Welcome to Part 5 of a series on Writing Effective Sales Letters. If you'd like to review Parts 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the series you can find them here. 

We finished Part 4 of this series talking about asking for the order by writing a strong call to action. In this, the final installment of this series, let's talk about what happens in your business when your sales letter reader wants to "say yes." 

Make it easy 

Even with the strongest call to action you won't maximize your sales if you make it too difficult for your readers to take action. This is true whether you're selling in traditional "brick and mortar" businesses or online. 

How many times have you responded to an advertisement at a retail store only to leave the store without making a purchase? I've had that experience many times. Maybe it's because unadvertised conditions were put on the sale. Or perhaps the store just didn't have enough salespeople or cashiers on hand to handle the volume of customers attracted by the ad. 

Online purchases can be thwarted by clumsy technology and unfriendly user interfaces. 

Make it as easy as possible for your customers to "say yes." Eliminate any unnecessary "hoops" your customers might otherwise have to "jump through" in order to give you their money in exchange for your product or service. Open up additional check out lines. Advertise accurately and truthfully. Stock sufficient product for anticipated demand. Reduce the steps it takes to "check out" online. Disclose all information about shipping charges or policies, sales tax collection, etc. Make your customers' buying experience a pleasure. Make it easy for people to do business with you. 

Summary tips 

1. Write conversationally. Many writing coaches adhere to their preference for writers to use a formal tone when authoring a non-fiction book, for example. That's good advice. But a sales letter must appeal to the reader emotionally as well as logically. You'll have a much better chance of achieving an emotional connection if you write your sales letters in a familiar tone. 

·         Use your customer's name.

·         Write as you speak (more or less). Be natural but avoid slang and uncommon industry jargon.

·         Use transitional phrases and sentence fragments.

·         Generously use “you” and “your” throughout the letter. 

2. Include an attention-grabbing headline. Your headline should describe the problem you'll solve for your reader. It must clearly communicate the value and benefits of your offer. 

Use sub-headlines throughout your sales letter. Taken together they should tell the whole story of your value, your offer and your call to action. This is especially important when writing for your Website or in an email. 

3. Establish credibility early in the letter using case studies, success stories and key benefits of the offering. Build trust by using endorsements and testimonials. Attribute the testimonials with as much detail as your customers will allow. It's much more believable to read a testimonial from a real, identifiable person than from an anonymous source. 

4. Emphasize the “WIIFM” aspect of your offering. It must contain a compelling promise of benefits for your readers. And don't be afraid to repeat the benefits of your offer throughout the letter. 

5. Let the letter flow easily, transitioning smoothly from topic to topic, point to point. Make it easy to read. Write so your offer will be easily understood by anyone who reads it. 

6. Design the letter so it has a professional appearance. Give it visual impact. Let the design of the letter draw your readers in. Make it easy to skim and still convey its message. 

7. Write a clear, compelling and time sensitive offer. Make it worth your prospect's while to take you up on your offer. Give them a reason to do it now. 

8. Include a call to action – with an incentive for prompt action. This is an extension of your offer and should tell your readers what to do next: pick up the phone; plunk down their credit card; take a tour; sign up for a free trial. Don't be afraid to add an incentive to prompt them to "act now." 

9. Make sure you can handle the anticipated response. Missteps at this stage of the process are a sure formula for disgruntled customers. 

10. Test your message. Before sending your sales letter to your whole list, test some differing versions on some small subsets of your list to see which one gets a better response. Change a headline. Try a different layout. Test color against black and white. Vary your body copy. If you're planning a large mailing or emailing, tweaking your message before sending it to your entire list will yield better results when it arrives in your readers' mailboxes or inboxes. Small changes can sometimes make a big difference. 

That wraps up this series on Writing Effective Sales Letters. As usual, mastering this skill is easier said than done. If you need help writing your sales letters, contact me for additional help and resources. 

Ó 2007 Patrick A. Hassett. All rights reserved. 

Pat Hassett draws on more than 30 years experience in sales, sales management and sales support roles across several industries. He stands ready to help you increase your sales, your profitability and your customer loyalty through the use of customer-centric sales methods, high level customer service and customer relationship management tools. To learn more about how SalesNow! can help you, go to www.salesnowonline.com or write to infalesNowOnline.com. 

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