MONEY

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="045005a0dwnjzk.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Primary Information Services"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>     | </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Primary Information Services</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>MONEY </B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Get More Sales "><U><B>Get More Sales </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wealth "><U><B>Wealth </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Communications "><U><B>Communications </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions"><U><B>Questions</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Price "><U><B>The Price </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Budget "><U><B>Budget </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Target "><U><B>Target </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Badtimes "><U><B>Badtimes </B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HigherSales "><U><B>HigherSales </B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ARTICLES"><U><B>Articles</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> MONEY </div> <div> <B>GETTING PEOPLE TO PART WITH THEIR MONEY, THE OLD-FASHIONED </B></div> <div> <B>WAY. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>by Walter Burek, walterburek.com</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor the rising cost of postage can keep a </div> <div> well-written sales letter from persuading readers to send money directly to its </div> <div> writer or organization. And many of the techniques successful direct mail </div> <div> writers have been using for years work equally well on-line today. Here are ten </div> <div> tried-and-true tips from the snail-mailers.</div> <bR> <div> 1. Have a plan.</div> <div> Writing a sales letter is a lot like writing an ad. And successful advertising </div> <div> starts with clear thinking about what to say -- and to whom. Picture your </div> <div> prospect in your mind -- in terms of age, income, attitudes, and the product </div> <div> she or he uses. Then determine the single most important benefit your product </div> <div> offers. The essence of a good plan is sacrifice -- playing down the lesser </div> <div> benefits to concentrate on the biggest. </div> <bR> <div> 2. Start fast.</div> <div> The first sentence of your letter is the most important. That's when your </div> <div> prospect decides whether your letter is just an other piece of junk mail or </div> <div> something that will make him say, "This sounds interesting. I'd like to know </div> <div> more about it." Involve your reader in your first sentence, or your second </div> <div> sentence may never be read.</div> <bR> <div> 3. The early offer gets the worm.</div> <div> Direct-mail pros work on the coupon first, not the letter. What's the offer? How </div> <div> should it be stated? What are the terms? The offer is what gets the action. So </div> <div> make it clear. Make it direct. And make it early. Because a good offer can </div> <div> outpull any other technique to get your letter started. </div> <bR> <div> 4. Show the benefits</div> <div> Write about benefits, not features. A feature describes a product; a benefit </div> <div> explains what it does for the reader. Remember that people don't want to buy </div> <div> grass seed. They want to buy a beautiful green lawn. </div> <bR> <div> 5. Show some personality.</div> <div> The tone of your letter should be as important as what you say. Write the way </div> <div> you speak, using the language of the reader, so he perceives the sales pitch is </div> <div> coming from a peer rather than an outsider. By using this approach, you </div> <div> receive empathy from the reader by saying, "Look, I'm just like you. I know </div> <div> your problem; I've been through it; I have a solution." Writing peer to peer -- </div> <div> writing as you would speak to a friend -- is the tone you want to cultivate in </div> <div> every letter you write.</div> <bR> <div> 6. Go long.</div> <div> The amateur letter writer assumes that people will not read long letters. All the </div> <div> research tells us otherwise. The fact is that long letters sell better than short </div> <div> ones. If they make an attractive offer. If they get the reader's attention at the </div> <div> top. If they are packed with facts. You are asking your readers to make an </div> <div> investment -- of their time, money, or both. They need to be -- they want to be </div> <div> -- convinced that what you're selling is worth it. And that takes plenty of </div> <div> information. So the more you tell, the more you'll sell.</div> <bR> <div> 7. Be short.</div> <div> Research also shows that people won't read long letters that look hard to </div> <div> read, with long, black, solid blocks of text. Better to use short paragraphs that </div> <div> make your letter look more inviting, and easy to get through. </div> <bR> <div> Use simple words and use jargon sparingly. Write in crisp, short, snappy </div> <div> sentences. Even sentence fragments. </div> <bR> <div> When you're writing a sales letter, you're trying to communicate with your </div> <div> readers, not impress them with your grasp of the American language. </div> <div> Remember, you're writing to sell, not impress.</div> <bR> <div> 8. Be free.</div> <div> Give something away. A free trial, free shipping, even free literature you may </div> <div> have printed for another purpose. It has been proven, time and again, that </div> <div> adding something free adds tremendously to the power of the sales letter.</div> <bR> <div> 9. Don't let 'em get away.</div> <div> Follow the advice in the previous eight tips and you'll find yourself writing </div> <div> letters that will capture the interest of your readers. But you can't just let them </div> <div> nod in agreement, and do nothing. After all, it's human nature for most </div> <div> people to procrastinate. You can't let them off the hook. The successful letter </div> <div> writer tackles inertia and creates a reason for the prospect to act -- and to act </div> <div> now. Ask her to check a preference, mark a calendar, or answer a short quiz. </div> <div> There are probably dozens of other simple devices you can think of. A reader </div> <div> who starts to do something with your message is a good bet to end up being </div> <div> a reader who buys something. </div> <bR> <div> 10. P.S. Don't forget a postscript.</div> <div> A postscript is an opportunity to restate the offer, to create a sense of urgency </div> <div> with a deadline, to offer a special premium or to remind the reader of an </div> <div> important detail. And maybe the best reason for using a P.S. is that so many </div> <div> professionals have proven that it works.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Walter is a professional advertising copywriter who writes, edits and publishes </div> <div> "Words @ Work", a FREE bimonthly newsletter of advice and information </div> <div> about writing that works. To view his award-winning portfolio and to subscribe </div> <div> visit <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>www.walterburek.com</U></FONT>. You may also subscribe to via </div> <div> e-mail to:<A HREF="mailto:walter@walterburek.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:walter@walterburek.com"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="mailto:walter@walterburek.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:walter@walterburek.com"><U><U>walter@walterburek.com</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>