Any business entrepreneur is engrossed in his product; and understandably so. After all he has put in all his efforts, time and money in building a product which he is now keen to market. Thus, in the sales letter the businessman wants to convey all that this there in his mind, which he thinks would convince his buyer to buy his product. While this may seem right, but is this the way to go about it?
The frank answer to this question is a confirmed NO. Honestly, the customer is least interested how much of effort went in for making that product. All that he is keen to know is ‘what is in it for me’? In marketing language this is called WIIFM. Till such times you can provide a short and convincing answer to this all-important question, you are highly unlikely to make a successful sale.
In a sales letter or an advertisement, the most important aspect is to grab the readers’ attention, for which you have a mere couple of seconds. The biggest mistake which people make in a sales letter is that they start it with a weak headline.
If the headline is incapable of making his head turn, the body copy would be unread and go completely wasted.
One of the biggest attention dousers is when you start your message with ‘me’. Your customers are more interested in hearing about ‘them’ and not ‘me’ which is your story. They want to read about their problems, their challenges, their lifestyle, and their apprehensions and so on. Each and every one of your customer is looking for something which is relevant to them. They are bored to listen to your tale of woe or achievement for that matter.
The way to avoid this mistake is to re-read your sales letter or ad and delete or alter the many ‘me-s’ that are there. Change all words which contain me, I, we, our, etc. Re-write the copy including words and concepts which involve the customer like you, your, and so on.
To achieve success, you have no other way but to surpass competition. There ought to be a unique selling proposition in your product or services, which differentiates your product from the rest in the crowd. Your uniqueness starts with your sales letter and for creating this you do not have to spend a fortune.
The unique selling proposition or USP is something which you should create consciously in your product. This is what which makes your product stand out and get noticed. It could be a lengthier guarantee, better after sales service, unique home delivery, easier accessibility, better location, and so on. The USP gives you that competitive ‘edge’ to succeed in the market.
Some people get confused regarding the quality of a guarantee. A “2-Year, No Questions Asked Guarantee” is much better than a “90-day, Money Back Guarantee.”
Selling is all about creating perceptions. A longer guarantee gives the image of reliability and trustworthiness to your company and your product. Usually no customer makes use of a 2-year guarantee. Honestly, in 2-years time, most customers lose the sales record slip. Be that as it may, when a customer reads ‘2-year guarantee’ in enhances the level of trust in the product.
In all likelihood you would start off as a small fish in a big pond where there is every possibility of being eaten up by the loan sharks. So to make your presence noticeable amongst customers, you must add enough value to your product, so that it stands out in a crowd. So to make a sales letter which completely and satisfactorily answers the WIIFM, is the key to get a kick start with your business.
