How to write a follow-up letter to enhance sales of products and services

Of course, all follow-up letters should be consistent with what you said before; they should form a 'family' - a cohesive unit. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to vary the style, content and format a little.

For the first follow up, tests have shown that it's best to take exactly the same text that you used for your first mailing, but printed to look like a facsimile (a carbon copy or photocopy for example), to which you add a handwritten note.

For each subsequent follow up, concentrate on a single argument and develop it further, as follows.

• Second offer Justify the price you're asking.

• Third offer Demonstrate that the product is an investment, which will soon prove to be profitable.

• Fourth offer Emphasize the pride involved in owning the product.

If the product is expensive, offer easier terms of payment in the third or fourth offer. Offer a reduction in price at around the sixth or seventh offer. Be sure to justify the reduction and offer proof: use reasons like minor defects, discontinuing the line, the product minus one of its elements etc.

You should also explain why you're writing to the same person again. You could say, for example, that you don't understand the prospect's silence, and that you're afraid your first presentation was too short, not clear enough etc.

Another copywriter, Regis Hauser, says in his book, Conceptualizing and Writing Effective Mailings, that the 'carbon paper follow up' technique has allowed him consistently to add 25

205 to 55 per cent to his original volume of sales.., which is far from insignificant? Some companies say that they can generate 75 to 85 per cent more responses by using these follow ups.

He goes on to explain that, on average, sending out:

• The same mailing as the original version results in 20 per cent of the initial responses;

• The same mailing as the original version plus an insert for a 'special last-minute discount' results in between 20 and 45 per cent of the initial responses;

• A different sales letter, which however refers to the first one, and makes the same offer, results in widely varying returns of between 15 and 55 per cent of the initial responses;

• A different sales letter, which makes no reference to the first one, but which offers a discount, also results in widely varying returns of between 35 to 60 per cent of the initial responses;

• A different letter which does not refer to the original, but which offers easier terms, results in about 30 per cent of the initial responses.

Other relevant statistics are as follows.

• Carbon copy follow ups produce 25 to 55 per cent of the initial volume of orders, if expressly written for this purpose.

• Sending out the same mailing a second time: 20 per cent.

• Last-minute discount offer: 20 to 45 per cent.

• A different letter which does not refer to the original: 25 to 55 per cent.

• A different letter plus a discount offer: 35 to 60 per cent.

Finally... a few more secrets

Here are a few more secret techniques that have been accumulated over years of experience in the field.

Firstly, here are some things that people too often tend to forget when sitting down to write a sales letter.

It takes people a long time to accept a new product. Remember that at first people did not at all take to: cars; planes (there's even a brilliant quote by a First World War general who claimed: 'There is absolutely no future in airplanes, militarily speaking...'); typewriters; computers; and so on. We could extend this list to cover a few pages.

Also, absurd rumors and false beliefs can sometimes hinder an already difficult learning process:

• The glue on new stamps was rumored to contain a poison which caused cancer of the tongue;

• Computer screens were said to emit rays which can damage and even destroy the retina...

Can you get people to change their habits?

Habits become so embedded in people's minds that they seem to become an integral part of their personalities.

Result: if you ask people to change their habits, you'll find yourself fighting a very powerful force, even if the new habit you're proposing is very advantageous.

So don't try it! It's too risky, and you'll waste too much time and money. Don't even talk about people's 'old habits'. Avoid the subject completely and talk about other things, while always keeping your objective in mind.

On the other hand, make it easy for people to learn new habits that will benefit them (and you!).

 There's a subtle line between attacking old habits and creating new ones. The technique, based on applied psychology, has been perfected over years of testing, trial and error - and failure, before being adopted by professional copywriters.

It isn't enough to convince someone that your product is a good one, that it makes sense and is likely to be profitable for that person to buy. Human nature is more complex than that!

In fact, most decisions about whether or not to buy a new product are not based on logic (as you would expect), but on emotion. Why? Quite simply, because people are afraid of making decisions.

A few rules about human psychology

If your product is aimed as much at men as it is at women (which is the case with most products), then knowing a few basic rules of human psychology, and especially about the differences between the sexes, can be of enormous help.

Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, but statistically speaking, you will fare a lot better by respecting them.

• Women move more quickly from one idea to another, while men grasp the overall meaning of a sales letter more quickly.

• Men are attracted to verbs, and words which suggest action and dynamism, while women are more impressed by adjectives.

• Women are more interested in people, in others' lives, in social events and in human relations in general than men are (therefore, testimonials work better on women, while men need concrete facts and proof).

• Women are more attracted to colors than men. They're also more sensitive to shades, nuances and subtle tones, while men prefer bright, bold, solid colors.

Back to basics - is your letter logical?

Have you left anything out?

Have you taken care of everything?

I don't want to sound repetitious, but just for the record, are you sure that your letter has:

• A beginning;

• A middle (development phase); and

• A conclusion?

As surprising as it may seem, I often receive sales letters that don't!

Why? Because you can be almost certain that such letters are pasted together, with excerpts taken from other letters, ads, publications etc., instead of being written from scratch. Although laborious enough, this technique is never very effective.

Reading letters like these, you sometimes wonder if there really is any logic to the reasons and arguments being presented in such a seemingly random and disjointed way.

Therefore, it is extremely useful - in fact necessary- when approaching the final phase of writing your own letters, to make sure you get them read and criticized by other people. Always:

• ask other people to read your letters and offer constructive criticism;

• put a letter on the shelf for at least 24 hours, before deciding to use it.

Then read it again from a fresh perspective and ask yourself these questions:

• Is this letter easy to read and to understand?

• Are my thoughts organized into a logical progression?

• Does the letter's style help it flow from one idea to another and from one argument to the next?

If you have to answer no to any of these questions, rewrite your letter! Would you like to improve your style or develop it further?

Just read some of the masters - you can get collected writings and biographies of people like David Ogilvy, Lee Iacocca etc (see bibliography). You don't have to imitate them. Just let their style and logical approach impregnate your mind and your own writing will soon become clearer, simpler and more easily understood.

A final 'trick'

Some of the great copywriters are so proud of their 'creations' that they have no qualms about reading them out loud to people and discussing them as much as possible.

Why?

• First, because reading a text out loud helps you determine very quickly exactly what 'works' and what doesn't.

• Secondly, because it's the best way to verify that a text has been written in a conversational tone- as if you were talking to your prospective clients face to face.

This is one test that never fails...

SUMMARY

• Never call your order form an order form.

• Your order form should be a sales document which incites prospects to buy the product all on its own.

• Your outer envelope is both a business card and a display window. Plan it carefully and you'll reap the benefits in higher sales.

• Follow-up mailings can double your profits: always look for ways to exploit this resource to its fullest.

• Don't fight people's habits: it's too risky, and may cost you a lot of wasted time and money. Always lead into something new by referring to something old and familiar.

• Take a step back- let some time go by - and then read your letter again to make sure it's logical and well constructed.

• Read your letter out loud to people and make any necessary changes based on what you detect, and what they say.