When creating a sales letter, whether it’s one that you plan to email to people, send as an auto-response when people contact you, or use as a web sales page, there are specific things that you can do to make your letter more impactful. Don’t think of it as a “sales” letter, where you are trying to sell someone something. Instead, think of it as a way of connecting your potential customers with the wonderful product or service that they already want, but just don’t know about yet. People don’t like being sold, but they love being able to buy what they want.

What does your audience want or fear?

Unless you’re a mega-brand such as Coca-Cola, you won’t be trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, you’ll choose a specific audience to write for. Your audience determines your language and style. But more than that, it determines the core offering of your sales letter. That audience will have certain things that they fear, and certain things that they want. By crafting your sales letter to show them how your product or service can prevent or do away with the things they fear, and get them more of the things they want, you’ll be better able to appeal to them.

Find the emotion

People do not respond to the facts and figures about your product or service. Instead, they will respond to the emotion in your sales letter. Tell a good story, with plenty of vivid details, that allows them to imagine themselves benefiting from your product or service. Once you have helped them to experience what it will be like to have the thing they want, or be rid of the thing they fear, they’ll be sold in their hearts. Then, you can offer the facts and figures to allow them to justify to themselves why buying your product or service is the smart thing to do.

Don’t settle for the easy answer

When trying to specify the things that your audience want and fear, don’t settle for the simple answer. For example, if your product can help someone to make more money, don’t tell them that if they want more money, you can help them. Money is not a core need. Instead, figure out what your audience wants the money for. Do they equate money with safety, and being able to provide food and shelter for their family? Do they equate money with the freedom to follow their dreams and do something significant, or freedom to travel the world and experience the full variety of things different cultures can offer? Safety, significance, and variety are all core needs, as are the needs for intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth, to love and be loved, and to give back.

Thanks!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

The Internet Marketing Academy

http://internetmarketingacademy.com

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