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Any letter written for business purpose is of high importance. A sales letter is of even greater importance because of its ability to compel a potential customer to buy your product or services, if prepared with the right touch. While creating a sales letter there are a number of things we need to keep in mind which we will explore as we move along. We have all read sales emails that drop on our junk boxes and snail mails that we tend to read a couple lines and toss it in the garbage. This is because the letter/email wasn’t exactly prepared with the right person or group in mind and was written poorly. In today’s business world, sales letter seem to have lost its charm. Personally, I think a sales letter is still one of the most important tool a business can use, it’s just a matter of how well you can capture your target markets attention.

Although this post is geared towards writing a sales letter, the same information can also be used towards gaining customers through advertisements and such. In business, the value of a product depends upon customer’s perception and in blogging the value of a post lies on readers perception. I hope you will find this post useful in not only creating a sales letter but also advertisements and gaining new customers. Let’s start.

The Four Pillars of a Sales Letter

I like to call them ” The Four Pillars ” as they are necessary for the construction of a successful sales letter. Without any one of these, a sales letter will fail to achieve its purpose.

• Grab Attention - Most of the times we open a sales letter/email because of the title. The subject of your sales letter should be able grab the reader’s attention. How can I make the reader to at least read this letter before he throws it away? This is the question you are trying to answer at this point of creating a sales letter. It’s purpose is to simply catch your potential customers attention and make him read further.

• Create Interest - Next step is to create interest. This step isn’t about making a sale, it’s about letting the reader know what’s in it for him. If the reader says ” This might be something I want,” you are ready to move along to the next step.

• Build Desire - If the customer is interested in the product/service you wrote about, desire is a natural response. Show the reader how he might be able to make his life simpler with your product or how he can enjoy it. This is when you are ready to make a sale as you have been able to get the readers attention, create interest and build desire.

• Impel Actions - It’s time for the hook. You did an excellent job in portraying how your product might help the reader and he is sold. Now it’s time to sell your product and convert your pitch into a sale. Simply ask for it.

One thing we need to keep in mind while writing a sales letter is that, the above mentioned points in your sales letter all have their own specific purpose. They have to have a set pattern : Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. Think of it like scoring a run in baseball. You can’t run to the fourth base at once, you have to touch the first, second and third base respectively before you can reach the fourth base and the same is true when writing a sales letter.

We all buy what appeals to us. Some are justified by the fact that they are useful and some are just impulsive buys to satisfy a need at that particular moment. If a product isn’t appealing ( in terms of usage or attractiveness ), we tend to make a pass on that particular product. A sales letter is no different. Your sales letter needs to be appealing in order to fulfill its purpose which is to generate sales. Here are a few of the major appeals in a sales letter for you to analyze.

Scare Your Readers

You might be thinking I have lost my mind. How can making your potential customer fear something convert into sales? It doesn’t make sense. Before you stand against me I would like to ask a few questions - Why do most people buy life insurance? Why do parents buy helmets along with roller blades for their kids? Why do smokers ( who want to quit ) buy pills that will help them quit? You know the answer - because they fear. Most people buy life insurance because they fear their family might not have enough financial support if something happens to them; parents buy helmets along with roller blades because they fear their little one might get hurt; and smokers want to quit and buy pills because they all fear.

Here is an example,

Life insurance leaves money for your family if you should die early. Some life insurance plans have savings features. Remember, protecting your dependents (those who count on you for financial support) in case of your death is the main reason for life insurance.

Fear, no matter how unreasonable it might seem, can be one of the major appeals in a sales letter.

Provide Emotional Support

Another way to add appeal about your products and services in your sales letter is by becoming an emotional player. If your sales letter is geared towards bald men ( I am getting there ) wouldn’t you be willing to emphasize how good they would look with hair? Your sales letter in this case would tell your readers that they need to take care of this situation before it gets ugly and that you care.
Here is an example,

When you look good, you usually have more confidence and self esteem. Some men feel differently about themselves when they start to lose their hair. They feel less attractive and less sure of themselves, and less comfortable in social situations.

It’s also been shown that fear of being perceived as vain or difficulty admitting feelings of being bothered by hair loss has caused men not to seek treatment! At the very least, don’t let these types of feelings stop you from trying ROGAINE® or exploring the other options that are available to help you treat your hair loss.

The statement above first plays an emotional game with the reader and then offers a solution by providing them a product that might help them overcome these feelings.

Tickle Their Pride

There is no doubt that we take pride seriously. Using pride as an appeal to make your reader buy your product or service might be a scary one, but it certainly depends on the sales letter writer. If you get a sales letter from a lawn mowing company that says your lawn looks like crap and they can fix it, you will probably take it personally. You will either give them a chance or do it yourself. Either way the problem in hand gets taken care of.

Here is an example,

If you are a quitter you won’t read this letter simply because you have no desire to succeed. But - if you are not - we would like to offer you something that might change your life forever.

The statement above will surely tickle anyone’s pride. The first thing your reader will think is ” who the heck are you calling a quitter?” and then will go on reading. It’s up to the writer and the usability of your product on whether or not it appeals to the reader after that point.

Compare With Competitors Products

We all love comparison. This is one of the reason why we see comparison advertisements on TV most of the time. We have seen the beer ads on TV which tells us why we should try their beer and not their competitors. The same strategy and tactic can be used in sales letter as well. Your prospective clients want the best value for their buck and your letter needs to show facts on how you can provide that. However, since sales letter are usually tossed away before reaching to a point where someone would be willing to look at facts and figures, your sales letter needs to capture the attention and then show these facts so as to create interest. Remember the four pillars of sales letter.

Here is an example,

Wal Mart might give you two apples for the price of one, but can you afford not to try fruits that are freshly picked? Here at ( your business name/ farm name ) fruits are handpicked and always fresh. And before I forget, they are cheaper than what it is at Wal Mart. They can’t say ” Always Low Prices ” now, can they?

This statement stresses the fact that there fruits are much better than Wal Mart and are cheaper as well. It gives the readers a comparison in terms of quality and price.

Increase Probability with a Pull

Even after you are able to gain the readers attention and arouse the desire to buy your product, sometimes it’s hard to compel potential customers to take action. This is when you need a special hook to pull the probabilities of making a sale. Here are some common examples,

• All we ask is 5 minutes of your time. Our sales person will also bring you a very useful gift which is yours to keep whether or not you buy our product.
• To be honest, we want you as a customer, and to prove it, we will allow you a special discount of 25% on any order you place within three weeks.
• To show our appreciation for your order, we will include a useful software for you to keep - free of charge.
• Take advantage of our easy payment plan, no need to send money now.
• Just sign and mail the card attached behind this letter. We will bill you later.
• You have nothing to lose; within 20 days send your payment, or return the goods.
• If you decide to buy our product, as an appreciation we will send you a 25% coupon on your next purchase of $50.00 or more.

Special inducements are helpful when the reader is in a dilemma. When they are dwelling on ” should I ” or ” Shouldn’t I ” these perks can really help pull in the sale.

What do you think? Are sales letter still as important and compelling as they used to be? Or have they lost the charm they once used to have, simply because we started exploring other alternatives? Share your thoughts!