Copy isn't everything
Looking beyond the message
EarthMonkey
I’ve written my own sales letter, and I’m really happy with it. But it’s not getting me sales. What’s going wrong?
From: Eric (mortgage broker, Newport)
Dear Eric
It’s difficult to say without seeing your letter, as there could be all sorts of problems with the copy. But you say you’re happy with it, so let’s assume it’s perfect and look at what else could be going wrong.
Now - this isn’t something you’d expect to hear from a team of copywriters, but here goes nothing:
Your copy is not the most important part of your letter!
(Yes, we really did say that!) Let’s assume you have 2 letters, both selling mortgages. The first one is probably the best letter ever written. It’s witty, persuasive, inspiring and makes a solid emotional connection with the prospect. The second is the worst letter of all time: it jumps about from one point to the next. It’s full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, and it alienates the reader with a pompous, superior tone.
But – the first letter is going out to just anyone and everyone, while the second is going to people who are coming to the end of a fixed term mortgage. In this example, the rubbish letter will be more successful.
In other words, your prospect list is more important than the copy.