| |
| |
|
Go Back | About | Contact | Web Design News | |
|
|
|
The Most Important Word in a Business Letter
What do you think it is? Many experts insist it's the word "you." Why? When most of us read anything, we're looking for something that interests us. What do we need at that moment? What will we need tomorrow? Why should we bother to read this story? Self-interest is what motivates us to comb our hair, brush our teeth, and seek that new job promotion. It's what makes us change college majors, change careers, or move to a different city. Yet many sales letters - many of which cross my desk - neglect to personalize the message by using the critical word "you." That's tragic, because "you" is rated one of the English language's most powerful motivators. A few years ago, it's reported that a major university conducted a study to find the most persuasive words. "You" topped the list, followed by the words money, save, new, and results. So, how can you work this wonderful word into more of your writing? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Find a way to use the word "you" in the headline. Headlines are reportedly read four times more often than the rest of the story. 2. If your letter doesn't have a headline, can you work "you" into the first sentence? 3. Consider putting the word "you" into each paragraph. 4. Use "you" as a way to convert features into customer benefits. Example: "Our new fabric keeps your shirt looking fresh. And our new spring line offers you five vibrant solid colors." 5. It's said that the second best-read part of a business letter is the P.S. Therefore, you should probably consider using "you" there, too. Final question: If "you" is the most important word in the English language, should you consider using it more? Rix Quinn's new book "Words That Stick" offers lots of writing ideas for both students and professionals. You can find it at your local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/ Rix Quinn's new book "Words That Stick" offers lots of writing ideas for both students and professionals. You can find it at your local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/
MORE RESOURCES:
Sales - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Ten Top Tips for Terminating Telephone Terror 1. Make telephone callsFew things are more terrifying than the unknown. 6 Creative Questions To Move From HOW Are You To WHO Are You Imagine you just met someone new. The formalities of names, jobs and the like have been exchanged and you seem to be getting along famously. Follow the Long Yellow Copy: Do Long Scrolling Sales Letters Work? Have you ever sat through a movie and got to the point when you counted the minutes till its ending? Unfortunately, you can't speed it up or leave it for another show (although, some people do try switching movies). When long Web copy leaves your eyes glazing in that same way, what do you do?As you read a long, scrolling sales pitch do you read it and make the buy? Read it and lose interest? Click away? Skim it and do nothing?Welcome to salesmanship in print. Sell More: How to Get Motivated Buyers To Call You First How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who seemed to have the insidetrack? It's likely your prospect purchased from their emotional favorite.Selling goes beyond communicating the value of your products and services. What Are Car Boot Sales? If you live in England then you will already be familiar with car boot sales but I will still offer some valuable tips on how you can make money or find a bargain. However, if you are a resident of any other country then you are unlikely to know what car boot sales are and I hope to enlighten you as to these weekly events. Cold Calling Reluctance Most salespeople I know consider cold calling a dreadful, but essential activity in our profession. Even those who are good at it rarely like it. How to Build A Steady Stream of Customers--Step One The success of a small business depends upon a steady stream of good customers. To build that stream of customer a business owner must examine five critical points in their business operations. How to Write Effective Selling Proposals Depending upon how much you enjoy writing, writing sales proposals can be a joy, purgatory, or something in between. However, if you sell a complex product or one that involves the delivery of professional services, learning how to write effective selling proposals can be critical to your success. "The Power Of Consumer Opinion, & How To Profit From It!" Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know what people really want.But unless you're psychic, or know how to do the Vulcan mind meld, "getting into their brains" is HUGE!I can't tell you how many times I've racked my brain trying to make sense of consumer opinion, & up until this point, I have to confess. Aikido and The Art of Cold Calling Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, afight breaks out between two men who've had too much to drink. Your Ad -- Who Cares? Junk mail. We all get it. 6 Ways To Get More From Your Promotions 1. Settle On The Right Way ForwardThe purpose of your promotions is to get more sales, not to soley enhance the image of you or your company. How to Generate Leads on the Internet In the last decade, the Internet has become a major commercial force. Not only do online sellers like Amazon. Lock, Stock, and Barrel! The other night I was watching a classic western from 1969, Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West". There's a scene in this movie where an auction is being held for the widow Jill's land holdings. The Top 10 Myths About the Sales Profession Myth 1: Sales People are all Shady!In the Broadway play "Death of a Salesman" Willy Loman was a down and out emotionally spent Salesman trying to understand his life after 34 years of traveling up and down the roads selling his products. The negative stereotype of a Salesman is rooted deep into the subconscious of society. Diverting the Flow of Customers to Your Business I was a lucky kid when I grew up. Lucky, because I had a big back yard for playing. 6 Steps on How to Install Confidence Into Your Clients What methods can we use to install confidence into yourclients ?1. Give abundant value in everything you sell. The Never Ending Sale Once you have added a new customer to your book of business, plan on keeping that customer until you have all of their business, and the business of their family and friends.This way you can ensure having their business forever. The Damaging Admission - A Persuasive Technique We would all like to think that our product or service is flawless. More importantly, we would like for others to believe that as well. How to Buy Wholesale Store Fixtures for Your Business It may sound funny, but honestly, if you're opening up your own retail store the last thing you'll ever want to do again for the rest of your life is buy anything retail -- especially if it's for your own store. Buying your store fixtures wholesale is not only mandatory it's a last resort after you've tried buying antique fixtures at a fraction of the cost.
|
ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues
