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Ralph Allora is the principal owner of Allora Communications, a consultancy specializingin marketing communication strategy, promotions, and creative services for a wide range ofclients in the media and service industries.

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WINNING SALES LETTERS—FROM PROSPECT TO CLOSE

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Contents

Chapter One

You wouldn't start a business without first hammering out a plan. You wouldn't call a meeting without first establishing an agenda. So why would you sit down at your desk with your fingers hovering over the keyboard if you haven't put a little thought into the structure of your written sales message?

You're probably anxious to get right to the juicier stuff—the hot-button techniques that help to sway opinion and influence action. Before you can truly sculpt your work of art, though, you need to be able to manipulate the raw materials correctly. This chapter will show you how to chip away at the rough form of your message—the starting point for crafting an effective, professional-looking introductory letter.

ORGANIZATION

Preparing to write a sales letter or an e-mail isn't too dissimilar from thinking about how you'll present your oral pitch in a sales call or customer meeting. Just as various types of sales calls have different objectives, so too does the written note, whether it's an introductory letter, a follow-up on a call, or an e-mail addressing a specific objection. What these messages have in common is that they must address four key questions, all of which you should consider before you start typing:

1. What is the problem or challenge faced by my client or prospect?

This can be answered through the same homework you'd undertake for any client call. As stated in the introduction, it's a given that you'll need to do the research on the customer's needs, analyze the competitive set, and read the trade reports.

Examples of some issues that your prospect might be facing include

• Rising costs

• Inferior service from suppliers

• Shrinking market share

• Information overload

• Lack of time

2. What is it about my product, service, or business proposal that helps to solve the problem?

If you're representing a larger organization, this answer usually is found in training materials, the corporate Web site, press releases, and other resources or through discussions with management or coworkers. (You might have to dig a bit—sometimes, unfortunately, the core message is buried.) If you're completely on your own, use your judgment, and bounce ideas off trusted industry colleagues.

Examples of how you can help to solve the problem include

• Provide great value.

• Provide superior service.

• Provide high quality.

• Provide productivity-enhancing technology.

• Provide versatility of use.

3. What do I want the client or prospect to do as a result of reading this message?

This is the call to action. Based on where you are in the selling process, think carefully about the specific action you want the client to take after he or she finishes reading the note.

Examples of a call to action include

• Visit our Web site.

• Read our brochure.

• Make an appointment with us.

• Buy our product/service online.

• Consider our latest offer.

• Try our free demo.

4. What in this message will specifically benefit the client or prospect?

It's one thing to make a claim, but it's quite another to back it up. Focus on something precise or measurable in the letter that will improve the client's quality of life or business prospects.

Examples of specific benefits include

• Incentive that adds value

• Research-tested growth in productivity

• No-risk terms of service

• Proven durability that reduces long-term costs

• Options tailored exclusively to the client's needs

Until you're prepared to identify each of these points, it's nearly impossible to begin writing effectively. So take the time now to sketch out the answers.

Note: Among the preceding questions, you'll find the first three covered in greater detail in this chapter; the final one is covered in Chapter 2.

FORMATTING

You're just about ready to open up a new document and get to work. Let's get the mechanics of printed letters out of the way first. This part isn't about writing per se, but it's no less vital to the image you're conveying.

The rules here are discussed within the framework of a printed letter. For special formatting rules regarding e-mails and text messages, see Chapter 4.

In the body of the letter, use 12-point type. Anything smaller is difficult to read, so don't cheat by dropping to 10-point type if you're trying to cram everything onto a single page. On the other end of the scale, anything that is larger than 12-point type looks awkward.

Paragraphs should be flush left, single-spaced. Some traditionalists like to indent new paragraphs without leaving space after each one, which is the method used in this book. While this works just fine for a denser, long-form work such as a book, it makes a letter tougher to read. For maximum reader-friendliness, keep some air between paragraphs by separating each one with a blank line.

If your letter is particularly short and you want to give the letter more gravity by filling out the page, set the line spacing to 1.5 lines.

In terms of typeface, you might peruse your word processing program's dozens of available fonts and be tempted to get creative with the actual look of the letter. Don't do it. Fancy, artistic typefaces may look great on wedding invitations, but they have no place in a sales letter. You want the letter to be professional and readable. I'm partial to Times New Roman for a classic, refined look or Arial for a clean, modern feel.

OPENING/SALUTATION

For a printed letter, this is the easiest part of all.

• Start with today's date on its own line.

• Add a blank line, and then stack the recipient's name, title, and address.

• Add a blank line, and start your salutation.

• Add another blank line, and start the letter.

• Make the type flush left—no need to indent anything.

With e-mails, you can skip everything before the salutation ("Dear Norma").

Addressing the Reader

When was the last time you shook a client's hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Jones"? The days have long passed since business communication required that kind of stilted formality. In the salutation of your letter, you're almost always at liberty to greet your client by his or her first name regardless of whether you've actually met the person.

One key exception here is if your audience is extremely high-end or powerful, for example, CEOs, celebrities, or ultra-affluent consumers. They are accustomed to other people deferring to them on a regular basis, so your implied familiarity may rub them the wrong way. Maintain the proper distance, and stick to the old-fashioned "Dear Mr. Gates" or "Dear Ms. Winfrey."

Beyond that, you can use your judgment. If you've done enough background on your prospect to know that he or she is the stuffy type or if you perceive that the prospect far outstrips you in experience or stature, then you might want to err on the side of formality, at least in the first letter.

Mass Mailings

The preceding rule on addressing the reader applies even if you're sending out a mass mailing to hundreds of prospects. The...