I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help you make a decision. In this particular case, I am trying to write a few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You know, how to write a sales letter that sounds like it came from the mind of a person and not an institution.

I suppose the first thing I can tell you is that you should write the way you talk, unless, of course, you talk in halting sentences punctuated with “ya knows” and “like, you know what I mean?”

And if you usually write sales letters that are signed by someone else, your marketing manager, for example, then you need to write the way that person speaks.

The secret to sounding personal and conversational on paper is to imagine that you are actually having a conversation with your customer or prospect. A back-and-forth exchange where your reader asks questions and you supply answers. That way, your letter sounds like it is written by a living, breathing person, since it addresses issues that are important to the reader, and does so in a warm, lively style.

Which reminds me, try to keep your sentences short. Not like the one that ended the last paragraph.

What else can I tell you? Rhetorical questions are one device at your disposal. Rhetorical questions, as I am sure you know, are questions that are asked for rhetorical effect, not expecting an answer. You can use one or two in your letter if you like. Rhetorical questions create the sense that a conversation is taking place between you and your prospect or customer.

I don’t have to tell you that another way to sound conversational is to use the first person a lot. That means you say, “Your business means a lot to me,” instead of saying “Your business means a lot to us,” or, even worse, “Purchases made by your company are appreciated by my firm.” Remember, business people buy from people, not businesses, so you want to sound like a business person, not an impersonal business, when you write your sales letters.

I just thought of another one. Without being fake or insincere, mention that you thought of your client today, or yesterday, or recently, showing that there is a relationship between the two of you. Naturally, only say “I was thinking of you this morning” if you actually were. Otherwise you will be making stuff up.

You may be relieved to know that you can be colloquial, too, which is a humdinger of a way to establish rapport and sound genuine. If your buyers know what a humdinger is, then by all means throw one into your letters at least once a year.
Your goal in all of this, if I may say so, is to sound authentic without being overly familiar or coarse.

Another way to sound conversational is to be open in the way you talk about things. Give your customers a glimpse into what life is like at your organization.

You probably want an example of what I mean, so here it is (here are two examples, actually):

Commercial-ese: “Shipments are dispatched from our warehouse in a timely and an efficient manner in accordance with our ISO 9000 designation.”

Conversational: “Our warehouse manager, Bob Fletcher, will make sure your shipment is headed towards your plant by end of day today.”

Commercial-ese: “Our sales department is in receipt of your order of Jan 23.”

Conversational: “Kathryn in our sales office told me about your recent order. Thanks for your repeat business, Alan!”

Another sure way of avoiding “bureaucratic-speak” is to say everything in the active voice. Don’t say “money is saved” when you can say “you save money.” Avoid writing “operating costs are reduced” when you can instead write “we reduce your operating costs.” See the improvement? Passive voice sounds institutional. Active voice sounds conversational.

I suppose if you went back to the start and began reading this message again, you’d pick up a few methods that I did not mention (using parentheses like this, for example, which looks as though you are lowering your voice and whispering a piece of inside information to your reader).

I hope that these tips help you write effective sales letters. Ones that come from your heart, and are effective mainly for that very reason.

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About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the “About the author” message).

Posted by admin as Sales Hall at 2:51 PM CDT

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If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker, and you are obtaining leads from a mortgage lead provider, it is important that you get the best return on your investment that you possibly can.

For starters, understand that a lead provider does just that, they provide you with leads. It is entirely up to you to make the sale.

When you call potential customers, it is not unlikely to be confronted with objections, regardless of where your leads are coming from.

Here are a few tips for overcoming some of these objections.

If you call a customer and they say that they are no longer interested, it is most likely because they lost their nerve.

Purchasing or refinancing a home is a very big financial deal, so it is understandable if your customer gets cold feet.

Say something to this effect in the nicest voice you have . . .

Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that, after looking at the on-line form you filled out, I was able to fit you into one of our programs that I am sure you would be interested in.

If a customer tells you that they are working with someone else. They either really are, or again, they have lost their nerve.

Say something to this effect . . .

I’m really sorry to hear that. We offer some really nice products and I only wanted to take a minute of your time to go over some of our programs.

Although these approaches will get the customer talking the majority of the time, there are the times when it does not work.

Here are a few other things you can do . . .

Most lead providers supply you with an e-mail address, so e-mail them with some attractive products and tell them briefly about the benefits of working with you and your company.

Also, you can mail them out some flyers with some products that you believe would meet their mortgage needs along with some of your business cards.

Whatever happens on your sales call, do not give up after one objection. If you have not been having success with your leads, than you need to change your approach.

Remember. The lead provider can’t do the selling for you. Best of luck with your leads.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site. You can also check out his blog at http://wwwmortgagespot.blogspot.com for more articles related to the sales and marketing of your mortgage products.

Posted by admin as Sales Hall at 11:47 PM CDT

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On an introductory call, your voice is your instrument. During a face-to-face meeting, you have visual cues and body language available to add layers of meaning. On the telephone, you have only your voice and the words that you use. The way that you use your voice can make or break your conversation.

Imagine that you are telling a bedtime story to a child. You would not drone on in a bored tone about the “Big, Bad Wolf.” No! You would put fear and passion into your voice to have that story come alive for that child. On an introductory call, you are telling your story to your prospect. Think about it in the same mannerwhat you would like that prospect to hear, feel and see.

The emphasis on any particular word can totally change the meaning of a sentence. Let’s take the phrase, “She is not a thief.” If you emphasize the “She”the sentence means that she is not a thief, but someone else is. If you emphasize “not”the sentence is a defense. If you emphasize “thief”the sentence implies that she is something else that you have just not named. Think about the emphasis that you wish to makeand use your voice accordingly!

Look at each sentence in your sales pitch and determine what you are trying to convey and what is the best way to do so. Try out different line deliveries, until you are satisfied with the result. Use a tape recorder to listen to how you sound. Do you sound like someone with whom you would like to have a conversation? Listen for warmth and passion in your voice. Do you sound interesting? Convincing? Confident? Is your speech clear, professional and pleasant? Or do you sound angry, tired, tentative or bored? Is your speaking voice nasal, a monotone or singsong? Do you speak too fast or too slow? Do you mumble? Remember as you listen to the tape that you hear yourself differently than do others. By listening to your taped voice, you will hear yourself as others hear you.

Once you have determined what you wish to convey to your prospect, practice your script until it flows easily. You do not want to sound like you are reading a script. Call your friends and pitch them. Perhaps you can work with a colleague who is also making introductory calls. This way, when you have your prospect on the telephone, you will be prepared and voice the message that you wish to voice.

© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Posted by admin as Sales Hall at 4:50 PM CDT

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