkeeps the prospect interested. You've created desire. You've proved the business can deliver on the promise by adding conviction. One thing is left remaining – you must get the reader to act, and you must get them to act now!

Remember, responding is usually inconvenient. More often than not the prospect is busy. Other things are more important.

It's very easy for your prospect to say to himself/herself, “I'll reply tomorrow.” Unfortunately tomorrow never comes!

Your number one goal is to get a response NOW. Your call to action is all-important in achieving this objective. Creating a successful call to action is easy if you follow this simple process…

1. Summarise The Main Benefits

In your call to action you should summarise the benefits. Your call to action is the strongest place to sell after the headline and P.S. For example…

"Order now…" is not as strong as "Order now and you get all these benefits at once…" (and the benefits are listed, etc.)

2. Restate The Risk Reversal / Guarantee / Sales Barrier Demolition

By restating any guarantees you are adding comfort to the reader. By doing this you're saying to them – there's no reason at all to say no to my offer because there's no risk.

Repeating your guarantee in the call to action is usually

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enough to convince doubters to respond.

3. Decide On The "Stimulator" To Get People To Respond Now

Stimulators are important because they counter procrastination (they get people to act now!).

Here are a number of proven "stimulators." Each one makes the reader feel they must act quickly…

Limited availability of your offer

Offer extra discounts for fast response, penalties for slow response

Say you have limited quantities on offer

Give a reward, premium, or bonus for quick reply

Mention what they'll gain from acting now

State what they could lose through delay

4. Offer Multiple Methods Of Responding To Make It Easy For The Prospect

The more options you give, the better!

Give your reader the opportunity to respond by telephone, post (using Freepost or Business Reply – not as important selling business-to-business), fax, e-mail, or in person.

Better still, add freephone and freefax (or local rate) numbers to your call to action and you'll (usually) increase response further.

5. Tell The Reader What To Do

People are silently begging to be led. You must therefore tell them what they must do. For example…

Call me now on 0800 123456 to arrange your FREE no-obligation appointment.

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Don't delay. Fax back the "FREE Priority Appointment Form" to me now on 0800 345678.

6. Explain What Will Happen When TheyRespond

Don't hope the prospect will figure out the next step. Tell them precisely what will happen as soon as you hear from them. For example…

As soon as I receive your Priority Needs Analysis Form, I'll call you to arrange your no-obligation appointment.

Here's a successful call to action in full…

I'm sure you agree there are few occasions in life when you can so dramatically transform your future without risking a penny.

Let me re -emphasise: there is absolutely no obligation. All you have to do is reply in the next ten days. You'll get my guaranteed discount, and I'll rush your free special report by return.

Don't forget, you can cancel our relationship after 60 days, for any reason - or no reason at all - just tell me. I'll refund your fees in full. So you can't lose, can you?

Why not act now, while the matter's fresh in your mind? You know how easy it is to put things off when you're busy. Just hand the order form to your secretary, and get her to fill it in and send it off today. It will only take you a minute, but the rewards will benefit you for many years to come.

Here’s another simpler (but equally effective) one to use for your advertising (for example – where space is more precious)…

Simply complete the coupon and send it back to us at the address below. Alternatively please phone us at 0800123456. We’ll contact you within 24 hours. Thank you.

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STAGE 9 – The P.S.A P.S. is nearly always read by the recipient. Why?

Because many of us after receiving a letter look at the bottom to see who it is from.

Consequently by placing the P.S. immediately under the name of the person sending the letter most people willautomatically continue to read the P.S., in fact try NOT reading the P.S.!!

Siegfried Vogel the German marketing psychologist when describing his 25 years of research says almost 90% of all recipients read the P.S. first so…

Include a P.S. and you increase the chance of a response to your letter.

Here’s Five Rules To Writing Good P.S’s

1. Your P.S. should restate the call to action. It should also re-emphasise the main offer, the biggest benefits, your guarantee and any limited time requirements

2. Make the P.S. short and sharp3. End the P.S. with Thanks or Thank You4. Do Not start the P.S. with a weak opener like Remember5. Do Not repeat your opening paragraph as a P.S.

Here are a few good examples

P.S. Don’t risk losing out on this exclusive offer. Use the postage paid envelope I’ve enclosed.

P.S. You take no risk whatsoever. Our service is guaranteed

P.S. An extra Bonus!. If I hear from you by (date) I’ll include and extra (bonus) worth £x

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STAGE 10 – Getting Your Sales Letter Noticed And Opened

Getting your copy noticed is now your really big challenge. You’ve created a world class sales letter, but it will fail if people don’t take any notice of it.

I’m not talking about your headline here. I know you’ve got a great headline (although testing may reveal a more successful one!).

I’m talking about how to make sure the people you targeted (your niche/target market) actually read your letter.

If they don’t read your copy I can guarantee you’ll fail. This ‘phenomenon’ is predominantly due to ‘clutter’.

So what is ‘Clutter’?

Put very simply, clutter is the mass of marketing messages we receive each day. It has been suggested that we receive 3,000 different commercial messages every day, from adverts, to sales letters, radio ads, to leaflets, and brands all over the place, etc.

Because we’re subjected to so many marketing communications, this creates ‘marketing clutter’ in our daily routine. And when we assess these marketing communications as clutter we ignore them.

So think about it…

Is your marketing someone else’s clutter? (i.e. the prospects and customers)

Because if it is, then your marketing communications are getting lost. They’re not even getting noticed. That’s a lot of waste, combined with reduced success.

So how do you rise above this clutter? How do you get your sales letters noticed?

Thankfully, there are some proven steps you can take to ensure your ad or letter gets read by the people it was intended for.

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So let’s get started…

Avoiding The Clutter And Getting YourLetter Opened And Read By The RightPeople

I’m sure you’ve seen letters pass your desk that ‘forced’ you to open them. That’s what clutter avoidance is all about. Rising up from the pile of ‘junk’ so the letter gets noticed above all others.

Achieve this first objective and your letter already has a good chance of success.

Unfortunately, 99% of people fail at this first hurdle. And what do you think happens if your letter doesn’t get opened? That’s right, it bombs!

Gary Halbert, the great US copywriter, suggests an interesting(albeit dramatic) approach to this whole subject. He says (and I agree) that you should take the view that your life depends on your letter being opened by 100% of people on your list. Being this dramatic forces you to rise above the clutter!

What you also need to appreciate is this…

We all, mentally or otherwise, sort our mail out into two piles – ‘Pile A’ and ‘Pile B’. This process takes us seconds to do.

Pile A is stuff that looks interesting. Stuff that we’ll most likely open.

Pile B, on the other hand, is what we

consider as ‘junk’ – stuff that we’ll throw

straight in the bin.

Your task is to make sure your letter gets into Pile A.

So here’s a few proven ways to achieve that.

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The Personalised Look And Feel

I’ve subscribed to this approach for years now, and although I would never discount putting messages on an envelope, this is the safestapproach for you to take.

Here’s how you make your letter look personal…

Use a plain envelope with no printing on the front or back – don’t use window envelopes!

Try different-sized envelopes, different colours

(white always works well), and different textures. Handwrite the name and address of the recipient. If

you haven’t got the time to do this, print directly on to the envelope using your laser printer.

Don’t ever use sticky labels! Use a proper stamp on the front of the envelope, or

better still, three or four stamps – the recipient would never imagine it was unsolicited mail with three stamps stuck on!

Never use franking machines, postage-paid stamps,

etc. These all suggest unsolicited mail!

Here’s a good example of a personalised envelope…

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N o t e sHere’s a bad example…

Which one would you open?

The extra time and effort you put into making your sales letter look personal will without question improve your success.

Getting Past The Gatekeeper

If you sell to businesses you will know the challenges of getting past the gatekeeper. Often a senior level person will have a secretary open the mail or it may even be opened by the post room.

If this happens then the great headline you created will miss its target completely so it’s imperative you do everything possible to get your letter into the hands of the targeted person.

Here’s a tactic that has proven very successful

Write “Private and Confidential” on the envelope.

It’s as simple as that, but there are two things you need to be aware of

Do not overdo this tactic on the same person; it will lose itseffectiveness.

Secondly the letter MUST follow the steps mentioned in this report. It must have a compelling offer to generate a response.

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Grabbing Massive Attention UsingGimmicks

Gimmicks are tools you use within your sales letter that by their physical nature gain massive attention. There are two general types of gimmicks…

Gimmicks that add bulk to the envelope:

When you receive a letter that contains a three-dimensional object, that in itself arouses your curiosity.

There are literally hundreds of ways to do this. You just need to tie the object into the headline and to the theme of the letter. Here are some proven examples…

Gimmick HeadlineAspirin Packet Name, here’s one way to solve your

biggest headache… another way is togive me a call.

Bag of Nuts Name, if your employees are drivingyou nuts…

Toy Boat Name, this is your last chance to catchthe boat!

Tennis Ball Name, the ball is in your court!

Scratch-It Lottery Name, there are two ways to increaseTicket your wealth – here’s one way…

Improving the way you market is theother!

Eraser Name, imagine if you could quicklyand easily erase your competition fromthe minds of your customers andprospects almost overnight!

Tea Bag Name, sit back and have a nice cup oftea on me.

Large Match Stick Name, this idea is so hot… I’ve got toget it off my chest before I explode!

Socks Name, this idea will knock your socksoff!

Breath Mints Name, this idea will take your breathaway!

I’ve used all of these examples and more to grab people’s attention and rise above the clutter.

Yes, some of them sound ‘cheesy’ but they really do work.

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Summary – Your Own Personal Checklist

Creating a powerful sales letter can be achieved if you follow some proven steps. This checklist will enable you to do that

The more you tick the better chance you have of succeeding

Does your market want or need your product or serviceDoes it have the funds to purchase itAre you talking to the decision makerThe OfferHave you created a compelling offerHave you made it limitedHave you explained the benefits they get from taking you up on the offerFocusAre you absolutely clear what you want to reader to doHeadlineHave you checked out the proven templates in this guideDoes your headline make your readers desperate to know moreThe First Few WordsAre they short and straight to the pointDo they enable an easy transition from the headline to the bodyDeveloping InterestHave you highlighted a problem or shown a comparison so your reader begins to develop real interest in what you have to sayCreating DesireHave you highlighted all the BENEFITS they can get from using your product or service and how they solve the readers concernsAdding CredibilityHave you included social proofHave you created empathy by enabling the reader to see that your satisfied customer had the same issuesHave you shown the specific results your customer achieved from using youHave you added a results based headline to your testimonialsCall to ActionHave you reminded them of all the benefits fo your product or serviceHave you clearly explained what they have to do NOWHave you given them as many ways as possible to contact youGetting The Envelope OpenedHave you done enough to get the envelope noticed among the post the opened

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