Have you ever read a brochure that waffled on about stuff that you did not need to know and you could not find what you did need to know? There is no logical order to the information and the language means nothing to you? And if you decided to make contact for further information or purchase, you could not find the phone number or email address. Frustrating! The main reason for marketing material is to close a sale. We need to make sure that all the information provided assists the reader in making a decision to buy. Open up with who you are and what your product delivers, provide facts and figures and then lead into the purchase process and close clearly. There should be a beginning, a middle and an end. Your marketing material should provide clarity to the reader, who may have a few questions after reading your information, but will have already decided that they need/want/must have your product. Following are a few pointers to make material more effective in closing. Hard or soft sell ? Make the message appropriate for your clientele and your businesses personality. A hard sell will push hard without apology for a sale and is very up-front. This style will often be price driven eg 'Cheapest price in town'. A soft sell will seduce and coerce the reader into making their own decision to buy eg. 'You deserve this'.
Make your message compelling and crystal clear. Less is more in the case of marketing material. Edit without mercy - you are not writing a book. Earn trust and emphasize your features and benefits in simple language. Your contact details are imperative for the reader to contact you. Make sure that these are clearly and boldy displayed. Print them a number of times on all material. Blow your own horn. If you do not speak highly of your product, who will? Ask for the sale clearly For example on a brochure "Call now to book" or "Limited Offer" or "While Stocks Last". A sense of urgency to purchase can work well. Be easy to buy from. For example, include order forms with reply paid postage in a mail piece, include a reply button on your web-site. Move towards closing the sale. Ensure that all marketing material is leading towards 'the close'. There may also be a few 'sub closes' throughout the text. Follow up and persistence. It often takes a number of contacts with a prospect to close a sale. Unless they say NO, stay in contact. Always have a valid reason for contacting prospects. Maintain Integrity. Avoid over-exagerating your claims, offers and information and you will avoid disappointing your customers. Don't be afraid to sell. Believe that your product is worthy of market share and that you are simply offering to someone who wants to buy. So always be closing... Cath Zeltner Marketing Made Easy Practical Marketing Training for Small Business Email Cath here

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