If you have been involved in the making of a product or service, the chances are you think it is the best thing since sliced bread. You have nurtured it from the initial brain storming sessions and through its infancy. You were there smoothing out the troublesome teenage problems until a fully matured product emerged. In fact you are so close to it, all you can see are its features and that will be all you want to talk about.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing because we all want to know what something can do. But if you want to be a great sales writer you must understand that what the potential reader/buyer wants to know is how it is going to benefit them. What is it going to do for them? Why should they spend their hard earned cash on your particular product or service?

For example, you have made a pair of football boots, your sales copy reads like this:

• They are made from a unique leather 
• They have titanium tipped studs
• They come in a range of colours
• They mould to your foot

What is your reader going to think? Shall I tell you? They’ll say ‘so what?’ turn over the page and start reading the latest celebrity gossip.

Now if you sold them on the basis that by wearing your football boots your customer would become a better football player, that is a benefit. The features will help your buyer rationalise their buying decision but it is the benefit that will get him to pull his wallet out.

People want to know WHY they should buy something, not WHAT they are buying.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

I have often been mocked for my view that B2B (business to business) sales writing should be treated in the same was as B2C (business to customer). But I laugh in the face of mockery – why should it be different?

• Can a company physically buy something?
• Can a company actually meet you at the coffee shop round the corner?
• Can a company sit down at a table and sign a contract?

Of course not therefore you are writing to individuals, normal human beings within a company. No matter how high up the ladder they are, they are normal, walking, talking and breathing people. So why treat them differently?

There are 4 golden rules to follow in B2B sales writing, stick to these and you’ll be worshiped the world over.

1. Keep it brief – you are writing to people at work so they will be time limited.
2. Business people are human – they also make decisions partially for personal reasons (more profits equal bigger salaries etc). Tap into reason and emotion for the best results.
3. You are writing to sell, so sell benefits – buy this and you’ll save money, save time, make bigger profits, reduce staff turnover, and improve productivity.
4. There is no language called B2Bish – keep it plain and simple; steer clear of cliché and jargon.

Follow these simple guidelines and it will be you who has the last laugh.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.

You could be forgiven for thinking you have stumbled into a Yul Brynner fan site or the bizarre world of a The King and I obsessive. But fear not, this is neither.

What I want to talk about is the all important aspect of any sales writing – getting to know your reader. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, The 7 Deadly Sins – a Copywriter’s Best Friend, I am not condoning any method that could be construed as stalking. Rather, what I am talking about is getting inside your reader’s head. Find out what makes them tick; what drives and motivates them. If you can understand the inner foibles of your readers mind, you will find it a lot easier to sell to them.

Attention to detail

If you are sending out newsletters to your customers at least have the good grace to master the intricacies of mail merge and address it to the person to whom it is being sent, not just to ‘Dear Customer’. Rather than getting that warm and fuzzy feeling when you think the sending company cares about you, your readers’ reaction will be ‘oh great, another mail shot’ and it will be confined to the recycling bin.

People are real

So when you are trying to get to know your reader, don’t rely on market reports and data, go out there and actually talk to people. The betting is that no matter what your target audience, you will know some people who are in it. Be it friends, neighbours, people at the gym or at your local corner shop. Talk to them, find out their concerns and you’ll be able to write from their heart.

Multiple readers

You will be writing for multiple readers 99% of the time. This makes your life slightly more difficult but not impossible. Here you need to think about your typical reader – the person who embodies the traits shared by your readership. Ignore this and you’ll end up writing bland and tedious copy as you attempt to write for every personality known to man.

The main thing to remember when involved with sales writing is get to know your audience; you are writing for them. After all they are the ones who will be doing the buying.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.

You have decided to launch your new marketing campaign. You have identified your target market and decided which product you want to promote. You are sat down in front of your PC with a blank screen in front of you. So where do you start?

Ask yourself what is your reader interested in? Let me give you a clue; THEMSELVES.

You must write about your product from your readers’ point of view. Don’t waste precious space telling them what it is: tell them what it does for them. In other words tell them how your product will make their life easier, more rewarding or complete.

I guess you are wondering where the 7 deadly sins come into all of this. They are the keys to tapping into your prospective customer’s emotional desires.

Pride – You can simply make your reader believe you by flattering them. They are important; they have huge amounts of experience and savvy. Make the suggestion that someone with as much talent for making the right decision as they have really ought to be signing up for/buying your suggestion, and they will.

Envy – Tell them people out there already have it and are benefiting hugely from it. They’ll hate to think they are missing out.

Gluttony – People will always want more of something. Be it for taste, comfort, sensation or solace. If you can convince them they will feel contented when they ‘consume’ it you are onto a winner.

Lust – OK, this could be a bit tricky. Try and convince them that this product will satisfy their craving and they’ll snap your hand off. You will also deserve an Oscar especially if you are selling something like carpet cleaner.

Anger – People get angry all the time. The last time I was it was over my mobile phone’s pathetic battery life (which I may add has not yet been resolved). Give your readers a way out of their present frustrations and they will thank you heartily for it.

Greed – This is a major motivator. People always want more of what they already have so promise more and they’ll be faster out of the trap than a greyhound.

Sloth – Yes, we are all inherently lazy. So if your product can save them time and effort they will gladly open their wallets.

Remember, people will try to rationalise their buying decision so all you have to do is provide sufficient objective reasons why buying your product is a sensible thing to do. But people will always buy on an emotional basis first so make sure your pitch presses one of the deadly sins buttons and you’ll be on to a winner.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.

When it is an advert! By all means create a press release to signal the launch of a new website, product or service but the key is to make it newsworthy – that way, your release will be accepted, published and widely distributed.

By following these simple steps, your press releases will be powerful, professional and successful:

Check it!

Once you have written your release, proofread it! Take your time. The more you invest in your company’s first impression the stronger it will be. A poorly structured, badly spelt release will not lead to an avalanche of enquiries.

Flex your muscles

Start off with a strong message. Your headline, summary and first paragraph should clarify your news. Use the rest of the release to provide the detail. Include your keywords in the headline, summary and first paragraph. Add your web address too and tell them who you are, it will add to your credibility.

Be professional

A few lines are all it takes to see if something has been written professionally or not. If you write with hype, slang, direct address or excessive exclamation the chances are that it will be viewed as an advertisement rather than a news article.

Am I bothered?

To coin my son’s favourite catchphrase, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask exactly that. Remember, this is your business so you are going to get excited about little things – but are your customers? If you are opening a new shop for example, is that newsworthy? What will make it so unique? Avoid clichés and focus on the elements that set you apart from everyone else. Try tying it in with current news issues, social issues etc.

Illustrate

I’m not suggesting that you turn in to Rolf Harris and ask everyone “can you tell what it is yet?” By illustrate I mean use real life studies to show how you help problem solve or how your product helps your customers. Everyone can associate with real life examples – they are a powerful tool so use them.

Blow your own trumpet

Forget the good old British reserve – your company is a success, you have reached a milestone, you have identified and solved a problem, you’ve hired a new MD. Whatever it is, shout about it. Issuing press releases (for online or print) is a superb way of creating expert status for you and your company. How about writing a tip sheet (a bit like this one) in your field of expertise?

Tease don’t tell

Although you want to use the press release as a vehicle for getting your news out there, if you need to, hold back. If you are launching a new service or product or have a new promotion provide your reader with a link that will take them to your website so they can learn more. If you give them all the information they need in the release why will they want to go to your website? By using this method your call to action will pull them away from reading and push them to take action by clicking onto your site.

Words and voice

Keep your press release voice active, use strong verbs and economise – be clear and concise, make every word count. Also keep away from jargon, I know you all love it but your audience doesn’t!

There you go – follow these simple pointers and you will be producing compelling, informative and above all, readable press releases.

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.