Copywriting Tips – Are You Selling Too Soon?

When you write your sales letter, are you selling too soon? Does this sound like a strange question considering that you’re writing a sales letter and trying to make a sale? It might to some people, but if you’re used to my articles by now, you probably already know where I am going with this. So sit back and relax and I’m going to explain clearly enough so that it is perfectly understandable.

Let me start by asking a question. When you go into a store to buy something, specifically the kind if store that has sales people, does one walk up to you the minute you walk in and say, “Hey, see this thing? It’s just perfect for you and it’s only $299.95. You really have to have this?” No, of course not. You walk in and somebody walks up to you and says, “Can I help you?” They ask if you need help. They don’t shove things down your throat right off the bat.

So why is it I see these horrible sales letters that, right off the bat, come at you with something like, “My super killer $27” and right below is a buy now button? I mean, for crying out loud, you don’t even know what the guy is selling yet. And you know you’ve seen them…sales pages with buy now buttons after every paragraph. If you ask me, it’s a joke.

When you write a sales letter, you have to start slowly. You need to gain the trust of the person who’s reading the sales letter. You might start with a headline that addresses their problem and offers a solution. Then, in the first paragraph, maybe introduce yourself and tell your story. Hopefully, that story will directly relate to your own experience with the problem and how you came up with a solution. You want to give as much information right at the start so that the prospect can make an informed decision later on.

You then want to present testimonials from other people so that your prospect can see that this solution does in fact work. At no time up to this point do you make a sales pitch. You want to show the prospect the value in what you’re offering. Then, after you’ve given all the info, show them the value of what you’re offering and how little you’re actually charging for it. Only THEN do you make your sales pitch. Yes, I am a firm believer of only one close and one buy now button before the signature and PS. Then, in the PS, you can remind them of the offer and give them one more link to buy.

This technique has worked for me for years. You might want to give it a try sometime.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim