Letter Perfect Ink the deal with a solid sales letter.

While I was speaking at a conference in Atlanta not long ago, Imet an entrepreneur named Bob. He said he continually sent lettersout with his company brochures, but he never got a positiveresponse from prospects. In fact, most prospects couldn't evenremember having received anything from him, and others refused totake his follow-up phone calls.

I asked Bob to send me a sample of his mailings. The brochurewas professionally produced and was clearly not the problem. Thesales letter, however, was another story. It was basically a letterall about Bob--what his credentials were, what his company did andhow he really wanted to have a meeting with thisparticular prospect. Like many new entrepreneurs, Bob hadfailed to realize that prospect letters, like all other salesliterature, must be outer-directed and answer the prospect'squestion, "What's in it for me?"

Unless you're writing a letter to your mother, no one wantsto hear all about you. They want to learn about the benefits tothemselves or their companies of using your company, your productsor your services. The best prospect letters are about "whatyou get," not about "what I offer."