Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product?
By Judy Cullins
Posted Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this make sure your ebook, product, or service you offer will keep on selling from the first day, the first year, even for life. Write a short sales letter for each product or ebook.
Whether you have a Web site or not, you can write a first class, must-buy-now sales letter. Write one for each teleclass, eBook, product, or service. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.
If you are like me and have a Web site, it is content driven. Why? Because that's why people come to any site—to get free information. You must also give them a reason to buy. Most home pages say too much about the author or the book instead of intriguing their potential buyers with a benefit-driven headline, which in turns leads them to the benefits of their books--the sales letter.
My first Web site had many fine books and kits in personal growth and book writing and marketing. Sales never went over $200 a month. To correct that, I created a new site and paid special attention to its sales language (without hype) for each teleclass, eBook, and book coaching opportunities to suit each income and need. Sales were $75 the first month, and in four months they reached $2265. The next year they went around $3000 a month.
What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits
You can write each sales letter in less than four hours the first time. As you practice, you can write them in two hours.
1. Start the Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.
Include these headlines throughout your sales letter. "Want a quick and easy way to quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?
If you answered, "yes" to yourself, the headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said "No, I don't believe this, " but I'm curious where this is going," the headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your product[']s benefits and features, some fine testimonials, and finally to click "buy now" which takes them to the order page.
2. List the Top Five Benefits of your Product or Service in bullet form.
To define your top benefits start with a list of problems your client or customer wants solutions for. Each specific problem you answer can be labeled a benefit. If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales copy dribbles away and doesn't meet its target. Keep redefining your audience and know as much about them as you can.
Remember that one benefit is the top undeniable benefit—usually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits from Web sales, better relationships, and health.
If you have more than five benefits collected in a list, sprinkle the rest throughout your copy. How will your book make someone's life easier, richer in time or money, help their personal growth, provide additional income, entertain them? How will your product or service make them a better business person, more attractive, feel better, avoid catastrophe, sickness, or surgery?
3. Address your Potential Buyer's Resistances.
Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW so they will emotionally connect with your solutions (the product or service). Let's say they want to write an eBook or print book to make themselves the "expert," make life-long passive income, or share their unique message.
Many people don't write a book because they doubt it will sell well enough for all the effort, it may not be significant enough, it will take too long, cost too much money, and they really aren't writers. One, by one, your sales letter addresses their concerns and shows these potential buyers how they can become an excellent author and make their books more saleable, while building their profits.
4. Sprinkle Testimonials Throughout your Sales Letter.
Potential buyers who visit your site or another one that sells your products are more pulled to buy when they think other people have already. If other people are happy with your product or service, they will be too.
Include testimonials from experts in your field, celebrities, man/woman on the street, and other people who have profited from your advice. Learn how to approach influential contacts through email friendly notes and requests. Ask them to look at and give their opinion on your table of contents, one chapter, and your back cover or sales letter information
Make it easy to buy. Add a few sample phrases and benefits they can use to save these busy people time. They want to help, but consider it's difficult to create testimonials, or it will take them away from their priorities.
Give as you receive. Give that person something of value. Study their Web site or read their ezine, and send them a short helpful tip or joke.
5. Offer your potential clients three or four chances to buy.
They may have already decided to buy before coming to your sales letter, so offer a "Click Here," "Buy Now" near the top of the letter. Offer more buying opportunities along the way after a list of benefits, what's in this book (features), and testimonials.
6. End your Sales Letter with your 100% Money-Back Guarantee.
When you offer an ironclad guarantee, people see your book as so valuable that you put yourself on the line for it. They will be more likely to buy and be satisfied with their purchase.
"This product comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Read the book cover to cover, and if the strategies don't work for you within 60 days, we'll cheerfully refund your money, and you can keep the product too!"
7. Make your Sales Letter Credible.
To boost sales, authors need to add free bonus reports related to their book. Make sure your free bonus reports do not cost more than the price of your product. Would you believe this offer "order this for $49 now and receive 4 special bonus reports worth $395?"
8. Share the downside of your book to create empathy.
For example, "this ebook won't write the book for you, or even get it published, but it will show you the steps and resources to write compelling copy, finish fully and sell well."
9. Include your expert credentials
"I spent 6 months researching this book and 3 months writing it. My background includes 23 years coaching, presenting 70 writing seminars a year, and 43 published clients since 1999."
Without a sales letter to guide your potential buyers on your Web site, you leave them bored, uninspired, without enough information to make that decision to buy. Your Web site and ezine must entertain, inform, and give enough benefits to convince your readers to order your book.
For all email promotion campaigns, without a short or long sales letter for each product, your unique, useful and inspiring information will not get read, people won't know you as the expert, and you won't make the sales you want.
About the Author
Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at (http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml) and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com
