With the right formula, anyone can write a winning sales letter. Sales, whether online or offline, is simply walking someone through the emotional process of deciding to buy. First, you have to get their attention. Then you have to get them to experience the pain of a problem, trust in the solution and excitement to buy. Finally, you convince them that the time to act is now.
Here’s how to use this timeless formula to create a killer sales page that converts.
Hook
Everything else doesn’t matter if you can’t hook their attention. That’s why copywriters spend so much time on the headline. To hook attention, you need to really get inside your reader’s head. You need to know their problems, their dreams, how they think of themselves, what keeps them up at night, etc. Come up with a few different ways of hooking attention. Perhaps it’s a picture, or a promise, or a good old-fashioned headline.
Sell the Problem
Your sales letter needs to explain the problem in such a way that someone reading it can tangibly feel the pain.
Believe it or not, you can provide a valuable experience for someone just by helping them understand the problem better. In fact, it is quite important to tell them something they don’t already know so they don’t lose focus as you guide them through the problem. Explain the problem eloquently, in detail, in a way they haven’t heard before. Make sure they can really feel the pain of the problem by the time you are done.
Demonstrate Credibility
Who are you? What is your system? Why should they believe you? What sets you apart? There are so many people out there promising solutions, it’s no wonder people are skeptical. In order to win over someone’s trust and purchase, you need to prove that you are different. Do this with abundant use of proof elements – things such your past experience, testimonials, endorsements from industry celebrities and the like.
Build Emotions into the Solution
Finally, share the solution. Explain why it works, how it works and why it will work for them. Infuse your solution with emotions. Get them excited about the solution. By the time they are finished reading your sales letter, they should feel buzzed from hope about the possibilities that might await them.
Close with Urgency
Finally, give people a reason to act now. Perhaps you are taking the product offline soon. Perhaps you are selling only a certain number of copies. Maybe the price will go up. Or, you could paint a picture of how quickly the pain will just keep increasing if they don’t act today. However you do it, you need to get the order, right now. Not tomorrow, not even today, but right at this instant. If you can create a sense of urgency, coupled with the excitement you have already created, then you have got a sale.
If you can learn to guide someone through these stages of a purchase, you’ll be able to sell just about anything.
