By Kimberly Paterson
While you may dread writing them, there's no denying the value of well-crafted sales letters. Even in this age of high-tech communication, sales letters remain among the most widely used business-building tools in the insurance industry. Yet instead of spurring the reader's interest and facilitating the sales process, too many of today's letters end up taking the fast track to the recipient's garbage bin.
So how can you keep your letters from doing the same? Careful planning, strategic thinking, persuasive writing and the right offer can make letters stand out amid the clutter that prospects encounter every day.
Plan accordingly
Before you begin writing, you need to consider a number of factors. Thinking them through enables you to put together an effective, results-oriented letter and makes the writing process much easier.
First, gain a thorough understanding of your prospects. Begin by determining exactly who they are. Find out who makes the purchasing decision for the product or service you are offering. Is it the owner, CEO, CFO, or risk manager? If you're not sure, call and ask. The receptionist or operator can usually get you headed in the right direction.
Once you've identified your prospects, consider what they need and what's important to them. When it comes to business, what gets them emotional? Are they driven by bottom-line pricing, or is workplace safety or customized coverage a bigger issue? These factors will become the basis of your approach, so taking the time to identify them precisely is especially important. Insurance industry publications and associations are a good place to start your research, since many track the wants and needs of decision makers in a variety of industries.
Next, focus on the product or service you are offering. What is its unique or most noteworthy benefit? What makes it superior to others on the market? For your letter--and your overall sales efforts--to be successful, your product's distinguishing benefit must correspond to your prospects' primary needs or emotional concerns. When writing the letter, you'll highlight the main benefit of your product in your initial paragraph. It's what you will use to entice prospects to read on and take further action, and as such it will influence the context of the entire letter.
The last point you need to consider is what action you want prospects to take immediately after reading the letter. Do you want them to schedule a meeting, or just call for a copy of your latest sales brochure? If you are planning a follow-up phone call, then your letter must interest prospects enough to make them receptive to your call. Since the action you are looking for influences the content and tone of your letter, deciding on it now makes the writing process smoother and keeps you from straying from the overall objective.
The outline
Whether you're an experienced professional or relatively new to sales letter writing, developing a detailed outline is a great help. Outlining gives you a chance to organize the thinking you've done up to this point. It also allows you to work through the logic and order of the letter before you get bogged down in word choice and sentence structure. List the points you plan to cover in the order they will appear, then write a sentence or two for each. Don't worry too much about the particular words just yet; the object here is to think through the points one more time and get the order and flow on paper.
The most effective sales letters follow a standard formula. The first paragraph introduces the primary benefit to the readers. The middle paragraphs explain the details and present additional benefits, and the final paragraph recaps the primary benefits and makes a call to action.
While you may find yourself writing quite a bit the first few times you outline, as you gain experience, your outlines will probably become less formal. Instead of a sentence or two for each point, you may just list the key ideas in the order they will appear. But regardless of your writing experience, outlining makes it easier to write the actual letter.
Writing the letter
Since you've done a lot of the legwork already, the hardest part is behind you; now it's just a matter of assembling and polishing up the final product.
While the entire letter is important, its ultimate success hinges on the first few sentences. They must introduce the main benefit in a way that grabs the readers' attention, appeals to their emotions and entices them to read on.
For example, suppose your research shows that prospects are frustrated because a coverage they need is typically excluded from the standard product offered by your competitors. Starting the letter with an offer to include that coverage at no extra cost should be enough to grab their attention and compel them to get additional facts by reading further.
As you explain the benefits of your product or service in the middle paragraphs, keep in mind that you don't need to provide every detail. The best letters are short (preferably one, but no more than two pages) and to the point. They include enough detail to spur the reader's interest, but they don't try to be the sole source of information. Rely on your outline and force yourself to stick to the key selling points. Your language should be conversational but not informal. You want the letter to have a quick pace, so keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Use bullet points to highlight details wherever possible. You have to assume that your readers are pressed for time and are interested only in what matters most to them.
One of the best ways to stay focused on the readers' needs is to use "you" and "your" throughout the letter. Letters peppered with "we" or "our agency" puts the emphasis on you rather than the person to whom you are writing. "You" and "your" involve readers directly and make it easier for them to see how they'll benefit from working with you. For example, instead of writing, "We have a new product that reduces insurance costs and enhances coverages," try something like, "Now you can reduce the cost of your insurance program by 10% and enhance coverage at the same time."
Once you've presented a compelling case for your product or service, don't linger. Wrap up the letter by recapping the primary benefit and spelling out exactly who will do what next. If you are planning follow-up calls to prospects, say so. If you are asking them to contact you, be sure to include the relevant contact information.
Adding a P.S. is one of the most effective ways to boost sales letter response. This is the place to make your final impression, so be sure the information is noteworthy. Use the P.S. to reiterate your primary benefit, make an additional offer ("You can also save on your homeowners insurance") or compel the reader to act quickly by emphasizing a deadline ("This is a limited-time offer, so act by June 1").
Editing and proofreading
Editing and proofreading are important final steps. Once you've finished writing, put the letter aside--the longer the better. When you edit and proofread, you want to do so with a fresh perspective. If you can allow the letter to sit overnight, do so. If your deadline won't afford that luxury, wait as long as you can. Turn your attention to something else, go get some fresh air, clear your mind.
When you begin editing, concentrate on content at first. Does your primary benefit meet the prospect's need? Are the details and facts relevant? Are they accurate?
Once you've nailed down the content, read the letter again, but this time edit your writing. Are sentences short and easy to read? Is the tone appropriate for your audience? Have you chosen the best words? Are spelling, grammar and punctuation perfect? Is your letter formatted according to accepted business guidelines?
When you are confident that all of these areas are in order, give the letter to at least one other person in your office for editing and proofing. An additional set of eyes will help identify typos and other errors you may have missed. Since a simple typo or spelling mistake can nullify all your hard work by creating an image of carelessness and sloppiness, this additional editing and proofing is just as important as the other steps in the writing process. *
The author
Kimberly Paterson has been providing marketing and communications services for independent agents and insurance companies for more than 20 years. In that time, she has worked with agents and brokers in all facets of marketing, from developing communications programs and research initiatives to designing advertising campaigns and promotional materials. Her Red Bank, New Jersey, marketing communications firm, Creative Insurance Marketing Company, combines marketing and research/analysis with creative advertising services exclusively for the insurance industry.
©COPYRIGHT: The Rough Notes Magazine, 1998