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How to Turn Prospects Into Customers

- Terry Dean -


If you have ever been a salesperson or worked in any type of sales field, the session they spend the LONGEST time on is how to close your prospects. You can lead them all the way up to the sale where they are ready to sign, but you have to get them to sign the dotted line. You have to be an effective closer if you are ever going to be good at sales.

Some sales classes will devote 90% of their time to teaching you how to close the prospects. I have read books with 100s of different types of closes for selling. Yet, in printed advertising, most advertising books and 90% of advertisers don't do anything to close their prospects.

If you can't close, you can't sell. If you can't close your prospect through your salesletter, then you can't write salesletters. That is the reason we have devoted an entire section to showing you how to close your prospects in printed advertising. If you can't close your prospects, it doesn't matter how excited you get them through the rest of the letter.

The close I generally use consists of 5 major elements:

1 Scarcity Or the Take-Away

2 Action

3 Warning

4 Take Action Now

5 P.S.

Every single salesletter I write contains those 5 elements to close my prospects. They are so important, I want to make sure we cover each one in detail.

#1 - Scarcity

This is where you tell your prospect how this offer is scarce. You only have a few of them left, the offer is only good for seven days, etc. The purpose of it is to get your prospects to act now.

How many times have you received something in the mail and said, 'I want this...After I speak to my wife or friend about it." Then, you file it away on or in your desk never to be heard from again. You plain forget about it.

Unless you add an element of scarcity to your products or services, this is what will happen to ALL of your salesletters. They will end up forgotten in the heap of junk mail everyone receives every day, even if they wanted your product.

You have to give your prospects a reason to order now. Here are some scarcity techniques or examples you can adapt and use for your salesletters:

  • Is available only for a limited time

  • Is available only for the next 7 days

  • Is available only till April 15th (Any date could be here)

  • Is available at the discount price for a limited time

  • Is available with the Free Bonuses for a limited time

  • Is almost out of stock..."We only have 50 left!"

  • You will be out by the end of the week

There are more ideas you could come up with to make them take action now as long as they do two things. #1 - They have to be honest...You cant say you will raise your prices on April 15th if you are not going to do it. #2 - They make your prospects have to take action now or lose out on something (Fear of Loss)

The absolute best option is the actual date the offer is good until. Listing a literal date such as April 15th, May 1st, December 31st, etc. will cause the best reaction of all. The disadvantage of this avenue is that you have to do it right!

If you don't get the salesletter mailed 2 weeks in advance (14 - 21 days in advance), your offer will bomb BIG TIME. You have to have complete control over your mailing (And printing) to be able to use that type of scarcity tactic. If you do have that control though, go for it!

#2 - Action

You now want your prospects to take action. To do this, you will want to make it as simple as possible and tell them EXACTLY what to do to order. We discussed this somewhat in the order form section, but it bares repeating here. You need to tell them every option for ordering in detail. Tell them what to do.

"In order for you to start getting ____________(List 2 or three of your benefits here separated by commas), pick up the phone and dial these 11 numbers: 1-800-000-0000"

"Or Simply fill out the Enclosed Trial Certificate to begin your 90 day evaluation of __________________(Name the product here)"

Don't ever assume your prospects know how to order. As a matter of fact, never assume anything. Your prospects want you to tell them what to do so they don't have to think about it. Make it easy and Keep it simple. 

#3 - Warn

Now that you have told them how to order your product, you must make them come to the realization of what life is like without your product. People like comfort and they dislike change. Since your product represents some kind of change to them, you are going to have to do something to overcome this problem.

You MUST warn them what their life will be like without your product. Warn them what it is like to stay in the status quo. How will their life be in 10 years if they don't get your product? What will happen to their business if they don't get your product? What are they giving up if they ignore your salesletter?

 You are going to have to answer these questions yourself.   Then warn your prospects. You told them what they would get and how to order. Now, tell them WHY they shouldn't put it off in no uncertain terms. Use desire and/or fear to make sure your prospects realize that the status quo is no good and that they have no other choice but to order your product.

People don't buy products. They buy solutions. What will happen to them if they don't get your solution? You must tell them every little detail about this to get the sale.

# 4 - Take Action Now!

Now you will repeat how to order and why they must order right now or else miss out on the chance of their lives. Tell them that this is the chance of their lifetimes and that they can't miss out on _____________ (Insert Benefits Here) or they will regret it for the rest of their lives. If they don't take action now, they will never have any of those _____(Benefits here).

Once you have this combined set of closing techniques, people can barely stand to turn down your amazing offer. This is there last chance to order and let them know that they have to do it now.

Finish this off with a salutation and with your signature. There are many ways to end your letter...Sincerely, Sincerely Yours, Yours in Success, etc. Then, sign your salesletter.

Wait. You are not done yet. You still have to add your P.S.

#5 - P.S. 

Having a P.S. is vital in every salesletter you create. This is often one of the first things your prospects look at...because it is an overview of the salesletter.

There are a couple of techniques for creating your P.S. My favorite one is to use the first P.S. To repeat the offer and the deadline for ordering. Then, I will go on to a P.P.S. in which I will state an overview of the FREE Bonuses they get for ordering.

You could also use 3 or more P.S.'s. The first one would name the #1 benefit of your product again and maybe the warning. The P.P.S. would include the offer and deadline. The P.P.P.S. would include the Free Bonuses or mention the most powerful of the Free Bonuses.

Whichever type of P.S. or combo you use, you must use one. I always repeat the offer and deadline in at least one of the P.S. so if you only have space for one, do that.

Terry Dean is the webmaster at http://www.bizpromo.com Visit today for turn-key web site solutions, turn-key products you can sell, and answers to all of your Internet marketing questions. For "115 Internet marketing tips" please send an email to..

115tips@aweber.com

 


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