Effective Copywriting 108 Sales Letter Mistakes

Why Certain Sales Letters Lose Business

 

Any advisor can tell you there are numerous methods to lose a sale even when you are confident of winning it. More often than not, the loophole remains in the sales letter itself. Most sellers drool when clients ask for tenders. After all, it’s exhilarating to have a prospect to demonstrate your stuff, to win him over, and then close the deal. But creating an impressive proposal is not at all easy, and the process will require immense time and energy.

 

Illustrated below are a few of the reasons why a sales letter loses sales and how to avoid it

 

1. Do Not Play the Solitary Steward

Some people conduct rigorous research on the client and the project, thinking that is more than enough. Then they sit to create their proposal in isolation. That is a grave mistake. You cannot simply create a proposal unless the client is an active member in every stage of the proposal process, including research, objectives, potential benefits, scope, approach, and, so on.

 

2. Do Not Start With Your Qualifications

Do not begin your proposal with the magnificent history of your firm. Your clients are interested in what you can actually do for them. Start your lead paragraph focusing on their program and not how great you are.

 

3. Do Not Neglect The Executive Synopsis

Many decision-makers are bothered about basically two objects: the executive summary and the price. Yet, surprisingly, some sellers don’t include executive summaries in their sales letters. Decision-makers rely on the executive summary to make certain you comprehend what they are trying to accomplish. If you omit the executive summary, you can be very sure your letter will be snugly fitted in the waste paper basket.

 

 4. Do Not Focus Only On Your Tools

Clients care about only the outcome, not the tools, methods and approaches you’ll use to reach the result. Do not jabber on about how you want to do this and do that. Tell them what you can do and how soon. The “how” can be discussed later on, once you have managed to bag the project.

 

5. Keep It Short And Sweet

Research shows that, given a choice, clients consider a shorter proposal before they get lost in a long windy sales letter stuffed with graphics and boilerplate. Keep your proposals as concise as possible, but you must ensure that you meet the requirement of your clients.

 

6. Do Not Use The Same Resume

Every situation is in some way different from the other. So you cannot present the same resume to everyone. Prepare different templates. Customize your resume for each client. Let them know what varied experiences you have.

 

7. Do Not Load Your Proposal With Jargon

Most sales letters are full of jargon and technical-sounding words. Such flowery language may be suitable for textbooks, but it usually turns off the client. Try to use simple and informative language.

 

8. Do Not Cut And Paste

To save time, certain companies believe in the cut-and-paste syndrome. And what is the result? The client receives the proposal of one company with the name of address of another, or vice versa. Make sure you go over the sales letter intricately before mailing it to the client or uploading it to your website. Save the embarrassment.

 

9. Be Punctual

Do not try to bluff your clients. If you have missed the deadline to submit the sales proposal, be truthful and ask for an extension. Do not try to give inane excuses.

 

A brilliant proposal can be crucial in being rewarded a project; a poor one can cause you to blow it, even if other things involved in the sales process has gone perfectly. So try to avoid the basic flaws mentioned above.