One key to writing a good sales letter is to make it as personal as possible. Another is to create similarity and therefore understanding between the sender and the prospect. Here is a case study for a letter I was recently hired to write.

Personal yet persuasive sales letter drums up business in tough economic times

Client wanted to reach out to his list of real estate colleagues in a personal yet persuasive way. The object of the letter was to inform them of a thriving new business opportunity that would compliment their current real estate businesses. The client wanted to help them increase their income so they would not have to give up real estate in these tough economic times.

The Challenge:

The challenge for this project was writing the letter in my client’s voice and expressing the true concern of my client for his colleagues’ financial welfare. If I strayed from my client’s tone, inflection or choice of words in even one sentence, the prospect would not believe the letter was personal at all but some sort of generic form letter. This would likely mean that the letter – and the offer and the sentiment – would be discarded.

I began by getting as much background information as possible from client. We had a twenty minute discussion during which I took note of the words and phrases he used, so I could use them in the letter. I listened closely to the inflections in his voice, so I could tell what was really important and should definitely be included, and what was less critical and could be left out if necessary.

The result was a letter that read like a personal note from my client to his target audience. The client received many responses. Even those not interested in the opportunity took the time to reply. This indicates that they accepted the letter as a personal note from my client.

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Sales letter writing is an art – and that is what I love most about it. Finding the client’s voice and mixing it with persuasive writing skills is a challenge. But when done right, it produces a professional marketing tool that gets results.

To see the letter described in this case study, please click here.