Planning the Sales Letter

1. Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
Sta. Mesa Manila
Prepared by:
Anjelika Boncodin
Guency Joyce Uncad
From: BSTM 2-2N
Submitted to:
Professor Xavier AquinoVelasco

2.  Sales Letter
A sales letter is a piece of direct mail
which is designed to persuade the reader to purchase a
a particular product or service in the absence of salesman.
It has been defined as “A form of direct mail in which an
advertiser sends a letter to a potential customer."

3. Planning the Sales Letter
You can not talk convincingly of your product if you do not know it – its
design. Construction, raw materials, manufacturing process, ease of use, efficiency,
durability, and applications. Not only these, you should also consider warranties.
Service, price, premiums, exclusivity, and special features.
1. Knowing your product
2. Knowing your prospects
Who are your target buyers? Know their age, sex, nature of work,
predominant religion, cultural traits and buying habits, and even their idiosyncrasies.
These factors influence the buyers’ needs, desires and buying attitudes. Unfamiliarity
with these factors may bring frustration to both the seller and the prospective buyers;
the former, for failing to make sales and the latter, for realizing that some things are
beyond their reach.

4. 3. Knowing the A, B, C and D of the sales letter
These will guide you in composing your sales letter from the opening to the
closing lines.
A. attract favorable attention;
B. build interest and desire;
C. convince the buyer to act (buy, visit, try, depending on the purpose of
your letter); and
D. direct the reader to action, now!

5. Writing the sales letter
After orienting yourself with the product and the
market, you can now compose your sales letter.
The sales letter follows the same structure just
like any other business letter except for its freedom to
be less conventional through the use of colors,
typographic tricks, and mechanical designs, all intended
to draw attention.

6. • Salutation
Mass mailing needs no solution and inside address. But anonymous
or generic salutations may take the place of the salutation.
EXAMPLES:
Dear colleague, My dear friend, DearValued Customer; or more specific ones;
like Dear Doctor, Dear Fellow Bedan; or complimentary phrases like, To an
Ambitious young Businessman.

7. • Body
By writing the body of your sales letter, you need to imagine yourself
as a reader of the letter and write what the customer wants to know, not what
you want to say and your main concern is to fulfill the needs and desires of your
customers.
A. Attract the reader’s favorable attention
at the opening of your letter make the headline compelling so
customers want to read the rest of the story
You may open with:
1. A striking statement of fact
2. A relevant question and a smart answer
3. An announcement (of offer or promise)
4. A well known proverb or quotation
5. A pun or play words

8. B. Build attention into interest and desire
to get the interest and desire of your reader, involve the reader in the
letter by bringing it to life with a steady flow of interesting information.
• Physical aspects
- Make the reader see, hear, feel, taste and smell the product by describing it’s size,
shape, color and texture through the use of adjectives and concrete words
• Psychological appeals
- It can bring to the reader like pleasure, comfort, health, savings, prestige, safety and
security, and love
C. Convince the reader’s to act
convince the reader in the goodness and advantages of product through
facts and figures and testimonials.Your letter can stand out by not selling, but
offering benefits.
• Facts and figures
• testimonials

9. D. Direct the reader toward action
Finally consummate your objective in the sales letter.
Do you want the reader to purchase the product outright? or visit your store
or showroom?To invite “you” to his or her place for a demonstration? In any
case make action easy and immediate.
• Make action easy
if you want them to call you and visit your facility, say that in your
letter and provide your phone number, address and other information.
• Make action immediate
1. Offer a discount or giveaway for early buyers
Example: only first 100 customers will receive free car maintenance for 12
months
2.Hint on limited stock or promo period
Example: Fly high! Pay low! Avail Cebu Pacific’s SEAT SALE from August to
November

10. EXAMPLE 1
Welcome the sun! Feel the wind! Embrace the mountains! Savor the
Pollution-free air! Only at theTRIONTOWERS.
TRIONTOWERS is the first and only residential property in nearby Bonifacio Global
City. It is designed in a triangular formation to provide multiple open sides to let
abundant sunlight, fresh air, and enticing view into each of a one, two, or three-
bedroom unit.
Find out about our Super Easy Home-fixed installment program, absolutely NO
DOWN PAYMENT. Installment scheme uses only one fixed installment amount.
Come to the special viewing day on August 29 at 6:30pm at the new showroom at
theTRIONTOWERS on eight avenue, corner Mckinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global
City.
For more information, please call 636-0888.

11. Example 1 , sales letter illustrates the following:
A = Attractive opening sentence – the reader is invited to welcome nature, to feel and
embrace it in a pollution-free ambiance.
B = interest and desire
• Interest – the property is described- a residential property with multiple open sides,
three sides like a triangle; three types of units with one, two, or three bedrooms
• Desire – benefits that the reader may enjoy- abundant sunlight, fresh air, enticing
view (which bring you pleasure, comfort, health)
economy – no down payment, no ballroom payment; only one fixed installment
amount.
C = Convincing the reader
Offer of the super easy Home fixed installment program, no down payment, no balloon
payment.
D = directing action
• Invites the reader to a special viewing day
• Provides the contact numbers

13. Give the 3 steps in Planning a
Sales Letter.
ANSWERS
1.Knowing your product
2. Knowing your prospects
3. Knowing theA, B, C and D of the
sales letter

14. 1. Mass mailing needs a salutation and inside address. or
2. You can write an effective sales letter without knowing your prospects. or
3. The opening sentence should attract the reader’s attention. or
4. Convince the reader’s to take the action immediately. or
5. The purpose of the letter is to invite the prospective buyers. or
6. Sales letter is selective of its audience or reader. or
7. It is important to know your product when composing a sales letter. or
8. The opening sentence is less important in a sales letter. or
9. In the opening sentence, you can use a striking statement of fact. or
10. Study your target market before composing a sales letter. or
TRUE or FALSE
 
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
FALSE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE

15. THANK YOU!! 