I’m sorry to say it, but the best sales letter I’ve seen in a long time was not written by me, one of my clients, or even anyone in this industry. It came from a woman who is an IT reseller, and she was sending it to my husband. [He is kind of a big deal in Information Technology, although he would not like me saying that to you.]
Here is what I liked about her letter. (I am still seeking her approval to share the whole thing, and hope to have a follow up blog in which I ask her about it and what her results have been.)
1) She was creative. She included a small trash can that had her companies’ logo imprinted on it, suggesting that if you were going to just throw the letter out anyway, she was going to give you a place to throw it. Funny. I like this chick.
2) She was personal. She shared that she had just moved to Chicago from Austin, TX, which allows a connection to form between her and her audience. If they’ve been to Austin, now they have something to chat about. She even named the street she lived on. Her point was that she was accessible. She also shared that she loved her job. Not many people do that.
3) She had a great sense of flow. She bragged about the company and awards it had received, as well as its minority status, but she left that for the end. She also underlined the phrase, “I want to earn your business.” and she even put that text in a different color. Nice touch.
Here’s what I did NOT like about her letter.
- It was too long. ’Nuff said.
- There was no specific call to action. She just said, “If I am worth your time, please call me.”
- The letter actually focused too much on her and not enough on what she can do for her customers.
So here are the takeaways:
Letters work. She got the attention of the decision maker, enough so that he is going to invite her in for a meeting, because even if he does not see a need for her services now, he sees her as a resource and someone that he should know.
She used this letter as one part of an overall plan. [And I presume without even attending our webinar on creating a prospecting plan.] So it’s good to know that she has a grander plan than just dialing for dollars.
As I said, I will try to get permission to show you the whole letter in a subsequent blog, so stay tuned. And, if you’d like to share your stellar sales letters with me, please do. I love to read. (And critique)
Send ’em in to: Kellyquinn1969@yahoo.com.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.