Letters, Memos, and Email I 421

'th sales receipts, letters, catalogue d

. . .
I t .. th . . escnptions, or invoices Always send copies of the

o·
W1
documents, re ammg e ongmals Refi tO th C ·
r. th CD t l h · er e D for another sample claim letter.
Reier to e o earn ow to wn'te ad'~ustment letters which are written m
• reply to
I
. '

Sales Letters
Sales letters are the most cost-effect'ive an d time-efficient
· . ·
means of marketmg. products or
· However, unlike
se rvices. They are also a form of adve r t'1S1ng. • press and telev1S1on
• • advert1smg,
··
which are meant
. . for everybodv" sales letters are targeted at selected types of customers. The
prirnary obJ ect1ve of any sales lette r is
· to convert its
· readers mto
• potential· customers.
1
•

Before drafting a sales letter (Exhibit 17.13), one must gain a thorough understanding of
the product or service. If it is a product, we must be aware of the following details:
• Appearance • Manufacturing
• Working • Packaging
• Price • Discount offers
• Mode of delivery
If it is a service such as an organization offering cons~ltancy, we must understand the
following:
• People involved • Duration
• Details of jobs undertaken • Changes
• Terms and conditions
Besides having a thorough understanding of the product or service, one must also be
aware of the readers' requirements and their need for our product or service. Gather as much
information as possible about their status (academic/economic/financial), age, interests,
emotional concerns, nationality, and culture.
With the product or service and our prospects in mind, we may then start drafting the
sales letter. AB already mentioned, sales letters are effective when they sound like successful
advertisements. In order to make sales letters effective, we should ensure that they accomplish
the following objectives, through the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) approach:
• Catch the reader's attention (A)
• Arouse the reader's interest (I)
• Create a desire in the reader (D)
• Motivate the reader to action (A)
Accordingly, sales letters can have three or four paragraphs as follows:
1. Attention (introductory paragraph)
2. Interest and desire (discussion paragraph)
3. Action (closing paragraph)
· ,When•using the AIDA approach in sales letters, begin the letter ~th an attentio~-catching
device generate interest by describing the features of the product, mcrease the desire for the
produ~t by highlighting the benefits that are most appealing to the reader, and close by
motivating _the reader to act upon the letter.
422 I Technical Communication

Sales letter (complete block layout)

EXHIBIT 17.13

<(~ >
Florence Optical Ltd

30 September 2010
Sushila Rathore
486, Gandhi Marg
--- ~-

Pilani

Dear Customer
Sub: introduction of the 'the ultimate' in the Hi tech series in sunglasses.

EYES, YOUR BEAUTIFUL EYES, are the fathomless ocean of expression that
deserves protection. With this aim in mind we at Florence Optical are constantly ---11--- Attention
researching to provide better products to our customers.
' The Ultimate' is our latest range of optical accessories that caters to the need and
comfort of your most precious eyes. The sunglasses designed incorporate the latest
Light Sensing Technology. The glasses as well as the lenses have in-built micro Interest
sensors that control the amount of light entering your eyes. The refractive index of
the glasses is moderately controlled by the Liquid Crystal Nano Robots infused in
the glasses.
It is our tradition to not only employ the best of technology but also to infuse our
products with the elegance and style that enhances your personality and caters to Desire
your taste. Our limited edition range of sunglasses is simple and elegant in design
without any false ornamentation.
The unique features of 'The Ultimate' range of sunglasses are in consonance with
the requirements of academicians, professionals, and executives. We feel that you _ _..__ Action
deserve to be the first worthy owner of these glasses at a special 50% discount
price.
i
Thank You
/.
Sincerely Yours
t-1~~ l 1
Manju Sharma
(Chief Executive)

,- ,, t,
, .,1:' ,I A A.:c ,1·
/
t
23, Rue Victor Hugo,
't Paris, France
,, l Ph: 33(1)53902020

Catching attention d what

The intro~~ctory paragraph of a sales letter tells the readers why we are writing ~tended
we are wntmg about. Some unique strategies may help gain the attention of the
 Letters, Memos, and Email I 423
readers of the sales letter. Gaining att • Th
• d · b enuon thus would interest them to read further. e
follo~g . eVIcles
or service 1nvo ve . de~ e used to grab the attention of the reader' depending on the product

• Question
• Anecdote • Quotation
• Statistics
• Central selling point
• Appeal
Qµestion or a series of questions Th· th ·
.
For example the following questio is bme od will make
. the reader expect an answer.
. ' ns can e used by a publisher to lead a reader to become
interested m a CD ROM accompanying a book:
Ho_w can I develop ~y interpersonal skills? How am I going to perform in my interview?Will my performance
satisfy my prospective employer? Do these questions bother you? The CD-ROM accompanying our book
has the answers.

Qµotation A quotation gives credibility to the product or service, and hence, readers would
like to know what the product is. See the following example aimed at technical writers:
'Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man' -Francis Bacon
If you want to become exact in your writing approach, use 'Write Exact', our new office communication
service.

Anecdote Begin the letter with a brief dramatic story. The following example illustrates the
attention-catching opening of a sales letter written to advertise a photocopier:
u
I was so upset over what had happened that morning.As soon as I entered my boss's room, he yelled at
me and I was puzzled. But alas! When I saw the photocopies of the survey report In his hand I had no
words to say. They were so poorly produced that I could not make out anything. At that same moment I
decided to replace the existing office photocopier with a CLEARIMAGE photocopier, which I came across
in a client's firm.

StatisticsProvide the stat1st.J.cs of a survey result to the target audience, e.g., a non-
government organization persuading people to pledge eye donation: ·
Please do not ever think that you are alone. You will be one among those people who have agreed to
donate their eyes after their death.A recent survey conducted by 'Drishti' says that among the I 000 people
who have signed for this noble cause, 20% are above 60 years of age, 30% are in the age group of 50-60
and the remaining 50% belong to your age group.

Central selling point Emphasize the main benefit of the product to the reader. See the
following example about air conditioners:
You are sure to like such a gift that gives you a cooler and more comfortable home, free from dust, and also
a saving of over 20 per cent in electricity.

ApPeal Begin the letter with an appeal to the reader's emotions and values when offering
the services of tax consultants.
Th ere ·1s nothing worse than paying
· taxes w hen you do not have to do so.

l
424 I Technical Communication

Building interest
After catching the reader's attention by using any one or a combination of the devices
discussed earlier, one should move on to build an interest in the reader abo~t the product or
service. At this stage, highlight the product's key selling point. For example, if we wish to sell
a tourist package offer, mention how relatively inexpensive it is, how many places it would
cover, and what concession it gives for children.
Although all these are attractive features, we should focus on that very important
feature that most concerns our prospects and that which distinguishes our product. Hence
concentrate on the central selling point and build the audience's. inter_est by highlightin~
this point. Make it stand out by using additional effects such as usmg different fonts, sorne
designs, or a unique style of writing. For a better understanding of how to build interest
among readers, go through the following extract taken from a sales letter:
Introducing the Sanyo PLC-XU35.XU30.SU30 series of ultra-portable projectors with revolutionary
Media Card lmager (MCI) unit.You no longer have to carry along your laptop as well as your projector to
make a presentation.You can convert your computer presentations or any screen data into images and save
the images onto the MCI flash card with up to I GB data storage capacity.
Just set up the projector, slide in the flash card into the MCI uni't attached to the projector and project
the images just like you would do in a normal presentation.
Despite being compact and lightweight, these new Sanyo projectors have a full range of _input/output
capabilities to be compatible with all latest computer and video sources taking them to the top of their
class. Along with proprietary Digital Realized Video Scaling technology and Digital Realized Interpolation
technology, these projectors give video and data images of highest q~ality. They have such a stylish design
that they impress your audience even before you begin your presentation.

Increasing desire
This is an extension of the previous section. Here, the main benefit of using the product
is mentioned repeatedly by elaborating and expanding. Use of persuasive words and also
some pictures would help in convincing the audience that the product is worth what we are
claiming. This main benefit will enthral the audience, motivate them to read further, and
lead them towards the last step of the sales letter.
The reader's desire towards the product may be further enhanced by using the 'you'
attitude, action terms (strong verbs such as 'supports' instead of 'is designed to support'),
colourful verbs and adjectives ('you will be delighted to see your floor sparkle like effulgent
diamonds'), and by talking about price. Support the claim by describing how the product has
benefited others. It includes testimonials (praise from satisfied customers) or statistics related
to the product's performance. Guarantees of exchange or return privileges may be included
in this part of the letter, indicating that we have faith in our product.
Try to anticipate every question the audience may like to ask and answer them in the
letter. This part of a sales letter can be written effectively as shown in the following excerpt:
With research having shown that students grasp and learn much more when aided by a projector, your
classrooms definitely deserve the latest Sanyo projectors to create that extra edge that will translate into
a big difference and revolutionize teaching practices in your institute.
 Letters, Memos, and Email 425

Motivating action
The sales letter has now grabbed the atte • . .
· d increased the desire to bu . Havin ntion of_ th e audience, created an interest ID them,
an . th d y. g accomplished these three objectives the next stage
. to motivate e rea er to aat as so 'b ' • ·
is th d b h on as poss1 le. Although the ultim. ate objective 1s to
persuade e ~ea er to uy t e product, the letter must at least motivate the reader to ask for
emonstration, a sample or at least • r .
ad ' some more m10rmat1on about the product.
The stronger the effort to sell the t will . . 1
. . ' s ronger be the •dnve for action. For examp e,
'Order your washmg machme today-while it is on your mind' might be more effective than
'Please se~d us your o rd er today.' Before including these words, tell the reader how to go
about placmg the order. A few, samples are given below:
Fill in your preferences on th e enclosed stamped and addressed order form and drop it in the mail box
today! ,
Call the number O11- 255 25526 right now and we'll deliver your washing machine in no time. Order it now,
while you are thinking ofWashwell 20 IO .
. Just visit our website to place your order for... , ,
You can also persuade readers by informing them about a trial offer, free sample offer,
limited time or limited quantity offer, and festival or seasonal offers.
Mail the enclosed card today and get ready for the festival of lights.
Order today be the first to own this prestigious ·coffee maker.

, The sales letter can be concluded by re-emphasizing the basic appeal or the central selling
point. This emphasis would enable the reader to recall' the benefits of the product.
• ' .. I.·

Postscript
Although postscript (PS) appears as an afterthought in other·letters, it can be used in sales
letters as a part of its design. It can be used to emphasize the central appeal, to motivate the
reader to act, to suggest that the reader pass along the sales·message, or to invite the reader's
attention to other enclosures. See the following' samples for the ·effective use of PS.
,'\- • I I •.

PS Know someone whose birthday is approaching? Our music CDs make a distinctive gift.
PS Remember! If you feel that Washwell 20 IO is not for you, we'll give you every paisa of your money back. We
are confident thatWashwe/12010 will become one of your household essentials.