It’s Not What You Want To Say, But What They Want To Hear!

A new client asked me to write a sales letter. Naturally, I think I’m pretty good at writing sales letters. Heck, my Remington and I have been at it a long time.

But the client rejected three drafts that reflected my best practices when it comes to developing a sales letter that needs to be contained to a single page. (I always prefer more pages, but that’s a story for another day.)

I finally had to stop and dig deeper into his objections to what I was writing.

Ultimately, he said, “Gil, I just don’t think my personality comes through… and this really isn’t explaining all that we do.”

My response was immediate. “Bob,” I said, “It’s not what you want to say that matters, but what they want to hear. They’re not interested in your personality, how many years you’ve been in business, that you cover six states, and so on.

“They’re only interested in what you can do for them TODAY… to help them make more money… to minimize their expenses… to maximize their sales… to eliminate their pain.

“Your personality ultimately will emerge… and will be a bonus to them. But for starters, you need to tell them what they want to hear.”

I went on to explain that a sales letter is a simple communication (or art form) with an equally simple objective. That objective is to create an interaction… an interaction from the person who receives the letter to you.

That interaction could be come in the form of a phone or email or fax… or by them going to your website and providing you with their first name and email address so that you can send them additional information.

How they interact isn’t nearly as important as that they do… and, of course, what you do next.

© 2008 Gil Effron

The Power of "Thank You"

Everyone knows that saying “thank you” is a nice thing to do.

Sure, it’s common courtesy… but it also makes a big and often lasting impression.

Although the salesperson says “thank you” when taking the order, clients and customers like to hear it again.

Personally visiting each of your clients to say “thank you” is tough. You probably can’t afford the time or money to call or visit each one.

But mail, email, and the phone are extremely personal ways to say “thank you.”

Sometimes, you can automate a thank you. The last activity in the order fulfillment process could trigger customer service to send a thank you note. Since the team in the fulfillment department knows exactly what the customer purchased, you could personalize the note by including information such as: We hope you enjoy your new Acme 250.

Always Ready To Say “Thank You”

Or, you could hand write a personal thank you note. Is it time consuming? Yes. But it certainly shows your client how valuable they are to you.

Several very successful business owners I know carry a stack of blank thank you cards with them wherever they go.

The envelopes are preprinted with their return address. The envelopes already have a fancy stamp on them… so they’re ready to mail as soon as the address goes on.

The fold-over insert cards have company logo on the front and their address and contact information on the back.

After writing thank you notes for many years, they know exactly what to say:

• Thanks for lunch…
• Thanks for the information…
• Thanks for taking time from your schedule to meet with me…
• Thanks for the referral…
• Thanks for the tickets…
• Thanks for introducing me to so-and-so…
• And so on

Following a meeting… or a phone call… when they’re watching TV at night, waiting for a train, or waiting for their lunch appointment, out comes the stack of thank you cards and envelopes.
Talk about a simple but highly effective and appreciated program.

And the best part is that the cost of expressing your appreciation is practically nothing compared with the cost incurred when you lose clients or customers and must replace them.

Saying “thank you” is a wonderful way to build a lasting relationship with a client you appreciate… and that would be all of them!

Keep in mind that you really can’t say “thank you” often enough… when it’s sincere. Letters that are addressed “Dear Customers… we want to thank you for your…” are insincere, impersonal, and a waste of time.

You can thank your customers as a group when they’re all sitting in front of you. At that point, the plural “customers” makes sense. At all other times… well, why bother?

So, what else is there to say… other than, “Thanks for reading this report.” We hope it gives you some new ideas.

© 2008 Gil Effron