The reality is this: no one likes receiving sales letters.

The sales hustle ‘out there’ is now bigger than Ben-Hur and everyone smells a snake oil salesman…or snake oil saleswoman (or snake oil sales-teenager who knows a lot about technology and has a holiday house in Barbados and a bank account in Switzerland).

So you have to be genuine
.

Even though sales letters sent in the post aren’t spam, they can sure feel like it. Our challenge is to by-pass this assumption and make the reader feel like this letter is worthwhile – that it’s enjoyable to read while also solving their problems.

Note: Sending your sales letter to existing clients/subscribers by snail mail, rather than email, is worth considering – purely for the element of surprise. Environmentally conscious? Consider using recycled paper and plant some extra trees.

To come across as genuine your words need to sound human.This means embracing, to a point, a conversational tone and talking from their perspective. But what should you say?

The two big questions:

Like with any promotional material, your sales letter will need to answer these two pivotal questions (asked from the reader's point of view):  


1.    How can you solve my problem?
2.    Why should I choose you? 
(i.e. what makes you different to the next guy?)

Brevity

Your letter needs to do answer the questions above quickly – people are busy, so get to the point (without losing that human touch). The letter should be limited to one page. Which is fine. Don’t give everything away here. There just needs to be enough information to inspire the reader to call you – or at least visit your website (if you have one) for more information.
 

Make it personal

Consider personalising the mail-out – i.e Dear (insert first name)’, so the letter appears less ‘unsolicited’.  ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ can immediately turn the reader off. They feel anonymous. Professional printers are increasingly set up for the personalisation process if you are considering a bulk mail-out.

Time-limited special offers & competitions

Sounds tacky, but – my oh my – they sure work. Consider a discount on services or a free product. These are preferable to free movie tickets or a discount on weekend accommodation somewhere. Why? Because a discount on services or a free product involves the client more actively in what YOU offer. Not what someone else offers.

The great alternative is launching a competition. The prize? Something big and fabulous. If your competition has a question where the answer is hidden in the sales letter, then you are more likely to inspire your client/potential client to actually read the letter and absorb its message.

What do they see first?


This is something that many forget to tend to. The envelope the sales letter is sent in. it's your red carpet to the letter itself. Is the envelope interesting enough for me to want to open it? What colour is the envelope? Is there a message on the envelope that would make me want to open it?
                                               

1. The ‘We're moving, come with us' letter

Scenario: You are moving premises. A letter is needed to persuade current clients to move over from one location to another in order to continue doing business with you.

Think about who is reading this letter. Yes, it is an existing client, but who is the decision-maker? What are they like? Key questions to consider from the reader's perspective:


• What's important to me? What problem of mine do you solve?

• How far are you now from the previous location?
• Is the new location offering more products/services?
• Are you giving me a special offer to lure me over there to try it out?

• How do your competitors irritate/disappoint me?
• Why shouldn’t I shift my patronage to others that are closer to your old location?

• Any recent testimonials from clients who have made the shift and appreciate it?
• Do you have a map to show exactly where you were and where you are now?
• Who's signing the letter? Will I see them when I come to visit?

2. The ‘Please keep using us’ letter

Scenario: 
This letter to written to re-connect with existing clients.

Again, think about who is reading this letter. What words will resonate with the decision-maker? Key questions to consider from the reader's perspective:


• What's important to me? What problem of mine do you solve?
• Is this letter included with an invoice/statement, or on it’s own?

• What’s new with you that will affect/interest me? (in my busy life)

• How do your competitors irritate/disappoint me?
• What deal are you offering for me to spend more money with you? 
(or at least to stay with you)
• Are you offering me a loyalty reward?

• Any recent testimonials from other clients to boost my enthusiasm about you? 



• Who's signing the letter? Will I see them when I come to visit?

3.    The ‘Please let us help you’ letter


Scenario: This letter is written to prospective clients introducing your products/services. It's the cold call letter…brrrr….

The reader may never have heard of you. They certainly haven't used your services. And chances are, the reader is busy so, basically, you have to be like their fairy godmother – appearing out of nowhere to make life a whole lot easier. Here are some key questions to consider:
   

• What's important to me? What problem of mine do you solve?
• Is this letter included with a brochure or on it’s own?
   
• What’s new with what you offer that will affect/interest me (in my busy life)
   
• What are your competitors failing dismally at that you don't?
     
• What special deal are you offering to get me on board?

• Any recent testimonials from big gun clients to boost trust in you?
• What if I want to take advantage of your products/services? What’s the process?

• Who's signing the letter? Will I see them when I come to visit?

Last thoughts…

If you have visuals (e.g. map,  photo of the sender) and incentives (e.g. special offer, competition) consider placing them on the right hand side of the page. Like on websites, the right hand side is the 'power area' for interaction.

End your letter with a call to action – e.g. 'Call us for a free, no obligation quote' followed by the phone number in bold or red or something obvious.

This post was written by Megan Hills. Megan is a writer, cartoonist and marketing consultant who would rather call sales letters 'letters of affection'. Find out more about Megan.

As an Australian, I like to call it 'lift description'. But that's just me. The rest of Australia is following America and calling it an 'Elevator Pitch'.

A lift description…I mean Elevator Pitch…involves imagining that you are in a lift…or elevator. Someone else is in that tiny cabled room with you and they ask "What is it that you do for a living?".

Of course this never happens in real life.

No stranger in a lift is going to turn around and ask you what you do for living. If they do, they would be considered certifiable freaks. We both know that no one sane could be that friendly and interested in another person.

So you have to imagine that a mutual good friend or colleague has just introduced the two of you, ending with the words "You should ask this dude what he/she does for a living". The mutual friend then disappears down a corridor. Meanwhile the lift doors open and the two of you get in.

Huh? 

Okay, an Elevator Pitch is a short description that outlines your business to someone else. You have approximately 15 seconds to talk through that description in order to get your message across in an engaging manner. Sound fun?

What's with the elevator?

It's a handy scenario – but you could be anywhere.  The idea is to grab the interest of the other person quickly before they wander off. 

Four elements to the elevator pitch

Let's imagine that you are a Chinese medicine practitioner who runs his own clinic in a suburb called 'Springfield'. It's a special clinic, with spacious rooms, antique furniture and gentle music playing in the background.

Your clients often describe the clinic a 'sanctuary'. It's a place to relax and heal – away from the hustle and bustle (and away from big buildings with elevators in them, carrying nosey people who want to know what you do for a living).

Here are the four key elements of your pitch:

1. A key emotive word relating to your business
      Example: ‘sanctuary’ 

2. The practical element(s) of your business service
     (product/service/location):
     Example: ‘Chinese medicine clinic’, ‘Springfield’

3. What makes your business special
     Refer to post: What makes you so special, eh?
     Example: “What makes us a little different is that we combine 
     massage and acupuncture with exercise, nutrition and lifestyle advice".

4. What is the benefit generally experienced?
     Example: Great results and “Our clients come out feeling that
     everything is better”

Lift description example:

"Our client often call (business name) Springfield’s health sanctuary.

We’re a little different from many other Chinese Medicine clinics because we are truly holistic. We combine acupuncture with massage and herbal supplements. We also take the time to give diet, exercise and lifestyle advice.

This combination and the level of care creates great health results – and the client leaves feeling better about everything."

Style tips for your lift entrapment experience:

• Make it sound natural, conversational
  Avoid sounding like you have written it out
  and rehearsed it a thousand times
  (even though that's exactly what you've done).
   
• Avoid jargon
  Use words that your pitchee is likely to understand.
  (Do you know what I mean by 'pitchee'?)
   
• Make solid points
  No time for waffle words here. Make 'em count.
  Note: well-chosen emotive words aren't waffle words.
   
• Be benefits-driven
  I've already said this, but it doesn't hurt to say it twice.
  Ensure that you talk about how clients benefit from what you do.

Option: call to action

Say, after your spiel, the other person looks genuinely interested. Give them a reason to get to know you better. No, I don't mean hitting the alarm button in the elevator to play for more time. Instead – thinking of the Chinese Medicine practitioner example – you could say: 

"We give free initial 20 minute consultations to talk about what's going on with your health and how we could help. If you you know anyone who might be interested, here's my card…"

Getting it right 

Try out your pitch on a variety of unsuspecting, one-degree-of-separation people – preferably those who are your target market (i.e. people you see as your ideal clients or customers). Remember, you are not limited to those travelling in elevators. You can pitch away while standing in queues, BBQs, at cocktail parties and – most obviously – business networking functions.  

Milking it

Your Elevator Pitch will be useful for your social marketing profile (if you are that way inclined) and general branding promotion. Branding continuity is not just having your logo appearing on everything. It is also to do with 'core message' continuity.

Your lift description (okay, Elevator Pitch) is damned handy for working out your core message and sending it out into the world. So don't be afraid to milk that baby.

This post was written by Megan Hills.  Megan is a writer, cartoonist and marketing consultant who hates being hurried but acknowledges sometimes it's just the way the cookie crumbles…I mean the way the 'biscuit' crumbles. Find out more about Megan

Remember how in the previous post of What makes you so special, eh? we talked about your 'unique selling proposition (USP)'.

While the term USP doesn't sound all that riveting, identifying what is it for your business is the key to "happiness and success" (in marketing hype terms, that is) or "what is going to work for you" (in my terms).

An example

Let's say that, after assessing your competition, it is clear you are the only locksmith in your area offering a ten year guarantee.  And let's assume that having a ten year guarantee is of great interest to your potential customers – though if there is doubt, market test it (have a gander at: Market testing your promotional concept).

Okay, so that little guarantee nugget could be considered your USP.

How do you introduce that USP into your branding?

• Tagline
  If your business name is Hills Locksmiths, then your tagline (appearing under your business name/logo graphic) could be "Guaranteed security for ten years"  
   
• General 'look and feel' 
  Another approach is to position that official seal (with '10 year guarantee' in the middle of the seal) and popping it on your website banner, on the cover of your brochure, at the side of your business card layout, etc. 

USPs can change 

The marketplace demands change, what is available changes. Your tagline and general 'look and feel' are easier to change with the times than your business name or logo.

If you are feeling really rock-solid about this USP for now and the long term, you could approach it like this:

• Business name
  If you don't yet have a business name then you could look at naming your business Guaranteed Locksmiths.
   
• Logo graphic
  An alternative approach could be having a logo depicting a key with an official seal stamp over it.

Don't be caught false advertising 

Avoid saying "We are the only ones who…." because:

• There might be someone else who does offer this, you just haven't found them yet.
• There might be someone else who does offer this, but they are crap at promoting it.
• As soon as a competitor sees you are "the only ones who…", they might think "Hey, what a great idea!" and start doing it too (you can't control copycats like this).

The fact that you are offering it is special enough. For now.

Wrap up

Whatever you do, ensure that your USP is communicated simply and clearly. Also remember to put your USP into your elevator description. 

Don't know what an elevator description is?

I have been lax, my friend! Let me share that piece of excitement with you in the next post… 

This post was written by Megan Hills.  Megan is a writer, cartoonist and marketing consultant who thinks 'lax' means 'neglectful', not the other definition… Find out more about Megan

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about the VERY CORE of marketing.

Sure, I've gestured towards it…flirted with it even (namely in 3 things people forget about a new business name). But I can't wait any longer. It is now it's time to 'go there'. It is time to talk about your….  

Unique Selling Proposition

God, what an awful, boring term. It's almost as rigor mortis-inspiring as 'corporate image' and 'corporate identity'. It even has a boring acronym: USP.

Okay. It may be hard to believe, but your 'unique selling proposition (USP)' is what makes you really exciting to other people. It is what makes you special.

For remotely effective marketing, it is absolutely vital for you to know – in one line – what your unique selling proposition is. Why? Because if you don't know what makes you special, why should anyone else care?

But nailing your USP can be tricky…

There are two questions to ask yourself:

1. What do you do that's different from everyone else? 
2. Why should I care?

Question # 1: What do you do that is different from everyone else? 

If you say "But I don't care about what anyone else is doing", I say "You're a ning-nong who deserves to fail in business."

Sound harsh? Being spiritual (and loving all of God's creatures) doesn't mean you exist in a bubble. Embrace your environment and understand what's going on around you.

Finding out what makes you different from the rest: 

1. Define what you do as best you can (e.g. plumbing).
2. Define the people you want to do it for (e.g. people in Bondi, Australia).
3. Google those answers (e.g. plumbing, Bondi, Australia) to find out how others like you are promoting themselves (i.e. your competition). 
4. Take notes on the key messages they are promoting
5. What's missing from their sites that you know you do?

It could be a particular service you give.

It could be a particular product you sell.

It could be a guarantee you offer.

It could be that you know everyone in Bondi is groovy-savvy and there are no plumbing websites that look remotely groovy-savvy…and you are pretty groovy-savvy yourself (yes, even plumbers can be groovy-savvy).

Is being a 'groovy-savvy Bondi plumber' enough to serve as a unique selling proposition? Maybe. This leads us to the next question…

Question #2: Why should I care?

People aren't as caring as you think. They don't really care where you were born or what your favourite colour is. These days, chances are, they won't even care if you are a family business.

But it's a good idea to get to know these people personally – even if they don't want to get to know you personally.

Who are these people?

'These people' are called your 'target market'. They are the people you are selling to, your clients or customers. These are your punters – or punters you wish you had. 

How would we describe your punters?

Punter descriptions are often called 'demographics'. Demographics are small boxes we jam complex humans into for the sake of effective marketing.

In other words, sometimes you have to throw the net out and generalise a little. Are your desired punters:

• women, men or transsexual? 
• high income, low income or low income but want to pretend to have a high income?
• tertiary graduates, from the School of Hard Knocks or an interesting combination of the two?   

Okay, you get the picture.

So let's look at some possible demographics / characteristics for Bondi punters in need of plumbing repairs for their homes:

• well-educated women (men are too ashamed to call)
• reasonably high income (the beach might be free but the rest certainly isn't)
• likes groovy things 
• doesn't tolerate mess well (not even sand…)
• can still drive a hard bargain (on anything but shoes and soft furnishings)

What do they care about?

Essentially, most people want to know that:

• you are reliable: fix the problem properly
• you are responsive: fix the problem when they want it fixed
• you are worth it: charging at a price that's fine to them.

So why would a groovy-savvy-looking plumbing website be important to Bondi people?

Well, first you have to ensure they understand you will fix the problem at a price that's fine to them. And that your availability is good – who wants dodgy plumbing for more than a day? And that you clean up after yourself, because they hate mess, remember? 

But maybe all the plumbers advertising in the Bondi area are saying these things.

So THEN, by having the groovy-savvy-looking website you will be saying "AND we are one of you".

Why is saying 'we are one of you' important?

Answer: Trust. Plumbers come into people homes, often when there isn't another man around. A woman wants to know she can trust the plumber. She's already feeling that 'we are alike' trust from your promotional material by the groovy-savvy-looking design. From your words she knows that you won't be ripping her off financially either.

But that's just one example.

The point is…

The point is that your unique selling proposition isn't just a line of words. It can be conveyed in a multitude of ways. But you need to start with that line of words for your own clarity and go from there.

What do I mean "…and go from there"?

In the next post, you will find out how to use your unique selling proposition in your promotional material….

Note: If you know why you are special, then you are more likely to make your clients feel special.

This post was written by Megan Hills.  Megan is a writer, cartoonist and marketing consultant who thinks you're special too. Find out more about Megan

A client recently got in touch about finding a name for a new business.  The staff brainstorm had already happened back at the client's office.  You could have called it a tsunami.  

The client wanted my feedback on their ideas. The staff had obviously gone through every thesaurus on the planet. They had also given their best college try to be fun and creative. 

But my feedback changed everything.

The team had started off well. A pretty thorough job had also been done on analysing how the competition was branding themselves. What seemed to work ‘out there’ and what didn’t.  

One staff member had actually gone to the trouble of writing out the key elements of the business and what makes them different (called a 'USP' – unique selling proposition).  Three key messages had been identified.  All great stuff.  

You would think all the boxes were ticked.  But they weren’t.

Let’s say the client’s business was about recruitment.  The list the staff came up with were generally one-word shots, like ‘connection’, ‘fusion’, ‘empower’, and  ‘dovetail’. 

Each word was a vague gesture towards at least one of the three key messages. I felt sorry for the words.  An awful lot of pressure had been put on them. They needed support. They needed context.

When choosing a new business name it can be helpful to imagine how the name is going to sit in a logo.  And when you do this, consider the following:

Ask: What is your industry?

If you are in recruitment consider having ‘recruitment’ in the name.  There are two good reasons to try this out: 

1. Potential clients will then know immediately what industry you’re in (i.e. how you can help them)

2. You have a nice keyword in your domain name (good for Google searching)

So instead of just ‘dovetail’, see the name as ‘Dovetail Recruitment’.  

Ask: Is it available?

A quick gander on Google and you’ll see that all the business names (connection, fusion, empower and dovetail), along with the word ‘recruitment’, have been taken somewhere in the world.  

Important note:  Don’t just check if you can register it as a business name and if it’s already trademarked.  You need a good website address as well. The hat trick.

If you want to have a global presence, finding a name that is still available can be challenging.  If you want to be more local, then it is generally less of a problem.  

Either way, it is worth going through the process as thoroughly as you can to end up with a name that works.

Ask: What’s your tagline?

Let’s keep with ‘Dovetail Recruitment’ as a business name for now.  It sounds okay and we know what you do.  But what makes you different from other recruitment agencies?

This is where a tagline becomes helpful.  A tagline can really push home what is special about you.  

Perhaps your recruitment business has a special screening process that has a unique, lateral approach to finding the right person for the job.  The process screens candidates for qualities beyond the usual criteria that other agencies use.

What could your tagline be?  Perhaps something like:

Lateral recruitment for better results.

So we’re now looking at:

Dovetail Recruitment
Lateral recruitment for better results

The positives about the line is that it prompts the question ‘What is lateral recruitment?’.  A potential client might call you on the basis of that question.  

To a lesser degree it prompts another question: “better results than who?”.  The imagined answer would be “Better than those silly-moo linear recruiters that you usually hire”.

But the line needs improvement.  Firstly, you don’t need ‘recruitment’ in the tagline when it’s already in the name.  And it might be good to try a more personal approach. After all, this is a ‘people business’.  

So let’s make it:  

Dovetail Recruitment
Your lateral resource for better results

But what if we think (after some market testing) that the term ‘Wide Net’ might be worth introducing?  The word ‘lateral’ is still quite effective…  Do you change the tagline or change the name?  Be bold.  Try changing the name and see how it feels.

Wide Net Recruitment
Your lateral resource for better results

Compare this business branding example to one small brainstorm word: ‘dovetail’. See the difference?

The punch line

I’m not saying ‘Wide Net Recruitment’ is the best name for this particular business.  Or that ‘Your lateral resource for better results’ is the best tagline. The point is, the business and the tagline need to work together for the key message to come through powerfully and succinctly. Combined, they need to say what you do and why you are special.

Test them both on your target market.  Ideally, this means a good swag of people that don’t know you from Adam.  This way you will have a better chance of receiving helpful, objective feedback.

One final tip:

Say the business name.  Don’t just write it. I’ve seen too many names where the potential client would hesitate before attempting to pronounce the darn thing.  

You might think the name is straightforward to pronounce, but always test it. Use a flash card and get strangers to speak it out loud. 

Then, by all means, sing your new business name from the rooftops.

Megan Hills is a writer, marketing consultant and cartoonist - more about Megan