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copywriting &mastermind marketing system Martin Lee on 14 Mar 2008 02:57 pm

The Immense Power of a Well-Crafted Sales Letter

It has been a while since I wrote the last summary of the Mastermind Marketing System. Time seems to be getting more of a luxury these days.

Perhaps one day, I will have to experiment with a polyphasic sleeping style. 😉

Anyway, this post talks about the use of a direct mail package and writing good sales letters.

No matter what business you are in, whether you are getting new clients or just to keep in touch with existing ones, one of the most critical tools you can use is a well crafted sales letter. There are a few elements to a direct mail package.

The Carrier Envelope

If it doesn’t get opened, the best sales letter in the world won’t do you any good. There are two approaches. One is to make the letter look personal. Another is to go the other extreme end and put teaser copy on the envelope. Test out both approaches and see which one perform better for you.

Your Sales Letter

Your sales letter is your perfect presentor, one who never forgets a point. There is a systematic process in creating one:

  1. Getting the reader’s attention. This might sound obvious, but if you look around, you will find that many do not accomplish this. Say something that is important or critical to your reader’s needs.
  2. Tell the reader why he or she should be interested. Do not assume that the reader knows the reason why. Make the connection for them.
  3. Tell the reader why he should believe what you are saying. Establish credentials and authorative evidence.
  4. Prove your case with examples and case studies.
  5. Itemize or describe all the benefits associated with your product or service.People buy the benefits and the results.
  6. Tell the reader how to respond. This is the call to action. How to do it, what to do and why they must do it now.

This can also be summarised using the AIDA formula:

  1. Grab the reader’s attention.
  2. Deepen their interest by dimensioning it. Telling a story.
  3. Increase their desire through the use of benefits.
  4. Motivate the reader to immediate action.

Another approach is to get your best sales presentor, record their presentation and transcribe it.

Your Brochure

A brochure should never be sent out on its own without a sales letter. It can help to summarise the main benefits listed out in your sales letter.

I will continue with the rest of the direct mail package elements in the next post on the Mastermind Marketing System.

8 Responses to “The Immense Power of a Well-Crafted Sales Letter”

  1. on 14 Mar 2008 at 3:54 pm 1.Andy said …

    Hi Martin,

    I don’t mean to pick bones here but shouldn’t the word “immerse” in the title of this post be “immense” instead?

    Just thought you would appreciate that bit of feedback.

    Andy

  2. on 14 Mar 2008 at 4:07 pm 2.Martin Lee said …

    Hi Andy,

    Mistake on my part. Thanks for pointing that out.

  3. on 14 Mar 2008 at 5:42 pm 3.Des said …

    Once again, a great post. I use a lot of direct mail in marketing my business and find that your sales letter needs to get to the point fast with lots of “what’s in it for me” type statements. I also find that it’s best to run a continuous campaign ongoing. Say once a fortnight or once a month.

    Prospects are so busy, they can sometimes miss your message the 2 or 3 times.

    Des.

  4. on 15 Mar 2008 at 1:10 am 4.Rick said …

    Did you notice the typo in your subject line? “The Immerse Power of…” Thought you might want to fix that since your subject is copy writing. ; )

    Thanks for the info.

  5. on 18 Mar 2008 at 11:12 pm 5.Lily said …

    I like your tips of how to get prospects attention to open the envelope…Many times I found that they just leave it at the first time they receive it.

  6. on 21 Mar 2008 at 3:18 pm 6.JohnB said …

    Hi Martin,

    I’m a fan of Jay, but I sort of disagree with him on sales letters. I know they can still work, but it seems like a form of communication thats in decline (with clutter, distractions, demands on your time, privacy, the backlash against marketing/data explotation…maybe identity theft).

    I throw all sales letters out (unless they’re from Jay or someone I know and respect). I’ve seen all the tricks with the carrier envelope, making it look offical or important or urgent.

    Seems like a tough game that will only get tougher.

  7. on 21 Mar 2008 at 4:11 pm 7.Martin Lee said …

    Hi John,

    Yes, with the clutter around us nowadays, it is extremely hard to capture the prospect’s attention.

    Thus, it is harder to be profitable on a salesletter without some kind of campaign thought out beforehand.

    This includes followup letters and of course, backend products which is where the money really is.

    A better way to go about it is to send mailers only to qualified prospects; people who have raised up their hand and asked for your information.

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