How to Write Sales Letters That Sell

sales letters

W riting the perfect sales letter that sells is the Holy Grail for business development professionals . But in practice, it can seem as if there are a million and one reasons why your ideas don’t flow as well on paper as they do in your head.

No, sales letters aren’t dead. In fact, they can have up to 1,300% ROI.

Don’t you want results like that? Then you need to understand how to write a good sales letter. Even in this digital age, a sales letter can convert prospects into customers if you know how to write one.

A sales letter does not have to take a long time to write because people don’t like reading long letters anyway.

A letter with three or four paragraphs is often enough, with some paragraphs consisting only of one sentence. Following a simple formula helps you quickly organize your thoughts and put them down in writing.

You don’t have to be an award-winning copywriter to create effective sales letters.

Important In fact, writing great sales letters is more of a science than an art. Even the pros use proven templates to create sales letters that get results.

How do you write the sales letters that will engage your customers and persuade them to do business with you? Follow these five steps to learn how to write a sales letter that sells!

Grab Their Attention

I n order to write a sales letter that sells, you have to capture your reader’s attention . Headlines can be used in letters to tell readers something they want to know in a bold way that grabs their attention.

Vague and generic headlines don’t tell customers anything.

They are boring and will make them want to throw out your sales letter faster than they opened it. That’s why ultra specific headlines work so well .

Use a bold opening sentence – something that will attract and hold your reader’s interest.

Build on your sentences and paragraphs so the reader is encouraged to continue reading. Every sentence needs to be interesting ; a reader can become bored quickly.

Your introduction should engage the reader right from the get-go.

It might be helpful to tell your customer who you are and why you’re sending the letter. Take a sentence or two to introduce yourself and the product or service that you hope to sell to the customer.

People are self-interested, and interested in what you can do for them.

Involve the reader in the letter by bringing it to life with a steady flow of interesting information. They don’t want to hear the detail of your product or service, they want to know its benefits and end results as they relate to their own needs.

The message should appeal to your target reader to encourage him to continue reading the letter.

For example, if you are selling family cars, you might appeal to the reader’s desire for convenience, space and durability. If you are selling sports cars, you should focus on style and speed.

Important To check if your message will confuse your average prospect, ask someone outside your business to read your primary message without context. If they easily grasp what you do or what you’re trying to communicate, you’re in the clear.

how to write sales letters that sell

Keep Things Simple

M any sales letters are thrown away without being read simply because they appear too complicated. Don’t let this happen to you.

Many business writers tie themselves in knots trying to write ‘properly’.

Important Don’t feel you have to make your letter formal – this can put your reader off. It can make your product or service sound too complex or obscure its benefits through jargon or complicated terms.

Go back to the old, “Keep It Simple Stupid,” philosophy.

Use bullet points instead of long, boring sentences . Bullets also help break up the page visually, which also makes your sales letter more inviting to your customers.

Don’t crowd the message. Don’t word vomit.

Keep things simple and purposeful . Once your prospect reads the sales letter, you only have a few seconds to convince them not to drop it in the recycling bin.

Use short sentences. Compose short paragraphs.

Once you start writing more informally, you’ll notice your sentences will get shorter. People like to have breaks in their reading . If it doesn’t flow smoothly and sound natural, rewrite it.

Make sure your letter flows and tells a story. Every word is a soldier.

A start, beginning and end will encourage your audience to read on. Make sure every sentence – and every word – plays a role. Cut out all the unnecessary words until you’re left with a tightly-worded letter where every word counts.

how to write sales letters that sell

Give Social Proof

A fter you’ve presented all your benefits the reader will again begin to doubt you, even though they secretly want all your claimed benefits to be true. To build your credibility and believability present your reader with testimonials from satisfied customers .

Testimonials can be a great addition to a sales letter for increasing conversion rates.

They make you and your product credible while helping your customers state exactly what it is they like about your product. Use testimonials sparingly and shorten them up.

Important An interesting statistic you may not know is that testimonials impact 67.7% of purchasing decisions. They act as social proof which builds trust with potential customers.

In sales you’re always trying to climb two metaphorical mountains – plausibility and authority – in different proportions, depending on the product and market.

Plausibility means can you convince the reader a solution is possible. Authority means the reader trusts that you have the ability to solve the problem and that you have a monopoly on the solution.

Justify your claims by providing facts and details.

You might mention the awards your product or service has received, the technical features, and statistics. Numbers break up text and attract your reader’s eye . Plus, it’s another way to prove your value.

Eventually, you will assure your readers that they will be satisfied with their purchase.

Offering your reader a “fail-safe” such as a money-back guarantee or a free trial offer are an excellent way of doing this.