How to Write A Solution-Savvy Sales Letter

4 Softly-Whispered Secrets to Write A Solution-Savvy Sales Letter to
Turn Prospective Clients into Paying Clients

by Brian Konradt

Too many sales letters are shaped into paper airplanes and flown
into trash cans because freelancers write sales letters that sell
their services. These freelancers have never listened to the quietly-
whispered secret that says their sales letters should sell
solutions, not services, to yield the best results.

Solutions are jewels; they shimmer in sales pieces.

Prospects will peruse your sales letter if they discover you have a
solution (or solutions) to their existing or future problem or
problems.

To write a "solution-savvy" sales letter follow the copywriter’s
adage: write "client-centered" copy. Zero in on the prospect, his
business, his needs, his problems. Then pitch yourself as the
freelancer who can fulfill his needs and solve his problems. Crown
your claims with clients whom you’ve worked for and specific
results you’ve achieved on solving similar problems.

Here are four softly-whispered secrets to write a solution-savvy
sales letter:

• SECRET #1: FOCUS ON THE CLIENT’S NEED OR PROBLEM.
As a freelancer writing for this client’s business and industry,
you should know the type of needs and problems the client faces
regularly — or could face in the future. Zero in on a specific
need or problem that is hurting the client’s profitability or
productivity. (Note: prospects are more motivated to contact you if
you pitch yourself as a freelancer who has a solution to a present
problem, rather than a future or potential problem).

• SECRET #2: FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR
MEETING THE NEED.
Tell the prospect what he and his business can gain if his problem
is solved. Usually, it means an increase in profitability or
productivity. Maybe both. Also stress the possible consequences of
not taking action now to solve this problem.

• SECRET #3: WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Here is where you present your solution. First, describe the service
you are recommending. A press kit? Direct mail package? A series of
ads?

— Tie it into the client’s needs. The client may have a new
product to promote; he needs a low-cost marketing method that will produce lucrative results.

— Stress your uniqueness to undertake this task. Why you —
and not someone else? What qualifications do you brandish and what type of specific results have you achieved for similar businesses with the same type of problem?

— Offer secondary solutions that also may work to solve the
client’s problem. These secondary solutions also may be alternatives that the client’s competition is using; if this is the case, point out their weaknesses and emphasize why your primary solution is better.

• SECRET #4: THE "CLIENT-CENTERED" CONSUMMATION.
The closing of your sales letter should show the client that the
benefits predictably outweigh the costs. If the client is investing
$6,000 for you to write a DM package, the client doesn’t just get
a DM package; he receives exposure for his new product, generates new leads and sales, targets specific segments of his market, increases his company’s profit, etc.

Secondly, recommend a call-for-action schedule. Tell the client when
you’re available, how long the project will take, and when he can
expect it by.

Here’s a list of common solutions that clients often seek.

Your solution is the:
• least expensive
• best value
• most reliable
• most advanced

Your solution offers:
• the most flexibility
• the highest return for the client’s investment
• the highest quality
• the most competent controls to measure results
• Your solution saves time
• Your solution will produce the highest customer/client
satisfaction
• Your solution eliminates or automates the most labor-intensive
operations
• Your solution profits on new or emerging trends

END