As a copywriter myself, I'll like you to believe that copywriting is all there is to making more sales. But that just wouldn't be true. The first thing I look at before I take on a new client is what they are really selling-their primary offer. If I cannot sense the value of this then I decline their project.

Nothing can be more distressing to a copywriter than trying to sell a product that he or she knows is not worth what the business owner may think it is worth. Selling the proverbial ice to Eskimos is an ordeal akin to sitting in a dentist chair for a root canal without Novocain.

It is often said that bad copy can sell a great product but great copy cannot sell a bad product. There is some wisdom in this saying but it's not totally correct.

You see, great copy CAN sell a bad product but the temporary success will eventually backfire. You'll get a ton of refund requests and you can damage the image of your business in the marketplace.

(As a side note, if your refund rate is close to zero percent this means that your product or service is under-priced or your sales message isn't strong enough.)

Second only to great salescopy is the actual OFFER you are making-the value you are offering to the customer in return for their monetary investment. Some products literally sell themselves because you know that they satisfy a genuine need in the marketplace. And there are others that require used-car salesmanship to get them in customer's hands.

An effective offer is made up of essentially five critical elements:

1. A primary product that is new in some respect: the product or service itself, the price or even a version. You may often see companies try to present an old product in a new light by using the terms “new” and then eventually “new and improved”.

2. A bonus for responding to the offer. Some people question the effectiveness of using bonuses but they work. There are customers who will buy the main product just to get the bonuses. Any marketer who thinks that customers will see through this technique and so don't use bonuses is leaving a lot of money on the table.

3. A free gift just for responding to the offer. This is different from the actual bonus itself and is given just for taking the time to even inquire further about the offer. It may be a free report of a pen with your company name but it's given just for showing interest - such as visiting your website.

4. A discount on the price. This is the same as offering a sale but discount that lasts forever is NOT really a sale. What makes the discount special is the limited time it will be available. Some marketers use a script to update the expiration date to be always midnight the next day, but this can erode their credibility. No one likes to know that they were “pushed” into making a buying decision when the same offer is made to ‘late comers'.

5. A time limit or number limit on the offer. People are typically procrastinators and will always want to make the purchase tomorrow. If you place a time limit or quantity limit on your offer you'll see the increase in sales. You will be providing a strong incentive to act now and not later.

Now the BEST offers will have all five of these elements at the same time. You may choose to use most of them but why not get the synergistic effect by using all.

I see so many offers made by businesses that would do so much better if they offered bonuses or set a limit on quantity sold or made some effort to ‘fatten' the offer for the prospect. You can always brainstorm and find a way to increase the perceived value of your product or service and small additions can produce big results.

You may want to take another look at your offer-not just the sales message-to see what may be missing. This may just take your business over the top.