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Introduction

Welcome…and congratulations.  You’re about to embark on one of the most exciting, interesting, and important missions of a business owner:  the quest for effective sales copy.  It’s a grand quest and one that can last a lifetime.

Don’t be alarmed.  While many people can and do spend their lives perfecting the art-and-science of copywriting, you don’t have to.  In this book, you will find all the information you need to create sales letters, postcards, newspaper advertising, online sales messages, etc. in no time.  It’s a streamlined, step-by-step, process-oriented approach that makes it easy for even the most word-challenged entrepreneur to put together effective sales and marketing messages.

In the first section, you’ll get acquainted, or perhaps re-acquainted with business basics.  You’ll get a quick-course in advertising and marketing fundamentals that will serve as the foundation for our work together. 

Work?  Yes, work.  Writing copy definitely requires some effort, but it isn’t really as difficult as all that.  It doesn’t demand a high IQ, a college degree, or advanced literary skills.  All that’s required is a willingness to learn what works and a commitment to apply what you learn, using a variety of simple-to-use tools and resources. 

The thing to keep in mind is that you can do it.   While creativity in copywriting is certainly important, the truth is that there are standard copywriting techniques that have been developed through the years by marketing experts. 

This guide will show you just how easy it is to mimic what works, by following in the footsteps of the world’s greatest advertisers and marketers. Professionals such as advertising executive David Ogilvy, direct mail expert Drayton Bird, and other copywriters I admire like Michel Fortin, Bob Bly and Carol Bentley.

Needless to say, I wrote this book to help you earn more money in your business. I hope you can put some of these strategies to work and make a success of your sales letters.

Business Basics

Online vs. Offline Selling

What you’ll learn in this book applies to both online and offline selling.  Surprised?  Don’t be.  Contrary to popular belief, traditional advertising is not dead.  Many businesses continue to rely on the powerful impact of hand-delivered mail to sell their products and services.

You may have heard the terms ‘direct marketing’ and ‘direct mail.’  Direct marketing refers to making your sales pitch directly to the end user.  You will find direct marketing in both the online and offline business worlds.  The principles of direct marketing are the basis of this book.  Direct marketing includes:

• Sales letters
• Classified ads
• Display ads
• Magazine ads
• Newspaper ads
• Radio ads
• Television ads
• Postcard inserts
• Inserts in papers
• Card packs
• Yellow Pages ads
• Newsletter reports
• Telemarketing scripts
• Brochures
• Websites
• Banner ads
• Email campaigns

Direct mail, on the other hand, refers to sending a printed copy of an advertising message to a prospect in the post.  It is a subset of direct marketing.  Direct mail is under pressure from online direct marketing techniques, but there is still plenty of profit to be made using both mediums.
 
The Art, Science, and Psychology of Selling

Before we talk psychology, I’d like to take a moment to talk about philosophy…mine…about selling. 

I believe in doing business in an honourable way.  At its heart, I believe that commerce is a two-way street where each party has a need that the other can satisfy.  I believe in offering a good product at a fair price. 

All the tips, tactics, and strategies in this guide are based on the premise that you’re an honest businessperson just like me.  So if you’re looking for ways to trick consumers with selling scams, this is not the book for you. 

That’s my philosophy on selling, and the psychology of selling is closely related to it. 

As someone with a product or service to sell, your first question should be, “Who am I writing to and what do I have to offer them that they can’t get anywhere else?”  That’s the philosophy part. 

The psychology part, the essence of selling, is

“How can I tap into the emotion and logic of a prospect
 to convince him/her to make the purchase?”

Answering that question is what this guide is all about.
     
The Power of Research

As you are no doubt aware, there is often a tremendous gap between what we think is true,  and reality.  Nowhere is this more relevant than in the world of sales and marketing. 

Businesses die by the thousands every year, killed by either ignorant or arrogant owners who are convinced that they know ‘what works.’  Rather than being guided by facts, they’re content to follow their instincts…right into bankruptcy.

The wiser course is to conduct market research.  The goal of your research is to help craft your sales message in a style and tone that speaks directly and intimately to your target audience. 

Hold on.  I know what you’re thinking.  “That’s expensive.”  You’re wrong.  You don’t have to hire a high-priced firm to conduct your market research.  There are lots of free and inexpensive ways to get information on your target audience and your competitors.

Some of the free or cheap ways of conducting market research are:

• Ask your top 50 customers what they think of your products and services on the phone
• Email your double opt-in list of clients with a survey about your products and services – offer them a discount or a free gift for completing it
• Send out a survey with your regular newsletter
• Ask clients for testimonials after each transaction – use negative ones to improve your services
• Start a blog and read customer comments to see what they really want and why

Another source for market research is so obvious that many business people overlook it entirely:  existing advertising.  Companies of every shape and size advertise in magazines, with pay-per-click banners, on billboards, in direct mail packages, etc. Review the ads that address your target audience to get a sense of the tone you should use, as well as the words and phrases that push this markets’ ‘hot buttons.’

That’s it for now, more in a few days…