A sales letter is a form of business letter that aims to
convince the recipient to buy a product or a service. In other
words, a sales letter is a communication tool that embodies the
sales talk a marketer should do to call prospective customers to
action.
Through the years, businesses all over the world have been
feeling the impact of intense competition. Many companies are
formed every month all across the globe, especially in the
ever-expanding Internet, where it is estimated that a start up
firm is established every hour.
Thus, companies are swooning and are literally battling it all
out to get customers. If a company fails to come up with an
effective marketing strategy, it would be endangered because
competitors would literally strip it off of business.
The rising competition across all industries is ultimately
benefiting the consumers. Because there is an influx of
companies, people can choose which one best suits their needs
and offers the best products at the most reasonable prices.
If a company has a good brand, high quality standards and
novice purposes, it should get to the intended consumers. But
given the very intense competition scene today, it must first
struggle to attract the prospective clients' attention.
It is in this need that the popularity of the sales letter is
becoming inevitably sound. There are lots of tried and tested
marketing and advertising schemes, but still, many companies are
not satisfied with results so they hire personnel to compose and
distribute sales letters.
The purpose of sales letters:
The ultimate sales letter is the one that is attaining its
purpose. And every sales letter has generally a single purpose.
That is: to persuade people to buy a product or a service.
Purposely, sales letters should use the most effective words
and sentences to create a good and lasting impression to the
reader, who is considered a prospective client. Turning that
prospect into reality would not be a hard challenge if the sales
letter would only stick to the basic and necessary elements of
an effective sales letter.
For one, an ultimate sales letter should aim to be direct to
the point. It should directly address the recipient into buying
the product. The letter should not be wordy, but should not be
too bossy, however. Because the letter is convincing people, not
commanding them, politeness should never be neglected.
A good sales letter also observes the proper technical format.
Sales letters are categorized under the business letter group so
it should strive to look like any formal business letter.
However, studies and polls indicate that effective sales letters
do not come with company logos because people would easily be
turned off and opt to neglect the letter if the first thing they
would see is the logo.
Consumer groups and experts assert that effective sales letters
offer readers benefits to a product being offered. There are so
many competing products in the market and almost all of them are
alike in many ways. However, consumers want to know the
advantage of buying one product brand over buying the
competitor.
Good sales letters are also not very wordy. They should be
short and should be completely read within a few seconds or
about one to two minutes. It is assumed that readers are also
busy people who need to attend to other more important things,
so absorbing information from letters should be as quick as
possible.
Distribution of sales letters:
Of course, after crafting a good sales letter, the company's
next concern would be how the letter would reach the intended
readers. There are many ways how letters are dispatched
nowadays. You can still rely on the snail mail, but alternatives
are also equally reliable.
Nowadays, most marketers send sales letters through emails.
That is because people now find direct or snail mail obsolete.
Emails are also easily dispatched, are less costly and could
reach the recipients surely and quickly. It would take seconds
before emails are sent.
Sales letters could also be posted at print ads in newspapers,
brochures and other ad venues. Sales letters dispatched through
these media should be written addressing the general public,
though, the personal element should still be observed.
The ultimate sales letter surely produces ultimate results.
What you reap is what you sow. If you crafted a good and
effective sales letter, then, you would surely get intended
results instantly.
