The Ultimate Sales Letter!!

InternetSuccess001

14 years ago

Are you talking about an increase in sales of 100->150%?

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Jay Lange

14 years ago

Originally Posted by InternetSuccess001

Are you talking about an increase in sales of 100->150%?

YES!!

With my sales copy I sold only 12 copies in one day. After re-write I sold 27 the following day and sales continue to pour in.

The problem is I had to $500 for that sales page which means I have to sell a lot of ebooks at $27 to break even which is why I bought The Ultimate Sales Letter.

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Vogin

14 years ago

Well, obviously the sales latter should be convincing.

BUT

I consider those headlines like "$165,654.57 in 40 days" really embarrasing. Like what the hell, who really cares about the 57 cents?

Keep in mind that you should treat your potential customers as beings with brain and intelligence.

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MilesT

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Vogin

Well, obviously the sales latter should be convincing.

BUT

I consider those headlines like "$165,654.57 in 40 days" really embarrasing. Like what the hell, who really cares about the 57 cents?

Keep in mind that you should treat your potential customers as beings with brain and intelligence.

Headlines like that are meant to take advantage of the ignorant, and it shows a weakness in writing solid copy. Learning to write good copy takes most people years. Definitely NOT a built-in talent for most.

I also recommend ANYTHING by Clayton Makepeace. The guy is brilliant.

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Katie Tenner 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Vogin

I consider those headlines like "$165,654.57 in 40 days" really embarrasing. Like what the hell, who really cares about the 57 cents?

It's psychological trigger. For not so experienced marketers it makes it more believable and builds the trust factor.

Katie
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David Jackson

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Vogin

I consider those headlines like "$165,654.57 in 40 days" really embarrasing. Like what the hell, who really cares about the 57 cents?

Actually, people do care about the 57 cents. Good copywriters understand that. And while the headline example you gave itself is pie-in-the-sky, and not believable, specificity in copywriting can be very powerful.

Precise facts and figures help convey that you are telling the truth. Thus, as unbelievable as the above headline is, the 57 cents does make it appear somewhat more credible - such as it is. Good copywriters understand specifics equate to cold hard facts, while general statements and "guesstimates" simply don't wield the same impact.

David Jackson

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midasman09

Banned 14 years ago

I'm sorry....I've been writing "Sales Letter Copy" to sell my stuff for over 30 years. Whenever I see specific numbers ($1,253.57 ETC) in a promotional piece...I shudder.

To ME...as a "professional Sales Person" it smacks of ..."An Attenpt to reach the UN-informed!" eg: "Hey, Molly! Golly Gee! Dis guy is putting out axual numbers, right down to da cents! HIS stuff is more "believable" den dose sales notes dat jus giv "roun" numbers!"

I learned early in my sales career that IF I want to appeal to "relatively experienced" "Sales or Business oriented prospects....and not those who wouldn't know how to set up a business bank account...I'd use "round" numbers like "$720 a day sending faxes!" or..."$1,000 a Week from Video Stores!" or..."$8,000 a month with Hotel TV Channel Guides!"

Whenever I see specific numbers like "$722.57 a day!" etc...it screams to me that it is appealing to "neophytes"...trying to make their program MORE BELIEVABLE than it is!

Don Alm...sales guy
"50 Ways To Make $50,000/Year"
http://www.midasreports.com

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David Jackson

14 years ago

Originally Posted by midasman09

I've been writing "Sales Letter Copy" to sell my stuff for over 30 years. Whenever I see specific numbers ($1,253.57 ETC) in a promotional piece...I shudder.

You can't equate how you react to an advertisement to how others will react to the same advertisement. I hate sushi, but that doesn't mean everybody else hates sushi too. Your reactions are your reactions. They have no bearing whatsoever on anyone else.

David Jackson

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Steven Fullman

14 years ago

Originally Posted by midasman09

I'm sorry....I've been writing "Sales Letter Copy" to sell my stuff for over 30 years. Whenever I see specific numbers ($1,253.57 ETC) in a promotional piece...I shudder.

To ME...as a "professional Sales Person" it smacks of ..."An Attenpt to reach the UN-informed!" eg: "Hey, Molly! Golly Gee! Dis guy is putting out axual numbers, right down to da cents! HIS stuff is more "believable" den dose sales notes dat jus giv "roun" numbers!"

I learned early in my sales career that IF I want to appeal to "relatively experienced" "Sales or Business oriented prospects....and not those who wouldn't know how to set up a business bank account...I'd use "round" numbers like "$720 a day sending faxes!" or..."$1,000 a Week from Video Stores!" or..."$8,000 a month with Hotel TV Channel Guides!"

Whenever I see specific numbers like "$722.57 a day!" etc...it screams to me that it is appealing to "neophytes"...trying to make their program MORE BELIEVABLE than it is!

Don Alm...sales guy
"50 Ways To Make $50,000/Year"
50 Ways to Make $50,000

Originally Posted by David Jackson

You can't equate how you react to an advertisement to how others will react to the same advertisement. I hate sushi, but that doesn't mean everybody else hates sushi too. Your reactions are your reactions. They have no bearing whatsoever on anyone else.

David Jackson

That's fine, David...but I have to agree with Don here...

A "cents" figure doesn't add credibility to me. It's just silly.

Depends on the niche, I guess.

Steve

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lamberw 14 years ago

Vogin,

Interesting you say people don't care about the 57 cents because they do.

You think you don't at an intellectual level but psychologically you do! That sort of headline talks to the reptilian brain.

If you think you're making rational decisions when you're reading a sales letter... you're not!

If you don't want to believe me about this, how about asking Eben Pagan? He's who I learned that from and I'd say he's quite possibly one of the very best in the world about understanding customer psychology.
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David Jackson 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

A "cents" figure doesn't add credibility to me. It's just silly.

As I stated previously, "good" copywriters understand and use the power of specificity when they write copy. That's not a theory, it's a fact. What's silly is calling something you obviously don't understand "silly."

David Jackson
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- nyrsimon 14 years ago
  
  I see the 57 cent debate raging hard!!!
  
  Isn't the only person that matters the BUYER? If the letter converts more with the 57 cents it's great - if it doesn't it sucks. Only the buyers decide.
  
  As copywriters our "opinions" are just that (and you know what they say about opinions!!!!!!)
  
  Yes it helps us get closer to the bulls-eye, but the only way to REALLY know is to test it....
  
  Just my thoughts...
  
  Simon
  
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David Jackson

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Jay Lange

Sales copy is EVERYTHING!! Without it you won't be able to sell a fire suit to a fireman!!

Correction...Good sales copy is EVERYTHING!

David Jackson

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Jay Lange 14 years ago

Originally Posted by David Jackson

Correction...Good sales copy is EVERYTHING!

David Jackson

Yes! I will correct that immediately...Ya see I told you I suck at sales copy!!
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- David Jackson 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Jay Lange
  
  Yes! I will correct that immediately...Ya see I told you I suck at sales copy!!
  
  David Jackson
  
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scrofford

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Jay Lange

Because I absolutely SUCK at writing copy but possess a good skill at product creation and ebook writing I decided to pick up a copy of "The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy.

I have only finished the first two chapters and this book is already worth my time and the measly 15 dollar purchase price.

I did this because I have attempted several times to write my own sales page only to be seriously disappointed with sales of the product. I then had the sales pages re-written and immediately saw an increase of at least 100% to 150%!! I'm serious!!

GOOD (correction) sales copy is EVERYTHING!! Without it you won't be able to sell a fire suit to a fireman!!

Another good book is "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" by Joe Sugarman. It's very much worth the read.

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TheSalesTechnician

14 years ago

I would never count data from just one day. Sales naturally fluctuate. Compare the difference using a split test over the course of 2000 hits and 20 sales...Then you will know for sure the increase (or decrease) in your CR.

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Jay Lange

14 years ago

Originally Posted by TheSalesTechnician

I would never count data from just one day. Sales naturally fluctuate. Compare the difference using a split test over the course of 2000 hits and 20 sales...Then you will know for sure the increase in your CR.

I only used ONE day as an example. I have tested sales pages vigorously and have found in every instance that the professional sales copy increased sales dramatically.

If I made a spreadsheet you would be astonished at the increase and sustained levels after the sales copy was re-written.

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~Davor Debrecin~

14 years ago

Have to agree with Don here because I share his opinion entirely.

On the other side, we can probably call ourselves experienced buyers. Or sellers, or copywriters, whatever. And for that reason we are not part of 99,9% of other buyers in any niche possible - be it IM or gardening or any other.

So I also agree what David said. Yes, unfortunately, this works better because people don't realize they are influenced by this.

There's a great book from R. Cialdini "Influence" and goes through all sorts of "mental triggers" that people (and animals) developed to make their life easier and better. But that also puts us at risk of somebody using it against us.

It's just a matter of how important it is to you.

For example, the scarcity tactic also works and it's profitable to use it. And I am still as an "experienced" buyer influenced by the scarcity tactic. But for the whole reason that I know I will benefit from the product and that the product actually WILL go off the market after a certain time.

But using obscure income claims is just not good for me. Don't get me wrong - if I see "This guy made $5000 in one day" is as bad. But I much more like to see something like "This guy made a little bit more than $5000 in less than a week". For me this has much more effect. It's always about the subtleties.

Take care,

~Davor

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Lateef Olajide

14 years ago

Knowing your market & becoming interested in them is also one of secret to success of most good salescopy.

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ElMundodelExito 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Lateef Olajide

Knowing your market & becoming interested in them is also one of secret to success of most good salescopy.

You got it. Next time, if you are writing your copy to sell to newbies you got to put the 57 cents. If you are writing your copy to sell to professional copywritters you got to put round numbers
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John Durham

14 years ago

The same person who says 57 cents doesnt count will say say if you put $165,000. ; "Yeah right, like that guy made EXACTLY 165k right down to the penny. This is a scam".

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shabit87

14 years ago

Originally Posted by John Durham

The same person who says 57 cents doesnt count will say say if you put $165,000. ; "Yeah right, like that guy made EXACTLY 165k right down to the penny. This is a scam".

Yeah, I think a lot of zeros raise red flags. We all know that there are business expenses and they all can't be round numbers can they?? Plus when you ad cents on a dollar amount it makes the amount longer/larger and the bigger the better (when it comes to the potential in one making money)!

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Jay Lange 14 years ago

Yeah but what about the book??
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forfun_cash

14 years ago

Agreed! I always get attracted to the sales copy is WSO and i have to tell myself to be more logical in judging it. Just look at the sales copy with those recent clickbank products. Amazing!

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Raydal

14 years ago

"The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy is the book I recommend to
anyone who is just starting out as a copywriter and want to lean the
basics really fast. Plus its a very practical book taking you through
all the steps of writing an actual sales letter. There are not many
other books on the market that does this.

In fact, here to two quizzes you may want to try after reading
the book to make sure you have the concepts right.

Ultimate Sales Letter Quiz 1

Ultimate Sales Letter Quiz 2

-Ray Edwards

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Jay Lange

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Raydal

"The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy is the book I recommend to
anyone who is just starting out as a copywriter and want to lean the
basics really fast. Plus its a very practical book taking you through
all the steps of writing an actual sales letter. There are not many
other books on the market that does this.

In fact, here to two quizzes you may want to try after reading
the book to make sure you have the concepts right.

Ultimate Sales Letter Quiz 1

Ultimate Sales Letter Quiz 2

-Ray Edwards

Neither video has any audio!!

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adionline

14 years ago

Also I should mention that there seems to be an interesting trend when it comes to finishing a dolllar amount with a 7... so much so that I started doing it with my own products. I've never really tested it to that degree to see if something like $19.99 and $19.97 makes a difference but I see it everywhere so I am going to assume it does to at least some degree(someone somewhere had to test it otherwise it wouldn't have so much traction). Anyone else notice this?

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CASimmons

14 years ago

Originally Posted by adionline

Also I should mention that there seems to be an interesting trend when it comes to finishing a dolllar amount with a 7... so much so that I started doing it with my own products. I've never really tested it to that degree to see if something like $19.99 and $19.97 makes a difference but I see it everywhere so I am going to assume it does to at least some degree(someone somewhere had to test it otherwise it wouldn't have so much traction). Anyone else notice this?

I have noticed the same thing and have recently stumbled upon some information saying that this is an industry standard for many retailers (online and offline) xx.95 is regular price xx.99 is the sale xx.97 is last call clearance before it is sent to liquidators.

xx.97 seems to be the 'Please Buy Me Now' number. 7 more specifically. Not sure exactly when it happened but I've been noticing that most IMers today use 7 in everything from $7 ebooks to $27, $47, $67 and $97 training courses.

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David Jackson

14 years ago

Originally Posted by adionline

Also I should mention that there seems to be an interesting trend when it comes to finishing a dolllar amount with a 7... so much so that I started doing it with my own products. I've never really tested it to that degree to see if something like $19.99 and $19.97 makes a difference but I see it everywhere so I am going to assume it does to at least some degree(someone somewhere had to test it otherwise it wouldn't have so much traction).

Don't assume. It seems to be an accepted fact in IM circles that product prices with the number seven in them are more effective, and convert better than other prices. For example, $7.77, $17.77 or $37.77. Some marketing experts believe you should drop the change altogether and price your products at $7.00 or $37.00 or $67.00.

Conduct your own tests. I'm not suggesting those marketing experts are wrong. I'm sure they've conducted their own tests, and developed their own conclusions - and that's what works for them.

However, I've conducted my own pricing tests as well - for myself and for my clients. And the items I tested using prices with the number seven in them didn't convert any better than other prices. So why the discrepancy? Because marketing is not "one size fits all". There are far too many variables involved for anyone to suggest that you will achieve the exact same results as the next person.

Even with everything being equal, everything isn't equal. Results vary. That's why you should never take any marketing experts advice at face value without questioning it. Better yet, you should always conduct your own tests, and develop your own conclusions. That's really the only way to be sure.

David Jackson

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Raydal 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Jay Lange

Neither video has any audio!!

They are not 'normal' videos. They are text quiz created with Camtasia.

There is no need for audio as everything is text. It takes about
30 seconds for the actual quiz to load.

Thanks,

Ray
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- oneplusone 14 years ago
  
  Very often when people are doing everything else right (decent offer, proven market, targeted traffic etc), weak copy is responsible for the lack of success.
  
  Through experience I can usually tell when copy needs to be redone, whether I'm promoting my own product or as an affiliate.
  
  Most people are too afraid to bin their copy and start from scratch, especially when they have worked hard on a sales page for so long.
  
  But often it is the difference between success and failure.
  
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  'If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.' Vincent Van Gogh.
  
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The Ultimate Sales Letter!!

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