Direct Mail Sales Letters still remain a viable means of advertising a product in today's electronic world. The biggest reason for this is that email sales letters can and often are shunted off easily with the development of simple spam blocker utilities that almost everyone activates to get rid off unwanted email. To be able to deliver your mailed sales letters effectively, here are 10 tips to help you:
Proper Introduction and Post Script - people will often only check two parts of a letter initially before either deciding to read it, or to throw it in the trash bin: the opening statement and the post script. Keep both catchy without sounding like a "positive scripting" addicted sales man. Both should encompass the general message of the entire letter, letting your potential customer know immediately what you're there to talk about.
Pay Attention to Layouting - the layout of a letter is the order in which the paragraphs are structured. Be sure to keep everything detailed and organized, because a poorly structured letter will confuse a reader. Confusion will lead to a headache, which will result in your letter heading for the trash bin.
Keep it Short and Simple - a one page letter is best for direct sales. Nobody likes advertisments at all, and that's a fact. The longer they are, the more boring and time wasting they are as far as readers are concerned. People whose interest is caught will at least still take time out to read what you have to say IF they see that it won't take up too much of their precious time.
Avoid Jargon - whether it's using fancy language or "business terms" to make your letter sound more "professional", using jargon is asking for a kick in the pants. All you achieve by using jargon is to come across sounding (or reading) like a con man who's out to impress people with how "smart" he is and how "perfect" his product is.
Always Go For the Bottom Line - don't beat around the bush. Whatever point you're trying to make, just say it plain and simple. Trying to dance around a topic gets people irritated and confused, and we all know where that's going to lead.
Emphasize Benefits - remember that it's all about what your product or service can do for a customer. If you emphasize pointless details like dozens of new features, high tech materials, and endless hours of research that went into the creation of a product, this is what will most likely pass through your reader's mind: I've heard it before. Next...
Communicate Properly - for most people, just keep your tone light and conversational. This may be subject to change though depending on the nature of your reader and the type of product you're offering. Tailor the tone and approach of your letter to suit the type of people it's intended for. Ignoring some of the rules above can be done IF your clients are, for example, high income business men who will be more familiar and comfortable with corporate jargon.
Push for a Lead as Opposed to a Sale - don't push for a sale. The purpose of a business letter is to pique a potential client's interest just enough that they will either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.
Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.
Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if contact info was left vague. They would then go out of their way to track down these salesmen and their "superior" products. Get real guys, people are smarter than that. Vagueness does not lead to curiosity, it leads to you and your product getting labeled as a scam.
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