Keith Goodrum

Many times during my sales career I would be on a sales call and would change my presentation.  Why?  Because I would pick up on some clues that I was losing the customer.  They would suddenly look away, become quite, or make a face… Something would tip me off.  So, I would go in a different direction.  Maybe at one point they said that saving money was important, or casually mentioned quality was a huge concern.  Then I would ask why is it important to save money, or what do you look for in quality.  I was adjusting my presentation to hit the hot button of the customer.  It’s called qualifying, or asking probing questions. 

In a face to face selling situation you have the benefit of instant feedback.  People give you clear clues as to what is working in your presentation and what is failing.  It’s easy to change the direction of your presentation.  Typically you have the opportunity to make several shifts before the sales call is over.  And you have the advantage of the customer rooting for you to make the sale if they you have established a bond with them.  If the customer likes you they will let you make mistakes, and still make the sale.

This is not the case with sales letters.  The writer has to pick a message and head in that direction.  Using persuasive language the writer has to pick, and choose the best sales presentation.  They don’t have the benefit of instant feedback, or the ability to change the direction of the letter.  The writer uses a combination of knowledge, experience and gut feeling.  Hopefully, when the writer is done the letter will be put up, and start making sales.  The reason I hopefully is because no one is really sure how a letter will do until it is put out there. 

The problem is that most of the readers of a sales letter will not purchase.  They will take a quick glance, not relate and click away.  It is usually in the high 90’s that will choose not to buy.  Think about it only, 1 or 2 out of 100 will buy.  Not a very high closing ratio. 

I’m amused when I hear people taking a look at a sales letter and boldly predicting the success or failure of a letter.  It’s a healthy dose of confidence, maybe too much confidence.  Ryan Healy discusses this at his blog on copywriting.  It’s titled Unmerited Confidence.  The one thing I’ve learned is that it is hard to predict the actions of people.