This is a stupid question but it has to be asked.
Does your sales letter create as many sales as you would like?
What proportion of them respond to your advert?
What is just as important, how many of those that responded actually purchased your product?
How can you improve the response rate?
How many new email addresses did you capture?
Do you have an 'opt in' strategy so that you can mail them later with more offers without being accused of spamming?
Let us look at the sales letter first.
The headline.
Does it stand out? Does it grab your attention?
Does it shout, "READ ME, READ ME, READ ME".
On the other hand: Does it give a tantalising hint at something
interesting inside. Something of real benefit to the reader.
Does it ask a question that can only be answered by reading the
content of the letter?
The letter itself.
Is it speaking to a group of people? Or is it a one to one
conversation? How many times does it say 'You' compared with the number of
times it says 'Me, We or I'.
Your readers are not interested in you or what a marvellous gadget you are offering. No, they are only interested in
what it can do for them. How much better off they will be if they invest their hard earned cash in your enterprise.
Will it help them to become rich, a better person, happier or better looking, Will it make them more attractive to the opposite sex?
Convince them of just one of these, or similar things and the price will not matter.
It all boils down to "What's in it for me."
The old adage: "Sell the sizzle, not the steak" is as relevant now as it was in the old days of door knocking.
Let's go back to the original sales letter. How good was it in the first instance? Were you happy with the initial response? if so, what went wrong? Has it become stale. Would a makeover put it right? Perhaps it just needs a new headline.
If the click through rate is good, it would appear that the headline is doing it's job.
Should the ratio of purchases to clicks-through be poor I would suggest that the text of the letter is not up to scratch.
The problem may not be in the letter, or the headline. It could be that you are not aiming your advertising at the right people.
Whatever you are selling, a very large percentage of the population will not be interested in it.
You must find those who are the most interested in your particular product.
You would not think of advertising fishing rods in a fashion magazine.
It is amazing how many things are aimed at e-zines and other media that have little or no relevance to the product.
Let us assume that we are advertising in a selection of ezines.
How do we know which ones to use?
The surest way is to sort out some likely ones and subscribe to them. Ask for some back issues. Get a feel for the type of readership.
Would they be likely to be interested in your product?
Or have you another product that would interest them? I have had some of my best product ideas from reading an ezine that had no relevance to what I was selling at the time.
I generally try the cheapest adds first, if I am sure that the readership is right for my product and the cheap ad' pulls even a few sales, I then put a similar ad in the best position in the ezine, knowing that if the small ad' works, the bigger ad will surely make a good profit.
Should the cheap ad' not work, don't give up yet. You can generally get a good idea of what is working by studying the other ad's in the ezine, especially those that appear week after week in more than one ezine. Type out a similar ad' but for your product and see how it goes.
Copy other people's methods but don't copy their adverts. As soon as someone has written something, it immediately becomes their copy write and you would need their permission to reproduce it. (The main exception is if you paid that person to write it for you.) In that case it is best to decide who is the owner of the copy write before you start.
Don't give up. If you have faith in what you are selling, you must find the best methods of advertising it.
Then it is up to you to write the best advert that you can. Always remembering that it is the headline that must capture the reader's attention. Without a good headline, the best advert in the world will be overlooked and just a waste of space, time and money.
I hope I have given you something to think about. In this business your adverts are your shop window. The aim is to get their attention and invite them to come in and take a closer look.
I wish you all the best in your business ventures, remember, You are a very important member of the community. Without the small businesses, the world's economy would collapse over-night.
By for now. Bob.....Robjfar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert has been on line for over four years and earns a very good living from some of the very best affiliate programs on the web. This is one of his favorites. If you are interested in growing your very own opt-in mailing list in the shortest possible time, take a look now.
http://www.bz9.com/robjfar 'It's free.'
Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect... Read More
If you asked me to point to the heart and... Read More
Awhile back you had a great idea. An idea that... Read More
Always give a reason for the sale for credibility. 1.... Read More
I am sure you are familiar with the phrase, "I... Read More
The above quote, "Eighty percent of success is showing up."... Read More
In the work place, the amount of good things that... Read More
A few days ago, I was signing copies of my... Read More
Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isn't... Read More
Any company in today's global economy must eventually face the... Read More
I wonder when we decided to become a sales person.... Read More
In the last decade, the Internet has become a major... Read More
This article is meant to inform. Please don't construe this... Read More
This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More
Selling isn't something you do to people, it's something you... Read More
GIVING Vs "SELLING"Never lose sight of the importance of providing... Read More
If you need to hold a fundraiser and don't know... Read More
The March, 2004, issue of Psychology Today reports on an... Read More
The best of all worlds is to have a product... Read More
Can you close a sale in just seven seconds? If... Read More
Will you do just about anything, including sending out hundreds... Read More
Want to build a relationship -- sell yourself for a... Read More
Would you pay $12,500 to discover the keys to great... Read More
Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that... Read More
1. Mail to your customers more often. If you are... Read More
Sean works for a major telecom company.During one of our... Read More
To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read,... Read More
After our first half-hour telephone coaching session, when asked what... Read More
The fastest way to get a decision made is to... Read More
A key method of our survival in the business and... Read More
Along with having an innovative supply chain, there's another reason... Read More
If you live in England then you will already be... Read More
Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More
The sales letter you can't put down?the advertising copy that... Read More
Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know... Read More
Going into your workday and waiting for things to happen,... Read More
Selling Against Goliath?How to Take on the Big Guys and... Read More
"Which is your best CD?"Ever get that question? My band... Read More
Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice... Read More
In my professional experience as a sales and marketing coach/consultant,... Read More
A mannequin head is a life-size head that includes all... Read More
VOICEThe Image the customer has of the Salesperson is vital.... Read More
A Simple TruthDo you have the right stuff?Are you consistent... Read More
They say if you wait long enough, a style you... Read More
When you are in the business of sales, among the... Read More
Many participants in my programs ask how to deal with... Read More
An important part of your business plan should be to... Read More
Many mannequin manufacturers sell their mannequins in wholesale. This means... Read More
Do you clam up on the telephone? An advertising rep... Read More
Steps - it is unrealistic for most salespeople to expect... Read More
Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed... Read More
Sales is a critical part of any business, including non-profits.... Read More
If you asked me to point to the heart and... Read More
Strategies to help produce your brochure, advertisment or direct mail.... Read More
In the work place, the amount of good things that... Read More
We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't... Read More
When I ask salespeople to define what a gatekeeper is,... Read More
The topic of this issue's article is a response to... Read More
Any company in today's global economy must eventually face the... Read More
I've been training in countries outside the U.S. recently, and... Read More
For two winters I heated my house with an old... Read More
Freebees--Freebees--FreebeesWHY PAY, WHEN "YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE?"There are... Read More
Want to build a relationship -- sell yourself for a... Read More
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More
How much extra money could you make by closing just... Read More
Some of the best sales people I have ever met,... Read More
Sales |