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The power and magic of a sales letter that really sells.

by: ScottNelson
Total views: 17 | Word Count: 673

Many entrepreneurs don't know what they don';t know about sales and marketing. This often has dire consequences for the bottom line. Good sales copy is an example of something that most business owners know nothing about. Dan Kennedy, aka the Millionaire Maker calls creating great sales copy, "writing your own check".

Basically it is a salesman on paper that keeps working and working without the need for profit sharing or vacation days. There is nothing particularly special or unique about good advertising copy, except that it works. The fact is that most businesses never make use of the power of good advertising copy in any form.

This omission is devastating to the bottom line, or at least what the bottom line could be. To clear it up, there is no one way or format to create a blow them out of the water, panting for more sales letter. So have no fear.

First: Hit the library and go to the magazine area. You want magazines from the categories of sports, fitness, health, fashion and entertainment. From each category, pick a specific title and a more general title. For example, in beauty pick up Cosmopolitan and one of the magazines on hairstyles or something. Browse through them lightly and make note of the ads.

A sales letter aka advertising copy most often offers a free report or gift, (although sometimes you can buy direct) and is advertising for a non major corporate entity. The sad truth is that most of your big operation corporate advertising, like the guys who drop $1,000,000 for 30 seconds during the Oscars or the Super Bowl, don't have the foggiest idea about basic advertising principles and even less about effective sales copy.

How do you find really good sales copy? It finds you actually. It stands out and sucks you in and makes you interested enough to maybe spend money on the product offered.. Mark the page in the magazine and immediately go get a couple of recent back issues. Browse those for the same or similar ad. A repeat means the ad is probably successful. The more back issues it appears in, the better indicator of being successful.

The strategy of the big boys who throw their money around on the expensive ads is mass marketing to a mass market based on branding using singing polar bears and football playing frogs or whatever. It is highly likely that they have no idea of the ultimate effect of the millions spent. That's fine, they have that luxury in many cases. For the purposes of bringing your product or service to everyday people with choices, you need to bring them benefit and make it real clear up front what that benefit is.

So strategy #2 is have a way of conveying a benefit to your customer that is unique in your market. Right up front you want to answer the question: "Why should I be doing business with you v. my other choices for the same product or service?" Bluntly, what can you do for me , and it better be unique and more beneficial than the what the other guy can do for me.

It is widely documented that a simple USP can have a powerful impact on a business. When Tom Monaghan started Domino's Pizza, he basically took a fledgling mom and pop and turned it into an empire based on the USP: "Fresh Hot Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or Less, Guaranteed".

That simple USP frankly brought the big boys to their knees and had them playing catch up.

Strategy #1 was skipped intentionally? So what is it?

Well, the order is backwards in the article because rule #1 is to have a good headline. But learning how to do a sales letter means understanding what one is and that means a commitment to learn. Headlines are a topic for a future article.

About the Author

When you learn the art-and-science of writing powerful direct-response copy for money letters, brochures, and ads, you can literally write any size paycheck you wish. Visit this the Copywriting Clinic for 97 specific tricks-of-the-trade. Good copywriting = more money.

The power and magic of a sales letter that really sells.

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