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Hub You - 10 Killer Sales Letter Mistakes That Suck Money From Your Business
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The sin is limitations. As soon as you once come up to a man’s limitations, it is all over with him.EmersonMany people wonder about the trends of unethical conduct by today’s leaders. Obviously, some executives and government officials have not upheld the standards of their positions by not stopping the unethical behavior among their peers.If an observer was to review past leaders’ conduct, one would be able to appreciate the ethics involved for 21st century organizations. There are still problems to solve and challenges to discover. As people continue to be hired or elected in order to gain power for the wrong reasons, society will continue to see unethical conduct. However, people must expect high standards from today’s leaders and never compromise their own principles in the process.<
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they
A friend’s daughter asked me the other day what it was that I did for a living.Given that she is 7 years old, my usual answer, “I own and run my own marketing communications agency,” wasn’t cutting it.I could tell by the blank stare I got in return for that answer.Considering my audience, trying again I said, “I help companies market their products and services so they can sell stuff and make money.”Better – she seemed to be considering that.“So how do you do that?” she asks.“I create websites and brochures, I write direct mail packages and newsletters and I help my clients get these things in front of their new customers,” I said.“So that’s all you have to do to get people to buy stuff?” she asked me.“Well, no,” I said. “It’s more than just the brochures and websites and stuff.”“So what do you really have to do then?”
Whether used as sales devices in their own right, to entice lost customers back into the fold, appeal to prospective customers, act as reminders for an unpaid invoice, undo the damage caused by bad publicity...letters are the oil that run the business engine. And every business worth its salt uses sales letters - aka direct response or marketing letters - to appeal to and stimulate a response from customers and prospects. They're like your personal sales-force in print.
Write a good sales letter, and you can win customer loyalty and even make a small fortune. For example, manager of specialist recruitment firm Jessica won three new jobs from three new clients within days of sending out her sales letter campaign.
However, if your sales letters are guilty of any of the following, beware: you could lose out on sales and even lost custom. That's what happened to sole trader George. He spent his entire marketing budget on a sales letter that was sent to 3,000 prospects. It sank: only two enquiries and no sales.
Time to reveal what he and many others got wrong, then...
Mistake # 1: And you are?
Most people fall at the first hurdle, before any pen has been put to paper. They buy
a few mailing lists, get out one of their generic letters ("Hey! It wasn't too bad last
time, right?") and, zap, off it goes to the individuals on that list.
But who exactly is behind that list? What are their fears, wants, hopes, desires..? How old are they? Male or female? What is the common denominator of the people on the list? How can you start to even thing of appealing to their emotions if they have such wide and varying characteristics? Approximately 90% of all businesses don't bother to find answers.
Before you are able to adequately address the specific concerns of your market, you should pinpoint exactly whom you are hoping to reach. Your list is your market, so get to know it inside out.
Mistake # 2: Enter the list
What if the list you have is not an ideal match for your product or service? Perhaps
the most obvious yet common blunders with letter mailings is selecting a wrong or
outdated list.
It's worth bearing in mind that your campaign will only be as good as the mailing list used. And there's absolutely no point in trying to send a beautifully crafted sales letter to the wrong people. You don't have to be a genius to realise that a letter explaining the benefits of pensions will not be a hit with a group of teenagers.
So what makes for the best list? Your own list. Most businesses overlook this biggest source of never-ending profits. Start by collecting emails and other details of visitors to your website, telephone enquirers, and so on.
Mistake # 3: Heads up!
Around 99% of all businesses sending out sales letters omit one crucial element: the
headline. Why is it so important? Because it will be the first thing your reader will
look at. If there's nothing immediate there to stir his or her interest, your letter will
more than likely be ignored.
A good headline demands attention and compels the reader to read the rest of your letter.
Mistake # 4: Ego trip
Believe it or not your prospect doesn't want to know about you and how great you
reckon your company/product/service is. They want to know what's in it for them -
why should they keep reading?
How do you know if there isn't enough focus on the prospect? Grab one of your latest sales letters. How many times do you use the words Our, We, Us or your business/brand name? Now count the number of times you use the words You, Yours, Your.
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they
Lean manufacturing is a business proposal to reduce waste in manufacturing processes. The basic scheme is to reduce the costs methodically, throughout the product and production process, by means of a series of development reviews.Many companies have now added interactive real-time online seminars also called "webinars" to their portfolio of lean training opportunities for organizations worldwide. Webinars cover key topics required for in-house teams working to implement their lean future state plans.Lean advisors conduct sessions interactively, answering questions, giving quizzes, challenging assumptions, and leading group discussions via phone and the Internet, which is advantageous for organizations that work from the comfort and convenience of their own offices.Participants work as groups in a room with computer access, or from their own offices. PowerPoint
However, if your sales letters are guilty of any of the following, beware: you could lose out on sales and even lost custom. That's what happened to sole trader George. He spent his entire marketing budget on a sales letter that was sent to 3,000 prospects. It sank: only two enquiries and no sales.
Time to reveal what he and many others got wrong, then...
Mistake # 1: And you are?
Most people fall at the first hurdle, before any pen has been put to paper. They buy
a few mailing lists, get out one of their generic letters ("Hey! It wasn't too bad last
time, right?") and, zap, off it goes to the individuals on that list.
But who exactly is behind that list? What are their fears, wants, hopes, desires..? How old are they? Male or female? What is the common denominator of the people on the list? How can you start to even thing of appealing to their emotions if they have such wide and varying characteristics? Approximately 90% of all businesses don't bother to find answers.
Before you are able to adequately address the specific concerns of your market, you should pinpoint exactly whom you are hoping to reach. Your list is your market, so get to know it inside out.
Mistake # 2: Enter the list
What if the list you have is not an ideal match for your product or service? Perhaps
the most obvious yet common blunders with letter mailings is selecting a wrong or
outdated list.
It's worth bearing in mind that your campaign will only be as good as the mailing list used. And there's absolutely no point in trying to send a beautifully crafted sales letter to the wrong people. You don't have to be a genius to realise that a letter explaining the benefits of pensions will not be a hit with a group of teenagers.
So what makes for the best list? Your own list. Most businesses overlook this biggest source of never-ending profits. Start by collecting emails and other details of visitors to your website, telephone enquirers, and so on.
Mistake # 3: Heads up!
Around 99% of all businesses sending out sales letters omit one crucial element: the
headline. Why is it so important? Because it will be the first thing your reader will
look at. If there's nothing immediate there to stir his or her interest, your letter will
more than likely be ignored.
A good headline demands attention and compels the reader to read the rest of your letter.
Mistake # 4: Ego trip
Believe it or not your prospect doesn't want to know about you and how great you
reckon your company/product/service is. They want to know what's in it for them -
why should they keep reading?
How do you know if there isn't enough focus on the prospect? Grab one of your latest sales letters. How many times do you use the words Our, We, Us or your business/brand name? Now count the number of times you use the words You, Yours, Your.
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they
There is no question that in recent years energy costs have skyrocketed. And the price of burning fossil fuels is more than just financial: environmentalists the world over continually warn about the dangers of using non-renewable energy sources that pollute the environment when burned, global warming being just one of the major topics frequently discussed.With the cold winter months looming ahead, energy consumers have been looking for new ways to heat their homes that are easily renewed, will not pollute the environment, and will save them money. Enter stove corn, a new source of heat energy that involves burning shelled corn in specially-designed furnaces.To heat a typical Midwestern, 2,000-square-foot home, the heating costs per season will typically be around $880, excluding the initial $2,000 cost of the special stove required for burning stove corn. By comparis
Before you are able to adequately address the specific concerns of your market, you should pinpoint exactly whom you are hoping to reach. Your list is your market, so get to know it inside out.
Mistake # 2: Enter the list
What if the list you have is not an ideal match for your product or service? Perhaps
the most obvious yet common blunders with letter mailings is selecting a wrong or
outdated list.
It's worth bearing in mind that your campaign will only be as good as the mailing list used. And there's absolutely no point in trying to send a beautifully crafted sales letter to the wrong people. You don't have to be a genius to realise that a letter explaining the benefits of pensions will not be a hit with a group of teenagers.
So what makes for the best list? Your own list. Most businesses overlook this biggest source of never-ending profits. Start by collecting emails and other details of visitors to your website, telephone enquirers, and so on.
Mistake # 3: Heads up!
Around 99% of all businesses sending out sales letters omit one crucial element: the
headline. Why is it so important? Because it will be the first thing your reader will
look at. If there's nothing immediate there to stir his or her interest, your letter will
more than likely be ignored.
A good headline demands attention and compels the reader to read the rest of your letter.
Mistake # 4: Ego trip
Believe it or not your prospect doesn't want to know about you and how great you
reckon your company/product/service is. They want to know what's in it for them -
why should they keep reading?
How do you know if there isn't enough focus on the prospect? Grab one of your latest sales letters. How many times do you use the words Our, We, Us or your business/brand name? Now count the number of times you use the words You, Yours, Your.
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they
Many small businesses forget why they are in business; to make a profit. So many times the small business will worry about how they look in the eyes of the landlord or mall that they are in. They spend so much time doing this and place such a high priority on it that they forget about what is best for them.Trust me you can do more for your landlord by making a profit and paying them on time and you can do more advertising to attract customers to the mall. The more traffic your company brings in the more synergy everyone gets. Make money first and that means bringing in customers, that will keep the mall management happy, believe me.So, manage your Service Business for profit and not for the Land Lord? Now then let us look at an example here and case study. A mobile car wash makes a deal with a Regional Mall; Like the Galleria, Mall of America location. The Mobile Car
Mistake # 3: Heads up!
Around 99% of all businesses sending out sales letters omit one crucial element: the
headline. Why is it so important? Because it will be the first thing your reader will
look at. If there's nothing immediate there to stir his or her interest, your letter will
more than likely be ignored.
A good headline demands attention and compels the reader to read the rest of your letter.
Mistake # 4: Ego trip
Believe it or not your prospect doesn't want to know about you and how great you
reckon your company/product/service is. They want to know what's in it for them -
why should they keep reading?
How do you know if there isn't enough focus on the prospect? Grab one of your latest sales letters. How many times do you use the words Our, We, Us or your business/brand name? Now count the number of times you use the words You, Yours, Your.
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they
Juvenile delinquency refers to harmful or illegal acts carried out by adolescence. It is an imperative community issue because adolescence are competent of performing brutal crimes however, humanity must also distinguish that liability for childish behaviour goes past the youth themselves.It could also be defined as violent or non-violent crime committed by persons who are regularly or under the age of eighteen. There is much question about whether or not such a child should be held criminally accountable for his or her actions. There are many diverse inside influences that are supposed to affect the way a child acts both depressingly and optimistically. Additionally, there are reasons why adolescents get into violence and non-violence crimes.Conversely, youth’s crimes are commonly multiplied and exposed because some of the young adults are abused or rather abandoned,
Which scores higher? If it's the former, you've committed one of the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world. Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged 'rule' for writing letters that sell is,
"Stress the benefits, not the features." Aside from technical products, where features
are used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make things
irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and don't even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to know how they will personally benefit from buying your product. What are they getting for the price you're charging? Be sure to focus on your customer and present her with benefits that fit in with her wants and needs.
Mistake # 6: No offers
I get asked by clients why their letter isn't pulling the desired response. One of the
mistakes I see time and time again is that there is no incentive for the reader to
respond. To be successful, your letter should include an appealing offer that would
make it almost impossible for readers NOT to respond. You want them to act now,
don't you?!
Mistake # 7: Out of action
Even if you do offer an incentive to respond, have you clearly explained what they
potential customer should do next? Quite a number of letters go out without a 'call
of action', so the reader never responds. Think about it, if they get to the point
where they think, "Mmm, this looks interesting..." do you think they will go to the
bother of hunting down how to place an order? Not many do, if any.
Mistake # 8: The proof of the pudding...
I never cease to be amazed by how many people don't bother to offer proof that
their company is the one to do business with. Even if you have done a good job so
far and managed to show how and why your product is the best one in the universe,
today's highly skeptical marketplace means that you absolutely have to provide
proof and come across as credible.
Mistake # 9: Risky business
Say you're targeting a couple of thousand prospective customers and you omitted to
mention your guarantee (you DO have one, don't you?), the likelihood is that they
will hesitate to do business with you. The risk might be too great. People need to be
reassured that there will be no strings attached to purchasing your product, so give
them reason to buy with confidence. Offer a guarantee or some other form of risk-
reversal. Research shows that few people actually take up guarantees if the product
or service is good enough.
Mistake # 10: Mind your language
One of the quickest ways to kill any response from your letter is to use weak,
unimaginative and unconvincing language. A lot of letters posted through today's
letterboxes are full of vague phraseology. They lack specifics, authority, creativity
and, worse of all, there's no 'persuasive' copy. Using the right words and solid facts
can dramatically increase your letter's success rate.
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