Perfect pitch: writing sales materials that sing

Entrepreneur, June, 1996 by Danielle Kennedy

A FEW YEARS AGO, an editor at a large publishing house told me a story about some of her bestselling authors. She claims fans will say just about anything to get their hands on these celebrity writers' latest releases, including "calling my office shortly before the authors' new books are released and saying: 'My father's in the hospital dying. Couldn't you just get the book to me ahead of time so he can read it before he goes?'"

Compelling writing elicits dramatic, action-packed responses like these. That's why top sales stars learn to write sales letters with the flair of bestselling authors. Whether it's a sales letter, brochure, flier or other advertising piece, it's important to become a student of the written word early in the building of your business.

Like anything else, good writing is a skill that must be cultivated over time. Here are a few lessons I learned about writing, culled from my experiences in graduate school, during the course of my career as an entrepreneur, and while writing five books.

* WORDS TO THE WISE

A word connoisseur cultivates a knowledge of language and develops an innate sense of the meaning of words that enables him or her to choose the word that best fits a sentence. For example, starting a sales letter with "I have an urgent request" has much more impact than "Would you be interested in . . . "

Urgent is a compelling word in the context of a sales offering. Your selection of words helps determine how persuasive your writing is and how much impact it will have on your customer--a customer who is inundated daily with dozens of pieces of impersonal mail.

Start developing an extensive vocabulary for your presentations. The goal is not to prove how intelligent you are but to be natural and dear while trying to persuade your prospects. The more precise your written and verbal requests become, the more effective the results you'll achieve.

Precision is the secret to closing more sales. Precision develops as you expand your vocabulary, using the following guidelines:

1. Carry a pocket dictionary in your briefcase or purse. Don't rely solely on the spelling checker and thesaurus on a computer; many of them aren't nearly as extensive as an old reliable Webster's or Funk & Wagnall.

2. Read the opinion section of the daily newspaper. Look up all the words you don't understand.

3. Build a reference library of dictionaries, thesauruses and books about word power. A favorite of mine is Words That Sell by Richard Byron (Caddylak Publishing).

4. Pretend you have to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Go to a bookstore, and buy test preparation books. Study the vocabulary section. Use index cards, and write one word on each; turn the card over, write the definition on the back and study them whenever you have a spare moment. Eventually r your expanded vocabulary will help create a person who has the power to capture and convert more customers.

5. Enroll in a course on writing for sales and advertising at a community college. Even if you have the budget to use an advertising agency, you need a basic knowledge of what pulls a response and what doesn't.

6. Read at least one new book a month. Choose a variety of books such as fiction, nonfiction, self-help, reference materials and poetry. You'll find marvelous ideas and words to trigger your imagination.

7. Use a journal to record ideas that sell. Don't miss the opportunity to write down any brilliant flashes you may have.

8. Start an advertising scrapbook. Collect "zinger" ads from magazines, newspapers, brochures and mailers. Don't discriminate--take ideas from everywhere. The goal is not to copy other people's work but to stimulate your creativity and originality.

9. Use simple words and sentences; they have the most sales impact. An overdressed thought is as distracting as an overdressed person. If, when you called on a customer, you wore a tailored suit with a chartreuse necktie or lots of jewelry, your accessories might be so distracting, they would detract from your message. In words, as in dress, less is often more.

Once you start making the above lessons a matter of habit, you will find composing sales letters much easier. Your new-found awareness of what constitutes effective writing cannot help but influence what you write.

* GET TO THE POINT

Each time you sit down to write, dearly define the purpose of your sales letter, brochure or ad before putting anything on paper. Be able to answer these two questions:

1. What is the purpose of this communication?

2. What compelling words can I use to best get the reader's attention?

Then start writing. Don't stop to evaluate your first draft. People who tell me they can't write well are usually people who stop and think too much. Just get it on paper.

Here's an excerpt from a sales letter with one purpose--to sell a particular product from my line and to prove its value. The letter generated an income of more than $7,000 per month for a six-month period. The letter started out this way: