Home Business Tips

How to Write a Powerful Sales Letter

The sales letter is a useful tool of entrepreneurs to generate more sales. But many entrepreneurs don’t use the sales letter because of these two major reasons:

• I’m not good at writing anything
• I’ve done it before and there was no response

Writing is a skill that can be learned. If a person knows how to write a sentence, then he can write a paragraph. An entrepreneur does not need to become the next Tolkien in order to write a sales letter. If he has sent several sales letters and received no response, what the entrepreneur needs to do is to change the way he writes the letter.

Here are some suggestions on how to write a powerful and compelling letter that will generate sales for the home business.

1. 1. Create an outline of the sales letter. It should have three major parts: introduction, body, and conclusion
   • Introduction – State the reason for writing the sales letter. With a lousy introduction, the reader will roll his eyes and crumple the paper. With an attractive introduction, the reader will squint to read more. Write something like: “I have the solution to your problem ….”
   • Body – Explain why the products or services of this home business are not only superior but designed to cater to the particular needs of the reader. If there are several products or several services, describe them briefly. This is where the letter should appeal to the reader. Instead of describing a multivitamin or food supplement, write about an active and healthy lifestyle where the reader can imagine himself achieving success.
   • Conclusion – Summarize the benefits that the client will get when he patronize the products or services. Then, ask the client to take action, such as visiting the office or the website, and calling the telephone numbers provided in the letter
2. Highlight the important parts of the letter using a light-colored pen. An underlined sentence is less attractive than an apple-green highlighted one.
3. Personalize the letter. A reader loses his interest when he realizes that this particular sales letter was sent to several people already. To add a personal touch to the sales letter, include a small handwritten note emphasizing one benefit for the reader. A “P.S.” will also make the sales letter more personal.
4. Place important information such as contact numbers, fax numbers, address of the office, website, and email addresses. The reader should know how to contact the owner of the home business.
5. Show that the subject of the letter is urgent. This means that the reader must do something about it as soon as possible. Urgency can be placed in the letter by stating that only a few units of the product is left or the special discount is for a limited time only.
6. Check the spelling and grammar. The letter may not be formal. It may be written in the way a person speaks, but such is not an excuse for wrong spelling and incorrect grammar. Without the so-called “subject-verb agreement”, the letter loses its credibility.
7. Write from the point of view of the client. The sales letter should answer the basic question of the potential client, “What’s in it for me?”

When the entrepreneur wants to have a powerful sales letter, he should keep all the above suggestions in mind.

Small/Home Business Tips, Marketing & Advertising, Sales Essentials 2006-05-12 Home Business Tips