One of the biggest mistakes made by business people is operating with prejudice based on ignorance. In the crucial areas of sales and marketing, this mistake is made most often by neglecting the absolute most effective vehicle for obtaining new customers and reigniting the interest of existing ones. An important mentor of mine, Dan Kennedy calls it “writing your own check”. This vehicle is known commonly as a sales letter.

By definition a sales letter is something in print that is meant to influence someone to buy your product. Without getting caught up in formality, a sales letter just has to work to earn the title of good sales letter. Most businesses never get around to even writing a bad one.

This omission is devastating to the bottom line, or at least what the bottom line could be. To clear it up, there is no one way or format to create a blow them out of the water, panting for more sales letter. So have no fear.

To get started: Go to the nearest library and pick up a pile of magazines from the popular genres. The areas you are most interested in are sports, fitness, health, fashion, and entertainment. Pick a specific category within the genre and then a more general one. In the area of health and fitness, pick up Men’s Health and then more specifically one dealing only with getting bulky through weightlifting. Read through them and focus on the ads.

You’ll know the sales letters because they are usually full or half page, but not always. They frequently offer a free report if you contact them. Very often the focus is on the product or service and there is almost no mention of a company name. Trutfhfully, the big corporation advertisers you see during the final episode of Seinfeld or whatever, don’t have a clue about sales letters or how to use them.

When you find really good sales copy you’ll know it. You’ll know it because it is interesting in that it makes you interested in the thing they are selling. Mark it with page tag and go get two or three of the previous issues of that magazine. If the ad is in there again, it is safe to say that it likely has been a success.

The strategy of the big boys who throw their money around on the expensive ads is mass marketing to a mass market based on branding using singing polar bears and football playing frogs or whatever. It is highly likely that they have no idea of the ultimate effect of the millions spent. That’s fine, they have that luxury in many cases. For the purposes of bringing your product or service to everyday people with choices, you need to bring them benefit and make it real clear up front what that benefit is.

So strategy #2 is have a way of conveying a benefit to your customer that is unique in your market. Right up front you want to answer the question: “Why should I be doing business with you v. my other choices for the same product or service?” Bluntly, what can you do for me , and it better be unique and more beneficial than the what the other guy can do for me.

It is widely documented that a simple USP can have a powerful impact on a business. When Tom Monaghan started Domino’s Pizza, he basically took a fledgling mom and pop and turned it into an empire based on the USP: “Fresh Hot Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or Less, Guaranteed”.

A billion dollar empire ensued. With that USP, and the guts to try to back it up on a mass scale, Domino’s eventually had the big boys racing to catch up.

Strategy #1 was skipped intentionally? So what is it?

It is the headline. The headline is the first thing that captures the reader’s attention. It is vital. How to put together a good headline is a great topic for future discussions.