Sales letters are an inexpensive way to connect with your prospects. You should already have letterheads, envelopes, business cards and a printer, so all you’ll need to shell out for are some stamps. You can’t get much more frugal than that (”cheaper” and “tightwad” just sound bad). You just whip up some poignant prose, drop your letter and card in the envelope, slap a stamp on and voila. Off to the post office you go. How simple is that? Then you sit back and wait for all those prospects to hand you over their juicy projects.

I talk to a lot of designers who do just that. The only problem is, the phone never rings.

What happened? Or, more accurately, what didn’t happen? In most cases, they failed to ask the critical question after reading back their letter – “So, what?” When writing a sales letter, postcard or other promo piece, you need to put yourself in the prospect’s position. Focus on their needs and business. But, many designers are too busy focusing on their business. Bad idea. The prospect doesn’t give a hoot. They’re interested in what’s in it for them.

Always include an offer within your letter. Maybe it could be a free consultation, white paper or report. A web designer might offer a site critique. Give some hard thought to what you can offer that’s of value to your prospect. Don’t forget to extoll the benefits.

Next comes a call to action. That’s simply where you tell the reader what to do next. Usually, it will be to call or email you so you can set up a meeting or provide more information. None the less, also include a stamped reply card or a fax back form. They help boost response rates. Make everything easy for your prospects.

Another important point is understanding the role of your sales letter. With direct response for hard goods, you shoot out your mailing and wait for the orders to come rolling in. Graphic design is a service and things don’t work the same as hard goods. With your letter, you’re not selling your services. That comes down the road. All you’re selling is the appointment. Often, you’re simply selling name recognition to help warm up a follow up phone call. Always, always, always follow up by phone. Did I mention “always?”

A lot of sales letters I see are are short little ditties that say something along the lines of, “I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Joe Schmo Design. We’re a yada, yada, yada … I’ll give you a call in a few days to arrange a meeting.” But the research shows that longer sales letters sell better. So, be sure to address your prospects’ needs and also include the usual background. Don’t forget to include some testimonials and some of your clients. Third party endorsements are always handy. To avoid any readers thinking, “Hmmm … doesn’t seem like this guy understands confidentiality,” make mention that the clients listed gave you permission. And of course, get permission.

Finally, include a secondary offer. These are often a “P.S.” Secondary offers can be a tip sheet, a report, maybe even an e-book. Again, they should be something with real value.

Why a secondary offer, you say? Well, most of the recipients won’t have a current need for what you’re selling or they have a graphic design source. So, you need to wait for something to change. But, your secondary offer might be just the ticket to get them to contact you. You get their info and add them to your contact manager. After a few days, give them a call and ask if your report, tip sheet, etc. was helpful. That helps to keep the dialogue open. When you call, also ask if you can put them on your list to receive other helpful stuff from you. These can be links to articles on the Web and such. You become positioned as a resource for them. Odds are, when project time rolls around, you’ll be on their mind.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt