Stop Screwing Up Your Sales Letter

"Sales Letter"... that's your web site's sales page. The page with the carefully written copy designed to convince a visitor that they will benefit from buying what you are selling.

I began direct marketing before the internet and learned the basics of mail order marketing. I am glad to say that many webmaster have adopted the teachings of the old time, direct mail copy writers. They learned the hard way what would sell and what would not.

Mail order means spending thousands of dollars on every mailing. If that mailing doesn't produce sales there is hell to pay. Copywriters learn fast or they were out of work.

No, much of the writing on the internet is good. The problem is most have not learned about basic layout.

Notice how often you see a good sales message delivered in a very small, gray font. It's hard to read even when your nose is almost touching your computer screen.

Many people don't have perfect vision... plus our population is growing older and seeing well can be a challenge for seniors. Why obscure your sales message?

People will not work to understand what you are saying. It's hard enough to capture a visitor's eyeballs with a great headline... don't lose them because they have to strain to read the copy. One click and they're gone!

Use a font like Arial... large and black, so it jumps off the page.

Your page is too wide! Your lines too long!

If your sales letter fills the most screen your sentences will be way to long to read comfortably.

The eye likes to scan a few words and then move down to another line. That's what it has been trained to do with newspapers. Newspapers have their text in easy to scan columns.

Even hard cover books have very readable pages... and that's about as long as you would want a sentence to be.

Please, no more small fonts and long, long sentences.

Finally, white only for your background... black type on a white background.

And, please, never...ever put white type on a black background. If you run a split test you will learn it just does not sell!

Short sentences and paragraphs always. Seldom should a paragraph be longer than two or three sentences.

Paragraphs must be indented. Testing mail order letter's proved that indenting helped to draw the eye from the end of one paragraph to the first line of the next?

and increased sales.

All words, including headlines, in upper and lower case. Why, because that is what the eye is accustomed to seeing. It's not nice to confuse eyeballs!

Everything concerning your sales letter must capture and hold your visitor's interest and attention or your brilliant writing will fail.

The details discussed here can increase your sales by 3% to 10% or more... so just stop screwing up your sales letter!

Mark Walters is webmaster of http://www.CashFlowInstitute.com and http://www.BusinessOpportunityReview.com You can contact him at mailto:info@cashflowinstitute.com Copyright 2005

---

Open Source Selling? The Next Evolution? The Next Revolution

"Open-source" is typically found in the Information Technology area as... Read More

Reviving Dead Clients

Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying... Read More

Sales Brochures - 9 Steps to Success

Even in this day of websites, many customers want to... Read More

Dont Let Rattlesnakes Scare You

Recently I was out trail running along the South Fork... Read More

Are You Selling What They Want To Buy? Is It An Appropriate Solution?

Let me tell you about my friend Peter who has... Read More

Follow the Long Yellow Copy: Do Long Scrolling Sales Letters Work?

Have you ever sat through a movie and got to... Read More

The Allure of Antique Store Fixtures

They say if you wait long enough, a style you... Read More

Business is Great; I?m Just Not Selling Anything!

Awhile back you had a great idea. An idea that... Read More

Store Owners - Five Ideas to Increase Sales

1. Animate your window display.How often do you change your... Read More

Turn Your Wisdom Into a Workshop

The Technical Revolution has done a lot for us --... Read More

The Top 10 Ways to Add Extra Value

Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but... Read More

Too Much Empathy Will Cost You Money

Ever have a prospect start out your sales call by... Read More

Making the Sale When the Customer Wont Buy

Ever had a party online or offline, and had guests... Read More

7 Ways to Stop Selling & Start Building Relationships

Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep... Read More

Ten FAST Ways to Sell Your Products

Always give a reason for the sale for credibility. 1.... Read More

Focus on a Trade - Not a Discount

Smart buyers will always ask for a better price. Unfortunately,... Read More

Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters

When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule... Read More

Plan For Your Next Trade Show Appearance To Be A Success

Most people who consider trade show planning think of it... Read More

Selling Against Goliath

Selling Against Goliath?How to Take on the Big Guys and... Read More

Going Back To Get Ahead

Have you ever run DOWN an escalator that was going... Read More

Give Up the Need to Sell

Most business people will tell you that selling is not... Read More

5 Ways to Encourage Impulse Purchases

I just bought six square pieces of spongy fabric for... Read More

Whats So Special About You? Defining Your USP

Your prospect is in the market for a widget, just... Read More

How to Give Your Customers a Choice Between You and the Competition and Have Them Choose You

Instead of giving your customers or potential customers a choice... Read More

What Do Mobile Auto Detailers Clean When it Rains?

A mobile auto detailer and their profits are tied to... Read More

Dont Be Macho Selling Ice to Eskimos

This issue's topic was suggested by a sales rep for... Read More

Looong and Boooring Sales Letters

You have all seen them,the sales letters that never ends.... Read More

Program Your Biocomputer For Sales Success

Selling isn't something you do to people, it's something you... Read More

Mortgage Leads, Choosing the Best Option

When it comes to buying mortgage leads, there are many... Read More

Challenge Yourself!!! Evaluate Your Selling Skills!

This evaluation is not for the "weak-kneed". Real questions to... Read More

Get the Most Out of Your Current Customer

The customers you already have could be your biggest lead... Read More

How Sellers Can Take Control

For centuries ? at least since the serpent convinced Eve... Read More

How Many Ways Do You Have To Justify Your Price?

If you were selling a mansion, and you were selling... Read More