HOW TO USE THIS CHECKLIST
When preparing any kind of classified ad or sales letter -
use this checklist as a final check, making sure all points covered here are
covered in your writing.
YOUR COMMUNICATIONS STYLE:
( ) Are you alive and exciting? Or boring
and dull? The last thing you want to do is put people to sleep or have
them delete your ad. Use writing and verbal skills to keep people interested
and eager to find out what you'll be saying next.
( ) Are you honest and sincere? In speaking and writing, you
should come across as truthful. People must not think your
duping them...
( ) Have you stressed the personal approach in your
communications? Do you use phrases like 'you can save money' or 'you will enjoy
this product' or 'you can own this house?' As a communicator, you must use the
words 'you' and 'your' often.
( ) Are you selling the sizzle instead of the steak? Are you
promising benefits instead of touting product features? If you're not, you
should be.
( ) Are you using emotion in your sales pitch? You should
be! You can use emotion to convince them to pay a higher price, etc......
( ) Are you using positive words? You must! Don't say how bad
the other guy's product is...say how much better yours is. Use words which
convey positive feelings, and avoid negative words and negative appeals. People
will want to buy your product on the strength of positive appeals, not because
the others are bad.
( ) Are you writing or speaking for maximum absorption? Use
short words, short sentences, short paragraphs. Pages
of writing filled with long, solid paragraphs say to people 'you don't really
want to read all this do you?' Make it easy for people to read or listen by
using short and familiar words.
( ) Are you getting to the heart of the matter quickly?
Presenting a benefit or making a statement early on? Don't beat around the bush
- you'll either lose your readers or put your audience to sleep.
( ) Have you singled out the reader? Made him or her feel
unique? You don't want to make your reader feel he is just one of thousands.
Act like you're talking to someone face-to-face....
( ) Are your post scripts (P.S.'s)
and letter headlines powerful? They must be, since the headline of the letter
and the P.S. are the two most often read parts of your sales letter. Don't ever
forget it!
( ) Has someone other than yourself
checked the spelling, grammar and punctuation? They had better. Have you read
your salesletter to someone? You'd better.
( ) Have you re-worked the headlines and copy? If you
haven't, you really haven't tried. Don't be satisfied with your first effort,
because you can always improve. Also, your first try will always seem to be
your best effort...until you create something better!
( ) Have you looked over your writing after the initial
draft? Let your work sit for 2-3 days and then read it coldly. You'll al- most
always see ways to improve it.
THE CONTENT OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS:
( ) Are there contradictions?
( ) Are you closing in your writing or talking? You must do
this... because people must be asked for an order. Ask for the order...and do
it several times...to ensure compliance!
( ) Have you told the prospects exactly how to place an
order? Fill in the order blank? Call a toll-free number? Charge it? You must
tell them exactly what you want them to do! Be extraordinarily precise and
clear.
( ) Do all dates, times, numbers and facts make sense...and
agree with each other? They must. Nothing is more confusing than mis- matched information.
CLAIMS MADE IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS:
( ) Are the claims believable? Some claims, though 100% true, may not be believable. Check and see if people will
believe your claims.
( ) Are the claims realistic? Will people identify with your
claims, or will they view them as hype? Again, you may have to water down
spectacular claims to make sure they aren't viewed as fantasy.
( ) Are the claims accurate? If someone checked (and someone
will), can you back up what you're saying? It would be very embarrassing if you
couldn't and it came out.
( ) Do you offer a guarantee? If you don't
you'll lose sales. People need to feel assured they can get their money
back if something goes wrong. Make your guarantee as strong as possible....it
doesn't matter if you have the worst product in the world....returns are always
very seldom....in fact the highest return rate I've ever heard of was 10%.....
THE AUDIENCE IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS:
( ) Are you communicating on the right level? Or are you
above or below it. People hate being talked down to and hate to feel lost.
( ) Are you using words they won't understand? Don't use
long words like 'facilitate' and 'diminutive' when you can use 'ease' and 'small.' Don't use technical words that the audience might
not know or understand. Unfamiliar words in verbal communications frustrate
people. Poor word choice in writing invites people to stop reading.
And that is the end of my checklist....use it and I
guarantee you'll SELL MORE!!!