There are many times when you must write a sales letter that will move the recipient to take action. Here are several techniques to help you produce more powerful letters and results.

Grab The Readers Attention

Begin every letter by grabbing the reader's undivided attention. Just as you write a headline for an ad, your sales letter also needs a headline built into the beginning. You need an irresistible hook. Start with some drama. You can even begin with a famous quote or a piece of trivia.

Chances are, you are not asking the right amount for your product or service. And it is just as likely that you are asking too little, not too much!

The price of your product or service tells your customers what to expect in terms of quality and value before they even buy the item. In most people's minds, low-priced products indicate either a bargain or low quality while a higher price often indicates superior value. For example, people have much higher respect and admiration for the high-priced Ritz Carlton Hotel than they do for a Days Inn or Motel 6. The Ritz has actually used its high price as a specific marketing technique to attract an exclusive clientele.

Many startup entrepreneurs and small business owners I meet often feel compelled to create their own advertisements. They are often operating on a shoestring budget and the cost of outside talent is simply beyond their means at the time.

Now, with improving technology tools, it is becoming a fairly simple process to create your own advertisements using your computer. But that same capability also results in many more ineffective advertisements. Although the technology is easily available, the thought process behind the development of an ad is critical for success. With this in mind, here are some tips to help you do the job well.

Stop thinking about a slogan or tag line for your business. There's a simple tool that works a LOT better. Think about it. Every business has a signature. It's the image your customers and prospects form in their brain when they think of your business. It is much like a travel postcard. On one side is a picture which may be beautiful, desirable, funny, or even silly. On the other side is a short written note from the sender about the picture.

In like manner, YOUR business signature is like one of those postcards. You must share a quick, easy-to-understand, message about what you stand for. It is the mechanism through which your business identifies itself to the target audience and establishes its uniqueness.

It has long been said that success doesn’t lie in WHAT you know, but rather in WHO you know. The WHAT should already be a given fact if you expect to stay in business very long.

Business is about developing relationships. It’s about knowing people who believe in you and your work. People who trust you will recommend you or open doors for you.

Most people prefer to do business with someone they know or who is recommended by someone they trust or respect. Therefore, your allies can make a tremendous difference between a marginal or stunning success.

We all get them. They show up every day. I cringe at almost all of them. However, every now and then I see one that shines brightly. It gets through. It gets a little of my time and consideration.

Over the years I’ve studied those and taken a few notes. I’ve noticed good ideas and bad ideas. This is my synopsis of what I’ve learned. Perhaps my observations will improve your marketing and email messages.

Step 1 – The Subject Line

As in the old days of snail mail, your email will never be opened if it looks like junk. That means nothing is more vital than …

You’ve probably heard about the WIIFM rule in marketing. If it doesn’t ring a bell, you can read about it here.

However, there’s a BIGGER rule that not many people seem to know. It’s the E-CUBED rule.

Whereas the WIIFM rule reminds us that people's purchasing decisions are best reached through their emotions and triggered through images and feelings, the E-CUBED rule takes it one step higher.

Before you can leverage the WIIFM rule, you must utilize the E-CUBED rule.

There was once a party and dating strategy that suggested using traffic light colors to communicate your status. Wear red if you are in a relationship, yellow if you are unsure or in an open relationship, and green if you are single and unattached.

I haven’t heard about that method much anymore, but then I’m happily married and really don’t need to care about it. However, the green, yellow, red way of thinking can be a great way of evaluating prospects and customers. Think of these colors in terms of people’s behavior. Do you want to be closer to them or further away because of their actions? Are their words and action red, yellow or green? How about flipping the equation?

Almost every professional and entrepreneur I meet wishes their marketing could be like a vending machine. Stick the right amount of money into the slot and receive the wonderful goodies which are promised. Unfortunately, marketing doesn’t work that way. It’s more like the stock market.

There are good investments, mediocre ones, and bad ones. It’s just hard to know in advance which investments will work and how well they will work. However, wisdom is knowing when to dump the bad ones and when to invest more into the good ones, based on the economic and market cycles currently at work.

My middle school art teacher was arrested for defacing the license plate on her car. At the time, the license plates for the Canadian province of Alberta were orange letters on a blue background. Apparently, this color combination offended her artistic preferences, so she decided to paint the plate and numbers a different color.

After I read the news report (and after I finished laughing) I remembered that she was a very opinionated person with respect to matters of art and color. I also recalled that she had often chastised students for drawing or painting things that she felt were wrong. Her opinions and preferences mattered more than anyone else.

The recent wave of bad economic and political news is increasingly eroding consumer confidence and buying power, driving people to adjust their behavior in fundamental and perhaps permanent ways.

Such cycles of economic realignment come and go. In my opinion, growth cycles and down cycles perform an important economic function. Growth cycles foster new business opportunities and innovation. Downturns force businesses to becomes efficient and effective, forcing weak operators out of the picture. So, how should a wise business leader respond during a down cycle?

Referrals are the lifeblood of most professionals and service businesses. Yet, it’s something most people struggle with. They don’t know how to make referrals well, and they don’t know how to receive them well.

There’s a simple process to make it easier, however. I developed this approach many decades ago and have taught it to folks around the world. It’s quick, easy, and very effective. Let me share it with you too.

Recognized as one of the top 10 toys of the 20th century, over 300 million Slinkys have been sold worldwide. I enjoyed having one as a child, but discovered an interesting business insight when in my thirties.

By that time, I saw the Slinky as something more than a toy. For me, it came to represent a way of understanding the lessons of history. The business and life lesson I learned from the Slinky has helped me through many decisions that have created difficulty for others. Here it is:

Mother Nature has a very interesting approach to sharing her products and services. As you look at the world, you can see different marketing mindsets and methods being deployed. Entrepreneurs and revenue people can learn much from the environment.

First, consider the trees. Trees live through many seasons and grow to provide shade for those who are under it’s canopy. They were vulnerable when young, but grew to provide life-giving protection to others. Some businesses are like that. They …

President John F. Kennedy did one thing that every business owner should emulate. He created his “Man On The Moon” vision to accelerate America’s space program and give it a clear objective.

He didn’t tell anyone HOW to do it, but he set a clear target of accomplishing it before the end of the decade. Kennedy declared his goal as he stood before Congress on May 25, 1961. Apollo 11 landed successfully on July 20, 1969. What’s the business lesson? It’s that successful transformation is driven by …