|
|
At the same time, a poorly written sales letter will cause your prospect to lose interest in your product or service, and can easily cost you an account.
Sales letters tend to fall into one of three categories:
Letters of introduction are just that...letters that introduce you to your prospect and let them know what you have the offer. An introduction letter should provide your prospect with the opportunity to call or meet with you to discuss a future business relationship.
Follow-up letters serve to reinforce a point made during previous contact with the prospect.
Cover letters are sent as part of a larger package. They alert the reader about what to look for in that package.
A sales letter should always let the prospect know how your service or product can benefit them. This is very important...afterall, you are selling that service or product, but he/she is buying it, and would like to know what they are getting out of the deal.
A sales letter should always begin with a brief introduction to who you are and what you do. As a business person, you know that the prospect may not always remember who you are, or what you are trying to sell him. You can be pretty sure that he talks to sales personnel all the time.
The body of your letter should contain three or so key points, set apart by bullets. Readers like bullets because it makes the letter easy to read. You benefit immediately pointing your reader in the direction of the important points you want to make.
What result do you want from your letter? Are you looking to get a face-to-face appointment? Are you answering questions raised at a previous meeting? Do you want to make your prospect better informed? Do you need to get a signed contract? You need to close your letter by requesting a specific, quantifiable action. "Please sign and return the enclosed contract by the 26th of June."
Never make a sales letter too long. It's rare that someone is going to read anything past the first page-keep the length to one page. Remember, your prospect is a busy person...and so are you.
You must show the reader that you understand what his company is all about. This is especially important when you are trying to reach a large corporate customer. Briefly talk about their brand, their image, and their needs.
Back up your claims with statistics. This shows that you understand the issues of their business, while demonstrating that your product or service can solve a problem. It also gives your prospect a reason to support your product or service within the company.
Before sending the letter, proof read it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Read over it several times, then have someone else read it over several times. Make sure it is clear and that you are getting your message across.
