Sales Letters that Sell!
Sales Letters that Sell!
by
Alex A. Kecskes
The average consumer is inundated with sales pitches. So if
you're selling a product or service to today's ad weary
consumer, if you want your sales letters to get results, you'll
need a step-by-step plan that breaks down the barriers to
buying. A plan that bypasses the head and goes right for the
heart.
If the heart's in it, the brain will follow
Buying anything is largely emotional. Whether it's paper clips
or plain paper copiers, emotions lead the purchase. Facts, specs
and the like are simply used to justify the decision, once made.
Which means that everything about your sales letter, every
sentence, every phrase must appeal to your customer's emotions.
What emotions?
The simple truth is, there are only two emotions that really
motivate people: The promise of gain or the fear of loss--with
the fear of loss being the stronger.
Example: Given the choice of headlines: "Save money in legal
fees." Or "How to keep from being sued." The latter will
probably get a better response.
Supporting the promise of gain and the fear of loss are seven
key emotional hooks or basic human needs. No matter what your
product or service, to be effective, your sales letter must
directly address as many of these basic needs as possible:
* Safety/Security
* Wealth
* Good looks
* Popularity
* Self-satisfaction
* Free time
* Fun/Excitement
Okay, so how do you get them to act?
How do you go from head to heart? What's the copy paradigm?
Imagine you're in a baseball stadium facing an audience in rows
of bleachers. It's the game of the century, ninth inning, bases
loaded. And you've got a bag of peanuts you absolutely must sell
or the boss will fire you on the spot. What would you do to get
their attention? Yell "Peanuts?"
Start with a verbal "2x4"
You've got to hit them over the head with an emotional
motivator. And that means you start with the envelope.
Remember-- gain or loss--it has to be right there on the
outside, in bold. (When was the last time you rushed to open a
plain white envelope?)
Two examples:
Gain-- "We Put a Money-Making Miracle in this Envelope."
Loss-- "Throw This Away and Work Hard for the Rest of Your Life."
So, they've opened the letter and what do they see? A boring
paragraph about your leadership in the industry? Stuffy
sentences about commitment, innovation and dedication?
Whoosh. In the round file it goes.
Back to gain or loss. Again, it's got to be there in a headline
they can't miss. And it must reinforce the headline that
compelled them to rip open that envelope. Both headlines must
dovetail in their message and emotional impact. Example: "Finish
reading this letter and you're halfway to becoming rich."
Next comes the all-important body copy. What to say to leave
them begging for your product. For this we go right into the
consumer's emotions, mining for clues to the perfect selling
pitch.
What's the problem?
A while back, McDonalds was beating the pants off its
competitors. So Burger King hired a big powerhouse ad agency to
gain them market share. They tried everything--analyzing secret
sauces, elaborate contests, toy tie-ins. Nothing worked.
Finally, they sent out questionnaires, did focus groups, and
literally stopped people on the street. And you know what they
discovered? Not what consumers liked, but what they didn't like
about hamburgers. For on thing, the leading hamburger came
practically "factory made" with everything on it. Some folks
liked pickles, others hated onions or mayo. That was "the
problem." The solution was simple: hamburgers made to order,
followed by the now all-too-familiar slogan "Have it Your Way."
The point is, you've got to find and exploit your consumer's
problem. And make your product the hero.
Life without your product--miserable
So, you've succeeded in getting your reader's attention. You've
discovered their "problem." Now it's time to remind them how
many ways that problem affects their lives. If you're selling a
cordless electric lawnmower, you'll want to remind them of all
the headaches of their old gas powered mower. Like running out
of gas, finding the gas can, taking it to the gas station,
driving back with a can full of smelly gas in the car, maybe
spilling gas on the carpet. Once at home, there's the annoyance
of yanking the starter until your arm feels like a wet noodle.
And the fire danger of having a can of gas in the garage with
kids playing near it. The point is, you want to paint a very
troublesome picture of life without your product.
Life with your product--absolute bliss
Now that you've raised your reader's interest by making them
feel the pain of life without your product, it's time to provide
your solution. Here's where you'll briefly introduce yourself
and your product or service. No more running out of gas, no more
smelling gas cans in your new car, no more yanking that starter
cord till your arm falls off. Just flick the switch and you're
ready to mow. Plug it into your electric outlet and it charges
overnight. Your worries are over. You go on and on, hammering
home the fact that your product or service is the perfect
solution. At this point, your reader will probably ask, "Sounds
interesting, but who the heck are you to think you can solve my
problem? I never heard of you."
Credentials time
Here's where you build trust by detailing key facts that build
confidence in you and your company. You could start by listing
some testimonials from satisfied customers. If these come from
people in the industry who your prospect is familiar with, so
much the better. And if you can get photos, phone numbers and so
forth, it will add even more to your credibility. This is also
the time to mention how long you've been in business and any
articles that about your company and/or its products that have
appeared in the local or national media (these can be
particularly valuable, since they come from an impartial
source).
Now that you've assuaged their fears about doing business with a
complete unknown, they'll want to be totally sold about your
product or service. Here's where you go into detail. And this is
the perfect time to do so, because you've established trust.
They won't be thinking about who you are, but what you can do
for them--how you're going to solve their problem.
Detail benefits, not features
A key caveat here. Don't get your reader quagmired in
"Featurespeak." It's easy to do and it's what most unskilled
writers fall victim to. Featurespeak is for your sales team, not
your potential customer. Avoid things like "Our new cordless
electric mower features the X9T Autoflex handle, or the PT600
Zenon Battery. Better to say, "Our new electric mower's handle
easily adjusts to your height for maximum comfort." Or "The
easily rechargeable battery lasts up to 5 years without
replacement." If your product or service has more than three
major benefits, list them in bullet point form to make them
easier to read.
Make them an offer they can't refuse
This is the crucial part of your sales letter. Your offer should
be compelling, irrefutable and urgent. You want your reader to
say, "This is a great offer, I've got nothing to lose but my
problem." Try to combine the big 3 in your offer--irresistible
price, terms, and a free gift. For example, if you're selling a
cordless electric mower, your offer might be a discounted retail
price, low interest rate, and a blade-sharpening tool. Try to
raise the perceived value of your offer by adding on products or
services--for electric mowers, it might be an extended warranty
or safety goggles. Augment this with compelling benefits these
additional products or services will provide.
Assuage with a guarantee
There's a little voice in the back of every customer's head that
whispers, "Buy this and you'll be sorry." So make your offer
bulletproof. Take the risk out of the purchase. Give the
absolute strongest guarantee you can. It tells your reader
you're confident in your product or service. Enough so to back
it up with a strong guarantee. Don't be afraid to make this
final commitment.
Motivate the procrastinators
So they're reading your letter and are pretty convinced that
your company and your product or service can solve their
problem. They want to buy. The mind is willing but the flesh is
weak. Time to bring in our key motivator--fear of loss. One way
to tap into this fear is by convincing your reader that because
this is such a good deal, only a scant few mowers remain. Or
that the extended warranty is being offered only for the next
few days, or for the next 50 customers. Our old
motivator--gain--can be used here as well. Example: "Buy now and
get a $20 gift card--FREE!"
Call to action--KISS
You and your staff know what readers need to do to buy your
product or service, but your readers are inundated with offers
every day. And each offer has a different procedure for buying.
Give them a break and walk them through the order/purchase
process. And KISS (keep it simple stupid). Use simple action
words like "Pick Up the Phone and Call Now!" If your phone
number spells out a catchy slogan or company name, always add
numerical phone numbers. If they need to fill out a form and
mail it, say so. And if possible, use large type on your
form--especially if you're selling to seniors. Be clear on what
they're ordering and for what price.
ABC!
Follow Alec Baldwin's admonition in the movie Glengarry Glen
Ross--"ABC...Always Be Closing." Sprinkle your call to action
throughout your letter. Ask for the order. Then when you give
the call to action at the end of the letter, it won't come as a
surprise, but just another reminder. Better still, if they're
ready to order halfway through your letter, they'll know what to
do.
Postscripts are magic
Nobody reads postscripts, right? Wrong. The P.S. is the third
most read element of a sales letter--after the headline and any
picture captions. The top wordsmiths use several (P.P.S) in
their letters. It's one of the best places to remind readers of
your irresistible offer. But you have to be brief and
compelling, establishing urgency and value, and drawing on your
key motivators of gain and loss.
Drive it home on the order form
The order form is where some of the greatest sales are won or
lost. It's where that little voice in the back of your
customer's head comes alive once again and says, "You'll be
sorry" or "You sure you want to buy this now?" It's what I call
Preemptive Buyer's Remorse." Time to bring in our top gun
persuaders--gain and loss--one last time. Use the same
persuasive arguments as before--only be brief, more compelling
and urgent.
Do you want the steak knives or the El Dorado?
Okay, you've got the prized Glengarry leads. And the formula for
writing a winning sales letter. Start by knowing your prospect's
problem, then drive home key benefits using the emotional
motivators I've described. And don't forget Alec Baldwin's other
maxim, AIDA--Attention. Interest. Decision. Action. Get their
attention, build their interest, convince them it's the right
decision, and finally, urge them to act. Good luck. You've got
26 letters in the English alphabet. How you use them can make
all the difference ...between getting the steak knives or the
Cadillac El Dorado.