To the Entrepreneur in Charge,
OK … So, your intriguing proposition, tale, USP, intrigue, or advertorial headline has caught your prospect’s attention.
He’s more determined than ever to read your ad now that you’ve provided deck content that highlights and expands on your head, interests him with reasons why he’ll regret stopping reading now, and throws in a healthy dose of believability factors for good measure.
You jumped into the meat of your article, hooking your reader quickly and compelling him to read on before he knew what hit him.
You’ve taken his hand and guided him through your sales pitch, explaining how your product will make a massive difference in his life by helping him achieve his wildest dreams.
You’ve started with a statement he must admit is true and then patiently walked him through each benefit your product offers and the “reason why” he needs those benefits.
Every product claim has been backed up by credible sources, including experts in the field, journalists, and satisfied consumers.
You’ve added a ton of authority by corroborating your sales pitches with evidence from sources he respects, like expert quotes, graphs, and tables.
You’ve thought of and neutralized every possible argument he might have to buy this thing right now from you.
And you’ve rubbed it by giving the prospect many extra goodies for buying the goods.
Anyone still breathing or capable of fogging a mirror should have already written you a check or recited their MasterCard number to a customer care representative.
Some of your leads will be eager to place an order since you strategically placed call-to-action buttons and links throughout your materials.
But you haven’t finished crafting your ad copy yet.
Because now is the time to crank up the pressure with closing text that melts away any last resistance and magically turns casual browsers into paying clients.
The sale must be made.
Naturally, the best way to convey an offer and wrap up a promotion in sales copy will vary significantly from one product to the next and from one promotion to the next. This outline, however, has proven to be an excellent springboard for more work…
How to Conclude Effectively in 8 Steps
In the sales copy, utilize a few short bulleted paragraphs to highlight the benefits your customer will receive from buying your product.
Start with the product and all how it will help him. Then, explain everything he’ll get for free if he makes a purchase right now, along with any further bonuses. If doing so is OK, please list the total worth of all freebies.
Before I start writing my closing copy, I calculate the total value of the savings and freebies my prospect will receive by signing up for my client’s newsletter service immediately, including the value of the basic service, free add-ons, premiums, and free gifts.
[NOTE: If the product is shipped by Second Class (Library Rate) mail, postal regulations restrict attributing a value to the premiums supplied. Before creating the close, it is wise to verify that using these values is permitted.
Second, give your price – thoughtfully: The first time I announce my price in my sales copy; I usually do one of two things:
Put the savings up front: “Charter Offer: You SAVE HALF — a Whopping $189.”
B. State the base price first: “Normally, XYZ is a bargain for just $379 for two years. This Charter Membership period, however, will cut your costs in half. You may save $189 by signing up for two years at once.
Third, make your price seem ridiculous; this is a surefire method to seal the purchase. There are several approaches to this, and I often employ multiple price-trivializing justifications for every ad campaign.
A. Weigh the benefits against the cost. You may justify charging a higher premium for a financial service like this, for instance, if its advised investments are generating annualized gains of 86%:
Take a look: the average return on investment for our recommendations over the past two years is 86% per year. A meager annual investment of $10,000 would have yielded a profit of $8,600 after a year and $17,200 after two years.
That’s 91 times the price of a Charter Membership for just two years!
B. Look around and see what other people are charging. One of my customers, for instance, provides unrestricted, free access to his first-rate website for all his paying customers. Similar financial research tools are available on another well-known website, but that one costs an additional $480 each year.
According to the document I had, it said…
The financial tools you get with a FREE subscription to my ABC site are identical to those offered by the XYZ.COM website, which charges $40 monthly. You may save $480 a year just by doing that.
C. Think about the value of the pricing after factoring in any discounts or freebies. Just one…
And don’t forget, if you join me now for two years, you’ll receive $1,091 worth of discounts and gifts to increase your profits for just $189.
D. Simplify the cost by dividing it into subtotals. Now you can use the second spreadsheet I showed you earlier…
You may get advice that might nearly quadruple your money every year for as little as $7.88 per month, $1.82 per week, or just 26 cents per day.
E. Contrast the cost with that of a commonplace good at the moment:
Twenty-six cents a day is less than a TENTH of the price of a gallon of gas.
Now that we’ve reduced the apparent cost to mere pennies, we can turn up the pressure by reminding him that his pitiful twenty-five cents each day are fully refundable at any moment.
This is hardly the time to be dozing off. Take a second to consider your guarantee. In essence, what is it?
A contract, pledge, or oath made by your company’s representative to a client. This vow is unique because it’s your own.
Why not make it seem more formal by framing it as a letter, contract, or “My Sacred Promise to You” instead of plainly expressing your terms?
This is also a great time to remind the prospect of all the perks he’ll enjoy as a paying customer, such as…
If you decide to work with me in XYZ, I swear you’ll never be asked to put much money on the line. Every day, I’ll be here to help you find stocks with the potential to double your money while still being safe to invest in.
If I’m successful, your daily $2.90 investment in XYZ will be the best decision you’ve ever made. If I cannot, your membership fee will be refunded in full. It wouldn’t be right to do that…
Also, explaining the reasoning behind your guarantee is an effective method of endearing your representative to the customer.
If the world were fair, your doctor shouldn’t get paid if he can’t help you. If your stock broker doesn’t increase your wealth, he won’t get born. If I cannot assist you, it would be unethical for me to keep any of your money.
5. PROVIDE IMMEDIATE THANKS: We’ve all learned that waiting six to eight weeks for goods to arrive after placing an order through the mail is an eternity.
We also realize that in today’s fast-paced, Internet-enabled society, customers immediately want and expect satisfaction.
Then why not shout it from the rooftops if you can quickly get your product to customers?
The most common oversight even the best copywriters make is failing to inquire about the turnaround time for new customers’ orders. — before highlighting the rapid turnaround time in the final copy.
Since I have a client who can ship within 24 hours, I emphasize in both the headline and a brief piece of the body copy that the customer can start reaping the advantages of my product in as little as three days if he purchases today.
The sixth and final rule of direct response copywriting is to ask for the sale. This guideline is as old as immediate response copywriting itself.
Let’s pretend he’s three years old…
Then, say, “I want to join XYZ for just twenty-nine cents a day — and don’t forget to include my $902/month in bonus services and free reports!” and call TOLL-FREE 1-800-000-0000.
Alternatively, please fill out the Free Gift Certificate on page 23 and mail it back to me in the postage-paid reply envelope given with this report.
Seventh, put your potential at a fork in the road: Regarding persuasiveness, the “Crossroads Close” is unparalleled. It aids in making the sale by keeping the customer’s attention on his final choice. Consider this illustration…
I’ve detailed a strategy in this study for nearly doubling your annual income.
I’ve given you FREE financial advice that can save you up to $728 if you use it elsewhere…
Here are six money-making guides, valued at $174, that I’m giving out for free…
I’ve got a deal for you: if you sign up for XYZ’s investment service with me during this Charter Membership time, you can save up to $189.
I’ve proven that you must be satisfied with the returns I provide, or I’ll give you your money back.
At this point, the choice is entirely yours to make.
At this point, one of two things is going to happen. Either we move forward together, or you move forward on your own.
Either you’ll agree to double your money every year like the rest of my XYZ group, or you’ll keep accepting the higher risk and lower returns you’re seeing now.
I wish I could do what you need to move forward. There’s no way for me to influence your decision.
The stocks I mentioned today won’t wait for you, me, or anyone else. They have started to move. You could lose a lot of money if you wait too long.
Simply dial the toll-free number and tell them you want to come to XYZ with me. So that I can get your first issue and freebies on their way to you as soon as tomorrow, and you can start getting richer more quickly in just a few days.
There’s nothing to lose and substantial potential gains by acting immediately.
Yours for Greater Profits and Reduced Risk,
[SIGNATURE]
Tests have shown that many potential customers will quickly skim your sales letter in search of the signature, so ensuring your P.S.S. stands out is essential.
Because of this, the text right before and after your signature is essential, especially your P.S.
Remember that readers who only look at the signature won’t know anything about the price or potential drawbacks, so don’t mention them.
It’s also OK to include as many P.S.s as you think will persuade scanners to keep reading the letter and readers to place immediate orders.
Here are the four most effective P.S. strategies I’ve ever employed…
A. Reiterate Key Benefits and Guarantees in a Brief Paragraph. Reiterate your crucial benefit(s) and guarantee.
Don’t forget: I’ll gladly refund you if I can’t double your money in the next year.
Everything I’ve supplied you is yours to keep without charge, including the $902 in bonuses I just listed.
Please call our toll-free number, 1-800-000-0000, right now; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Urgency as a Driving Force B.
FREE $79 Value Early Bird Bonus: If you contact me right now, I’ll send you my brand-new 2007 stock choice guide, The #1 Money-Doubling Stock to Buy NOW.
This post-script would then include a persuasive sales copy outlining the added value of this bonus offer and urging the prospect to call immediately.
C. Credibility-Building Testimonial Pick one of your best brief testimonials, preferably one in which the consumer details the particular ways you improved their life.
D. Concluding Justification: This type of P.S. can strengthen and emphasize the Crossroads Close you’ve already used above.
Ask yourself, “What if George is right?” before making a final choice.
If I don’t buy these stocks now, how will I feel when they skyrocket, and I miss my chance to double my money in a year?
That’s not something I wish on you. Since your membership is risk-free, you cannot lose by trying XYZ. Dial 1-800-991-1000 and let me know if you can make it today!
I do hope this is of some use to you…
To date, Clayton Makepeace has helped his clients bring in over 3 million new consumers and four times their earnings as a direct response marketing consultant and copywriter. And take in over $1 billion in revenue from DM&I. Through his daily e-letter, The Total Package, he teaches aspiring authors, company owners, and advertising pros his tried-and-true methods for increasing reader reaction. To learn more, visit.
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