When I taught the Predictable Revenue online course, I mentioned the importance of the five fundamentals in the writing of a good e-mail:
- Get Attention
- Show An Advantage
- Prove It
- Persuade Prospects to Grasp This Advantage
- Ask-For‐Action
Called persuasive copywriting, the e-mails are written specifically to move your prospect to the next sales step.
Important, why?
- Your e-mail will not stimulate movement to the next sales step if it is not read
- Your e-mail cannot be read if it is not seen
- Your e-mail will not be seen unless it can Get Attention
Over 80% of the clients I work with do not have strong persuasive content in place after an account enters the pipeline. Or, they (gasp!) repurpose editorial “awareness” copy for this purpose.
Think about this. You’ve had conversation(s) with the accounts (otherwise, they shouldn’t be in the pipeline, right?). Why would you send e-mail content that doesn’t give them a reason to take the next step in your sales process?
The touchy-feely awareness editorial content is great for accounts who have not entered the pipeline (COLD queue). Sure, persuasive copy is harder to write. But results make the pain worth while (I’ve seen sales step conversion ratios move 25-50% and higher, for example).
Write Persuasive Copy Using this Proven Formula
Rewrite your editorial copy using the five steps above. There are hundreds of direct response letters on the Internet that follow the five-step formula. Copy them. Read them 10+ times each so you get a feel of how they move you to action.
By reworking pipeline content to align to this winning formula, you can expect a considerable increase in conversion ratios as accounts traverse from COLD to QUALIFIED.
