Writing a Sales Letter to Promote Your Business

Sales letters are the foot-in-the-door your company may need when contacting potential clients or a way to announce a new product or service to existing clients. Here are some tips on writing a sales letter that gets results.

1. Personalize it! Whenever possible, make sure you address the letter to a specific individual within the organization. Nothing says amateur more than “Dear Potential Customer” or “Dear Client”. Let the reader know you’ve done your research and took the time to find out who they are.

2. The opening is the most important part of the letter. Consumers are inundated with direct mail both in their mailboxes and inboxes. Your letter must grab their attention and force them to read on! This isn’t an easy thing to do. Consider opening your sales letter by offering a free product or service, identifying the problem your company can solve, or suck them in with a story. Do your research and find out what potential customers are looking for and play to that need.

3. Tone. Don’t turn people off by speaking over them. Keep it friendly and informal. Sales letters are meant to showcase your company and state the benefits for your clients, not show how smart you are and how many big words you can use. Remember- simple sells.

4. Your middle paragraphs should reinforce your introduction by outlining what you are here to offer and how you can help.

5. End it with a call to action. How can the reader you’ve just captured take the next step? Include your business card, website address, phone number, reply card, or order form with the letter. Make contacting you easy and hassle-free.

6. Enclosures. Depending on your level of familiarity with the client, including a brochure, flyer, or work sample can really pay off. However, in many cases the sales letter alone is enough.

7. When to hire professional help. Sales letters are a daunting task for many business owners, and you may decide it’s not worth the headache to do alone. Numerous professional writing companies offer this service at a reasonable rate considering its potential return on investment. If you’re finding sitting down and writing this letter is overwhelming, it may be time to call in the big guns.