Chapter 1 - Introduction
(a) All About A Sales Letter
A sales letter is a document intended to generate sales. It influences the reader to place an order, to request for information about a product or service. The basic aim is motivate the reader to take a specific action.
This is a description of a real sales letter.
Results of my R&D
“I'm taking to you to inform you about the really terrific washing machine that I've developed. First of all, I know it's wonderfully terrific because I spent years studying washing machines of all kinds. I then expanded my field of research and Development (R&D) to include all kinds of commercial washing machines, and I came to know about all the possible secrets of what makes dirt come out from the most inconceivable places. Now, TEN YEARS LATER, I'm ready to let you savor the fruits of all my hard work. I've developed the EZ WASHER. I must tell you it will make all other washing machines you have ever seen pale in contrast.”
Do you find anything wrong with this sales letter? Almost everything is wrong.
The headline is all about the writer and does not speak to the customer. Also, it uses some technical terms — "R&D" for research and development. This is an industrial term, which may actually irritate some prospective customers. We have no idea whatsoever what the 10 years of work refers to. Neither are we told about any exceptional features. The writer just generally raves about what great work he has done. The sales letter talks about all what he has done in the last 10 years and not what I will get or at least what I can expect.
Before starting to write a sales letter, you must also try to put yourself in the prospective customer’s shoes. Realize how you treat unwanted letters that you receive. Most of these letters, if not all, go in the bin. In fact, you don’t even bother to open some of them.
(b) Comparison Between Unsolicited Proposals, Brochures
And Sales Letters
Whether you are preparing a brochure, or writing an unsolicited proposal, you can always make it better by realizing the similarities and differences between them.
A brochure is a record of your products and services. They are often produced in a large scale and given incognito. Brochures come in different kinds of shapes and sizes and are more often than not printed in bright colors with lots of graphics in it.
An unsolicited proposal is an article about your products and services. They are usually produced independently and given to someone precise (although it may be to someone you are not too familiar with). They are often in the form of a letter, unless they are large documents, which are bound.
A sales letter is a short proposal and always aims towards making you take some action. Depending on the situation, sales letters may or may not be given to precise individuals and are sometimes sent to people you don't know.
So what's the dissimilarity? It turns out that in reality there is not a lot of difference between them. All of them have to offer information and usually seek to influence. Sometimes, the main intention of a brochure is to provide information. A key differentiator is whether the brochure should aim towards making you take some action. Marketing materials are almost always fashioned to stimulate the reader to do something. It could be to visit their store, make a purchase, visit a website, or maybe just to place a telephone call. If your brochure simply supplies information, you should reconsider it to make sure it is convincing, and consider re-designing it to induce people to take an action.
If do you have a call to action, or something that you are trying to inspire the prospective customer to do, then it may help to imagine your brochure to be an unsolicited proposal. The brochure should be intended to efficiently convince the reader to execute the call to action.
If you are writing a sales letter, you may not comprehend that it's not much different than a brochure asking the reader to take action. Try to focus on the aesthetics of the brochure.
Both brochures and unsolicited proposals are liable to suffer from not having too much information about the reader. The more you are familiar with the reader, the more persuasive you can be. However, brochures and unsolicited proposals are frequently given to people who you are not too familiar with, usually in the anticipation of getting to know them better.
The next time you are creating a brochure, unsolicited proposal, or a sales letter, take the time to think over it as if it was one of the others. Utilize the comparison to enhance the document, but be obvious about your goals and audience.