We make sales by communicating; whether by letter; email; talking; website; newsletters; flyers; brochures. All are intended to get your message out to your marketplace.

In previous articles Ive described how and what you say or write affects your message and the results you get. Now lets have a look at a simple sequence of communication that is effective in getting sales

Youve probably heard advertising agencies or publications say you need to run an advert at least 6 or 7 times for people to notice and respond. I tend to disagree with this wide sweeping statement. I believe it all depends upon the type of advert, how well targeted the publication is and how well formulated the advert is. If all of these elements are spot-on you can expect results from the first advert placed.

However - theres always an however isnt there? ;) The same cant always be said for direct response communication into a new marketplace, whether by email or letter.

If the person you are writing to does not know you or your business; has never even heard of you then your first job is to familiarise them with the benefits of what they can get from you. The real reason from their point of view as to why they should do business with you. (Im assuming here that you have done your research and selected only people who have already demonstrated an interest in what you offer).

And provided you create your message in an evocative, compelling way it is as easy as 1-2-3! (By the way, it doesnt matter what medium you use electronic, postal mail, or whatever the principle is the same).

This simple process has worked very effectively for my clients

1) Write an introductory message. This message must be compelling and could, perhaps, give a hint of whats to follow. For one of my clients we sent a 1-page letter from a staff member telling the prospect, who was specifically targeted, that she thought her Managing Director had lost the plot because of the crazy deal he was about to launch to them.

She told the reader to look out for the package from her MD, which should arrive within 2 3 weeks. The P.S. said the reader could phone if they wanted to get in ahead of the crowd.

The first letter created a flurry of phone calls. (If you would like to see what the letter contained send an email to letter@aweber.com you will be asked, by email, to confirm you do want to receive it).

2) Your second message expands further on the first. If youve used your first letter as a teaser as I did for my client your second gives the full story. It clearly explains all about the service or product you are offering; the benefits the reader will enjoy; testimonials from other customers/clients who have already benefited; bonuses being offered and a call to action (the response you want from your reader).

For my client this was the package from the MD explaining more about the offer. It satisfied the people who had read the first letter and were curious to know more but not curious enough to phone up. It generated enquiries about, and appointments for, the free demonstration he was offering.

3) A follow-up reminder. In each of your messages always refer to the fact that you have written before. This creates consistency of communication in the recipient's mind and they become more familiar with you, your offer and the benefits you intend to deliver.

In my clients campaign we followed up with a message from the first sender asking if theyd received the package because she hadnt seen their name on the demonstration list and she was concerned that theyd missed it.

Sending a reminder is perfectly acceptable and many people will thank you especially if the offer has a time-limit they might have missed because they got too busy.

When sending your missives test using different media we used a letter for the first contact, then a package which included an audio CD / CDRom presentation; followed by a reminder postcard.

The other elements of contact could just as easily have been an email, a newsletter or a phone call.