Sales
Letters - What is a Sales Letter?
Randy Charach
A sales letter
is a document that is designed with one purpose in mind; to generate sales.
It persuades the reader to take action. That action may be to place an order
now or to request more information, which in turn is designed to convince
the reader to place an order.
The purpose of the sales letter is to influence the reader to take a specific
action. It is not a notice, a brochure, or an announcement; it is an offer.
In order for the letter to be effective it must be specific, it must be delivered
to an audience that is eager to discover the information, it must appeal to
the reader's needs and it must inform and inspire.
Most magicians' printed material and web sites are designed in such a way
as to tell, not sell. This is a mistake. For the most part, it is a waste
of space and a waste of opportunity. Photos, video, and testimonials may complement
the sales letter. Everything else being equal, a magician who provides a powerful
sales letter will get more bookings for higher fees than one who does not.
It is imperative that you thoroughly research and understand the motivations,
desires and problems of your reader. You must walk a mile in their shoes,
dwell into their minds, and fully understand what they want and how you can
help them. You must answer the questions:
=> What can the reader gain by dealing with you?
=> Why should they deal with you over someone else?
=> What is it that you offer that is unique and that they can't get anywhere
else?
You must persuade your reader that he or she must book your show because what
you offer provides more benefits and is more attractive than that of any other
magicians.
A common mistake I often see magicians making, and regular people too, is
to confuse features with benefits. An easy way to understand the difference
between a feature and a benefit is as follows: the benefit is what your show
will accomplish for the buyer; the feature is within the show itself. Comedy
may be a feature of your show; while a benefit to your client could be the
recognition that he or she will receive from her boss for making a great choice
in hiring you.
Here are some more questions to ask when writing your sales letter:
=> Who is it going to?
=> How is it being delivered?
=> Where and when is it being sent?
=> Is it on the web?
For example, a letter that you would send in the mail would likely be essentially
the same as a letter you display on your web site with a few minor changes.
On the web, because the reader will be viewing your information on a computer
screen, which can be harder to read than print on paper, you would use larger
type size and more generous spacing.
Although there are several different variables to consider, most sales letters
will share the same properties. There are many variations in sales letters,
and many general rules. Many successful letters do not fit into any of these
variations and break all the rules. The sales letter will likely become the
crux of most of your marketing efforts. More so than any other tool, you must
test, test, test, and then continue to test.
Following, is a basic formula for you that I often use with excellent results.
This formula is based on an old marketing principle that my father crammed
into my head since I was a little boy:
AIDA
=> Attention
=> Interest
=> Desire
=> Action
Get their attention, create interest, inspire desire, and lead into action.
The sales letter formula is basically AIDA on steroids. Here is your:
===> 10 Step Sales Letter Formula
1. An attention grabbing, powerful, benefit laden headline.
2. A testimonial to create immediate credibility.
3. An illustration of the problem facing the reader to create interest.
4. A series of clearly identifiable benefits to create desire.
5. A clear and logical explanation to support the value of your offer.
6. A stack of bonuses to further entice the reader.
7. A guarantee that removes risks and reinforces your credibility.
8. An immediate call for action to avoid procrastination.
9. An explanation of what the reader will lose if they do not accept this
offer now.
10. Clear instructions as to what to do next.
Follow these ten steps to write your own letter. The general rule about length
of the letter is that it should be as long as necessary to compel the reader
to take action that will benefit them. Testing has shown that a long letter
will outsell a short letter almost every time. This is not permission to bore
them.
The letter will be long because you have found so much information about the
reader that you have a lot to tell them that interests them and you included
all the important elements. A short interesting letter is better than a long
boring letter. A long interesting letter creates revenue.
Randy Charach
Copyright © 2001 Randy Charach and Sharac Productions, Inc. Released to Performers.net.
This article is
an excerpt from Randy's book:
"Secrets of a Millionaire Magician"
Contact
Randy:
E-mail: randy@charach.com
Visit: http://www.millionairemagician.com
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