Writing Sales Letters That Get Your Phone to Ring

It's a known fact that people buy from people they know, like and trust. Most often, they buy from people - not from companies, unless you happen to have a company with a nationally known brand. So, building rapport in a one page sales letter and brochure may be a tall order.

Before you begin the process of writing your sales letter, imagine your ideal customer is sitting before you. Ask yourself these questions, and any others that may feel appropriate.

* Who are they?

* Where do they live?

* What's their income level?

* Where do they shop?

* Where do they work?

* How many children do they have, if any?

It's easier to write a sales letter, if you know who you want to reach. You can then write as if you are having a personal conversation with your target audience. Think about what you want to tell them that will make buying from you the next logical step.

Here are 5 more elements to help you get their attention, build trust, and entice them to buy your product or service.

1. Keep it short and sweet. The letter should be no more than one page. You will rarely find someone who doesn't know you that is willing to read pages of sales copy after a busy day at work. Think about what you want to say and get your message across without wasting space on unnecessary, flowery words.

2. Fun works! Get their attention in the first paragraph by starting off with a humorous or pithy statement. Here are a couple of examples from the famous Marketeer, Dan Kennedy.

"It's April Fools MONTH. And sometimes it seems like the entire federal government, the entire nation, many once-leading companies, even some clients' businesses have all become Ships of Fools wandering about on the high seas absent navigation."

"I hereby strip you of all rights to ever complain about your income or wealth."

I don't know about you, but these statements got my attention!

3. Give them a reason to act now! Offering time sensitive discounts or free offers, with a deadline, will give your potential customers incentive to act now instead of putting off the buying decision until later.

4. Offer a guarantee. It's tough to build trust in a one page sales letter. Offering a guarantee will let your audience know you stand behind your products and/or services, so they will be more inclined to pick-up the phone and call you.

5. Why would they buy from you? Get your competitive advantage across quickly and succinctly. Use bullet points and bold type to help emphasize key selling points. Don't be shy about telling people what you have to offer and how it can benefit them.

Using these five elements in your sales letter will help you get your letter read and the phone ringing.