Is Your Sales Letter Too Long Or Just Plain Old Boring?

Interestingly enough the majority of people who ask me whether their sales letter is too long have missed the boat somewhat.

You see, their mind is focused on the length of their sales letter rather than the job the sales letter has to do, and when they do that it is impossible to write in a manner that will convince the reader to take action and buy their product.

No, your main focus when writing a sales letter must be on the job it has to do and that, in a nutshell, is to convince the reader that he or she needs to buy your product.

Pay special attention to the word 'need' here. You must focus upon the emotional need of the reader - this could be nothing more than simple 'one-upmanship' over a neighbour instead of a logical need.

For it is a fact that man..

"Buys based upon emotion and justifies that decision with logic."

Just think about that statement for a second. When was the last time you bought something based purely upon cold hard logic? Probably never right? It was your emotions that directed you toward the purchase and the logic that justified it.

Take a shiny new car as an example. (And by the way, 'shiny new' is a subtle emotional trigger...)

If you were to look at the purpose of a car through the eyes of cold hard logic then there would be very little reason to buy one with all the latest gizmos that are designed to pamper you. (and cost you more)

All a car has to do is get you from A - B safely, dryly and quickly. Given that logical explanation, who has need of a radio, electric windows, self adjusting vibrating seats, automatic distance sensor for reversing and so on?

They don't help you in the primary purpose of getting from A - B do they? No, rather they serve to pamper you at an emotional level.

So going back to your sales letter you need to identify these emotional triggers inside your prospect and write about them in an exciting way that is sure to trigger those emotional needs further.

If this means that you have to write 30 pages of copy to do so then do it!

The more you have to write the better the chances you will have of getting the sale.

However...

Don't just go and write thirty pages of waffle or repetition. You should ensure that your pages are full of emotional excitement and not just page after page of boring old features.

You also need to prove how your product has helped others. Social proof in the form of testimonials from other satisfied customers is a powerful addition to your sales copy. They are usually written in a persuasive, emotional way - after all the writer has bought your product and it has helped him or her - and are often all that needs to be added to your copy to convince your reader to buy.

Going back to the car again...

Here are a couple of features that will do nothing to add excitement to your sales letter:

Auto reversing distance sensor...

It has the latest auto-reversing, distance sensing device.

"So What?" You say, " What use is that to me?"

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Vibrating Seats:

The seats vibrate as you drive.

"Er... Excuse me?" You think, " Why do I need a car that has seats that shake about when I drive? I mean if I drive over a bumpy road I'll get the same effect won't I?"

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Blah, blah, blah... What is this doing for your prospects emotional needs? Nothing! It's just another page full of boring old words, Goodbye!

Now if you change the above sentences to something like...

For the auto reversing sensor:

Save Money On Your Insurance Premiums...

The truth about sky rocketing premiums is out. Major insurance companies have admitted that 60% of all claims for minor bumps on vehicles they insure is due to parking bay mishaps.

"Many people just don't know how big their car is and accidentally bump into another one when manouevering around in busy parking lots..." Quoted an Insurance company spokesperson.

The shocking truth is, Your premiums are being loaded due to others carelesness, but...

Now you need never worry about those fools or how big your car is again, because XYZ model will actually tell you when you are getting too close to another car. This means you have the pleasure of driving and saving on your insurance premiums at the same time.

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For the vibrating seats:

Personal Masseuse, Yours Absolutely Free With Every Car...

Imagine your very own personal masseuse... yours to pamper you as you drive... takes away the stiffness in your back and legs in an instant... You stay fresh and alert whilst you drive and arrive safely at your destination - No other car has massaging seats that will pamper you like a king.

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Don't these two paragraphs create a little more excitement in your mind?

All you have to do when you write your sales letter is keep building more excitement with every word until your prospect suddenly says "Wow! I gotta have one of those!"

It doesn't matter if you have to write 50 pages of copy to create that feeling, as long as you keep the excitement building up your copy won't ever be too long.

Remember that your sales letter has to be exciting and long enough to do it's job otherwise you won't get the sale.

Copyright (c) 2006 Stuart Elliott

Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles about sales letters and copywriting. Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up your Free Copywriting Power Guide.Celia Blog67398
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