The Little Things Count--8 Things to Remember When Designing a Direct Sales Piece

When it comes to designing a direct sales piece, whether it be a
brochure or a sales letter, the little things really do count.
Focus as much on presentation as you do on the message.

Keep these 10 essential tips in mind when designing your direct
sales piece, and your results will go through the roof:

1. Bullet Points - The human eye is drawn to text that is
preceded by a bullet point. Bullet points shout to the reader,
"Pay special attention to me! I am important!"

Write up a laundry list of benefits. Make them easy to read so
prospects can skim through them quickly and get the gist of what
you can do for them. And always keep your laundry list of
benefits bulleted so the reader can't miss it.

2. Cliff-hangers - Continue the last sentence of your paragraph
on the next page of your direct sales piece. Try to ask a
question or give a solution. This technique is called a cliff-
hanger. If your reader wants to find out what will happen, he/she
will have to turn the page. Because so many people fail to make
it to the second page of a direct sales piece, it is essential to
use cliff-hangers to hook your readers.

3. Simple Layout - Don't confuse your reader with tricky layout.
Keep your indents, underlining, centering and subheadings
consistent. And don't justify your right margins.

4. Mini-headlines - You can use paragraph headings like mini-
headlines to help your message stand out and keep the reader's
eye flowing down the page. Keep these headings the same color as
your letterhead to give them that extra oomph.

5. Font - It's always tempting to experiment with the myriad of
font choices your computer offers, but don't get carried away.
Some of those fonts are impossible to read. My advice is to stick
with courier because it is the easiest to read.

6. Stationary - Keep your direct sales piece looking classy with
color stationary and good paper stock. Don't go for the flimsy
stuff just because it's cheaper. Your results will speak for
themselves.

7. Envelope Size - Size really does matter when it comes to
direct sales. Mail your letter in a 9 X 12 envelope and people
will think they are getting something important.

8. Personal Touches - Address the envelope by hand. It makes the
recipient of the sales piece feel special and important because
you took the time to add that personal touch. Sales pitches come
addressed by a computer, but a letter from a friend comes hand-
addressed. Your prospects will be more likely to open a friendly
letter than one they know contains a sales pitch.

It also helps to use a real stamp instead of a postage meter.
Again, people will think you took the time out to personally lick
each stamp and place it on their envelope. It adds that personal
touch that most sales pieces lack.

About the Author

Keller Flynn writes sales making sales letters at DrNunley's
http://WhizLetter.com Get your 900 word sizzling sales letter for
print, email, or your web site for just $345. We'll have it in
your hands within a few days. Reach Keller at
mailto:keller@WhizLetter.com or 801-328-9006.