Perfect Pitch Writing sales materials that sing

A few years ago, an editor at a large publishing house told me astory about some of her bestselling authors. She claims fans willsay just about anything to get their hands on these celebritywriters' latest releases, including "calling my officeshortly before the authors' new books are released and saying:`My father's in the hospital dying. Couldn't you just getthe book to me ahead of time so he can read it before he goes?'"

Compelling writing elicits dramatic, action-packed responseslike these. That's why top sales stars learn to write salesletters with the flair of bestselling authors. Whether it's asales letter, brochure, flier or other advertising piece, it'simportant to become a student of the written word early in thebuilding of your business.

Like anything else, good writing is a skill that must becultivated over time. Here are a few lessons I learned aboutwriting, culled from my experiences in graduate school, during thecourse of my career as an entrepreneur, and while writing fivebooks.