Whether you’re a service provider or a retailer, a solidly constructed direct mail sales letter (or better yet, a three-letter series) can work for you over and over again, for years to come. So says Karen Scharf, an Indianapolis-based marketing consultant who works with small business owners and entrepreneurs (modernimage.com). She claims that some of her best sales letters have been in circulation for more than 10 years. What are the secrets to success? Scharf offers these seven tips:

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1. Start studying sales letters. Instead of tossing that pile of direct mail promotions, go through it and pull out the sales letters that appeal to you. What do you like about them? What attracted you to them? What was the first thing you noticed? What made you keep reading? Start a collection of sales letters and direct mail marketing packages that you would like to model.

2. Take the time to do it right. A highly converting sales letter cannot be written in an hour or two. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it only took you 10 minutes to read the most compelling sales letter you’ve ever seen. It probably took several weeks’ worth of research, writing, and testing before the letter was deemed worthy to send. Don’t try to create a sales letter in one sitting.

3. Do the research. Remember, you are not your customer. Don’t assume that your emotions, needs, and incentives are the same as your customers’. Knowing the real reasons your customers buy is crucial to the success of your sales letter, so do the research before putting pen to paper.

4. Use a captivating headline. Many successful copywriters consider the headline the most important component of a sales letter. The goal of your headline is to grab your audience and get them to read the first paragraph of your letter.

5. Talk about the benefits, not features. Think about what the audience ultimately gets from your product or service.

6. Use power words. Every industry, every target, every niche has its own jargon and vocabulary. Be sure to use the words your reader would use, sound like your reader would sound, and talk like your reader would talk.

7. Always add a PS. Studies show that the “PS” is the second-most read component of any sales letter, behind the headline. A proven format for your PS: a succinct one- or two-sentence reiteration of your offer.

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