Writing a Mailshot

3. Making It Convincing

3.1 Make your offer sound credible.

• Be direct, enthusiastic and honest. Do not write anything that is untrue.
• Explain all the good reasons for buying.
• Anticipate objections and counter them.
• Make all the facts and figures you quote accurate and specific.

3.2 Use language your potential customers will feel comfortable with.

• Tailor your wording to your audience - natural and relaxed for consumer mailings, more purposeful for business mailshots.
• Match your tone to your company's image and your industry. Solicitors get it wrong if they try to be too chummy; roofers who sound too pompous lose business.

3.3 Offer plausible trade-offs.

• 'Buy three, get one free' is attractive. Buyers can see you are trading off price against volume.
• 'Member-get-member' incentives appeal to people's taste for a deal.

3.4 Exploit third-party material that backs up your claims.

• Testimonials will always boost your success rate, especially a copy of an original letter.
• Reprints of press cuttings give credibility.
• Quote scientific studies that support your arguments, or else refer to the popularity established by previous sales ('A million housewives every day...' or 'Already Britain's Number One scanner').

3.5 Spell out the terms of your guarantee.

• This is especially important if you are targeting new customers.