Victoria Real Estate Agency Home Sale Listings

Writing Sales Letters That Sell

The most important part of any marketing you do is direct marketing. This includes letters, postcards, brochures, newspaper or magazine coupons, telemarketing, TV or radio direct response commercials, e-mails, and the copy on your web site.

For any direct marketing campaign to be successful, you need to have a combination of marketing tools in order to make your offer repeatedly. One of the most potent tools you can use in your direct makreting is the direct mail letter. The letter, whether you're using it through the mail or the internet, is the actual sales pitch. It relays what your product or service is, and how much it can benefit the prospect. In short, the letter should do everything that a traditional person-to-person sales pitch does.

Here are ten things that will make your letters more effective:

1. It must have a headline. The headline is the ad for the letter. It flags down the reader to read more.

2. Present the facts. Begin with a statement of basic truth, known and accepted by the reader. By introducing known facts, your create believability for later statements in the letter.

3. Do as much personalizing as possible. Personalize name, address, special interests, and anything else you can.

4. State your offer in the beginning, again in the middle, and again at the end.

5. Create a sense of urgency by giving prospects a cut-off date by which time your readers must respond to your offer.

6. Always include a P.S. The P.S. is the second thing readers read, following the headline.

7. Stress your main points with underlines, bold type, all caps, or a yellow highlighter effect. But don't stress too much.

8. Use short paragraphs, sentences, and words. In lettes of two or more pages use subheads.

9. Use black ink, plus blue to underline more important points. Print your signiture and make notes in the margins or hand-write a P.S.

10. Tell the reader exactly what to do upon completing the letter, along with how to do it, and when to do it.

A succesful direct marketing campaign might consist of four pieces sent at two-week intervals: a two page letter, then a one page letter, then a postcard, then a telephone follow-up. It is important to remember that even the best letters don't get read if the envelope doesn't get opened. So make the envelope enticing to get your recipients to open it. You can do this by putting a "teaser" line on the outside, motivating the person to open it. You could use a window envelope with a photo of free gift, resemblance of a check, or some other unique design. This increases curiosity and gives the recipient a reason to open the envelope.

The same is true for your e-mails. Make sure you put something recognizable in the subject line so that the recipient will recognize that is from you and will peak their curiosity, otherwise, they'll likely delete it without opening it.

You should have an entire file of letters for different occasions: promotions, offers, thank-you, follow-up, referral seekers, and more. Always test you letters until you have a file of proven winners.

All contents Copyright(c)2004 Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe's work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Joe can be reached at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com/

MORE ARTICLES:

The All Important Real Estate Agent - Selling Your Home in a Buyer's Market
You've decided to sell your home In the current real estate market where there is a veritable glut of listings in many regions of the country, there are some simple things that you, as a seller, can do to enhance the chances your home will sell within a reasonable period of time

Lake Oswego Oregon Real Estate Agents / Lake Oswego OR Homes for Sale
Looking for a new place to live in the Portland, Oregon area? If so, youre not alone. In recent years, the popularity of Northwestern cities such as Portland has skyrocketed: people are beginning to realize that the Northwest offers tremendous culture, stellar job opportunities, and amazing scenery  in an area that is not yet overcrowded.

Real Estate: Buyers Agent, Sellers Agent & Dual Agent (defined and explained)
There is a relatively new and not always well understood practice in Real Estate sales; it is called Buyer Agency or Buyer's Agent. Until recently Realtors and agents usually represented the seller, in opposition to the buyer, during the real estate transaction.

Learn Seven Things You Must Know Before Choosing the Right Waterfront Real Estate Agent
You?ve made the decision to buy a waterfront home Now, it?s time to choose a real estate agent to help you find your perfect home

Home Buying Institute Now Offers Free Real Estate Articles to Agents
Real estate publisher and home buying expert Brandon Cornett has created a new website that allows real estate agents to republish a variety of real estate articles for free.

Real Estate MLS Relisting Practices Make Real Estate Agents More Crucial
GuideToRealty.com, a comprehensive guide to the home buying process, cautions buyers against a new deceptive practice: changing "days on market" information. GuideToRealty.com covers the ethical debates among real estate agents about relisting practices and recommends home buyers use real estate agents to interpret the subtleties of real estate multiple listing services.

How to Sell Your Home Without a Real Estate Agent
Considering the rapid rise in home prices over the past several years, home sellers are taking a hard look at the commission they have to pay to a real estate brokerage to market and sell their home. Real estate commissions vary across the country; they average in the four to seven percent range.

Choose the Right Agent in Selling Your Home in Siesta Key Real Estate
Selling your home in Siesta Key real estate can be stressful since it is a huge undertaking that you can do in your life. If you will be doing wrong choices, you will make things worse and you wont be able to sell your home quickly and with the best deal.

Local Real Estate Agents May Provide More Relevant Homes For Sale Data Than National Sites
Marietta, GA, (November 3, 2004) – According to the National Association of Realtors, 70% of all home buyers search the internet for home listings at some point. While most people choose national sites such as Realtor.

Real Estate Agents Turning to Surface Restoration Company to Help Speed Home Sales
Real Estate agents are turning to Miracle Method, a national surface restoration company, to update bathrooms and kitchens to get a higher price for homes and speed sales.

Real-estate-agent-lists.com Celebrates One Year Helping Real Estate Agents Prosper in Slow Market Using Realtor Lists to Work Smarter, not Harder
Zichron Internet Marketing (ZIM) LLC is celebrating the one year anniversary of its launch of list of 1.5 million realtors with full contact information including 1.1 million agent email addresses has made it easier and less expensive for agents to communicate with other agents to drive more business.

Indianapolis Real Estate Agent Offers Tips for Selling a Home in a Down Market
Indianapolis real estate agent Matt Borushko offers six tips that home owners should know when thinking about selling their home.

Design Firm Creates Flash-Driven Real Estate Listing Map for use by Real Estate Agents
This map is scalable, sizable and can zoom from an aerial view all the way down to the street level.

Real Estate Loan Agents, Real Estate Loan Agents,Investment Properties, Investment Properties in USA
While America and the world hold their breath, waiting for the Presidential and Legislative Branches of the United States Government to take action, that will hold off and help correct the mistakes of the sub-prime meltdown, there are some progressive Real Estate Loan Agents providing mortgages from exclusive leads from the opportunities provided in their counties from the daily marketing efforts by the team at Myhomesearches.com. These loan agents, providers of mortgages during the boom days are making deals today because of their membership.