Writing a sales letter is tough and writing a winning sales letter is even tougher. Many sales managers bang their heads trying to figure out how to get it right. Well, to answer this question, they should put themselves in other people’s shoes and ask, what “benefit “would I receive by reading this sales letter? Remember the word “benefit," which is the crux of this discussion. Many sales people take bits and pieces of information from here and there and create a mess out of a sales letter. They literally throw everything on people and then get what they deserve, instant rejection.



One should always remember that a sales letter works only when you have a product to sell and an offer to make. A sales letter should not be an introduction of your product or company.

Remember every word is important in the sales letter and do not waste a single letter, which would distract your potential customer’s attention. They are not interested in the features of you product, but an offer or benefit to them. Think from the customer’s point of view and ask yourselves why should I read this letter? Is there any benefit or offer to me which cannot be refused? Can you convince me that this is really a good offer?

After keeping these things in mind, sales managers should apply some thought in presenting their letter. The header or the headline is very crucial to any sales letter. It should directly target the customers of your product. One also needs to be tactful in the use of words. But if you’re not especially good at this type of thing, do not attempt to do it and just be simple in writing about it. The headline should not be more than one line, so try to be as specific as possible but with maximum affect. Nobody has time to read each and every letter in this fast paced era of instant satisfaction. If you are not able to convey your message to the audience in stipulated time, then you have lost those customers. The headline should start out with a benefit being offered to the customer. This ensures that the customer will at least go to the body of the letter.

Now, having made a good effort with the heading, it’s the time to work on the body of the letter. How do you maintain the level of enthusiasm that you created in the customer’s mind with the heading? Once again it is important to remember to not to focus on the features of the product you are trying to sell, but on the benefits and offers you are giving to them. Things like, how much money it is going to save them and how it would affect their lives, should be mentioned in the body of the letter. Make them realize the need for it and compare it to another competitor’s product.

Remember, a person reading your sales letter will constantly have questions in their mind as to how this will benefit me, after each and every sentence. So be ready to clear those doubts and answer the questions. Being a little informal in this approach won’t do any harm. Try to grab their attention by relating to real life things. You can add a bit of humor as long you are sure that it won’t be in the bad taste of the reader. Bring in few recently happy clients to give testimony of your products. Keep the testimonials believable and something that people can relate to.

Once you’ve given a clear explanation about the product, do not forget to prompt your audience to take action. If it is an email, prompt your reader to click on a link to act now or provide a contact number, if its direct mail. Also remind them again that if you don’t act now you will forfeit the offer, as the offer is for limited time only.

Once you are done with the letter, one of the most important parts of the sales letter is P.S. Many people simply read the beginning and end of the letter. So, try to convey something that will prompt them to go back to the letter and read it. It will be a perfect end to the sales letter.