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7 Simple Ways to Let Your Products Sell Themselves
By Dean Rieck, direct mail copywriter
Harry Aldrich and David Maddock knew that many
people loved the taste of cedar plank salmon. But
only fine restaurants served this delicacy. So they
decided to sell a cedar plank salmon kit consisting
of little more than a 6” x 12” piece of cedar wood.
A brilliant idea.
Aldrich set up a meeting with the seafood buyer for
the Fred Meyer stores in Portland, Oregon, and
walked in with a fillet of salmon cooked on one of
his cedar planks. He didn't give a sales pitch. He
just handed over the fish and a fork.
The buyer took a bite. "WOW! Where did you get this
fish? It's wonderful!"
When Aldrich told him he bought the fish that very
morning in a Fred Meyer store, the buyer was
astonished. Within a week, Harry Aldrich and David
Maddocks had orders from more than 100 Fred Meyer
stores.
The lesson? Sometimes, if you have a good product,
the best way to sell it is to let people try it.
Because desirable products can sell themselves. But
can you do this in direct mail? Yes. And it's easier
than you think.
Here are 7 ways to let your products sell
themselves.
Sample – A printer embossed a sample calendar with
my business name and told me I could order this very
item for my clients. A generic perfume company
offered two scented samples, one with an expensive
name brand and one with their knockoff, challenging
my wife to guess which was which. A textile company
mailed a sample of a fireproof fabric and a match,
daring business buyers to set the bit of cloth on
fire.
When you have a good product or service, simply put
it into the hands of your prospects. This can be
expensive, but highly effective if used correctly.
Free Trial – This is the greatest offer ever
conceived. You can let prospects try your product or
service for a time period: 10 days, 30 days, 6
months. Or you can offer a free issue or shipment.
The Free Trial can be tied to a negative option.
"Try 3 free issues of Wingnuts Today Magazine. If
you like it, you'll get a full year for just $14.95.
If you don't, just write "cancel" on the bill. But
keep the first 3 free issues as our gift to you."
The Free Trial is similar to sampling since it lets
people try your wares before buying. However, it
offers three big advantages: 1) You only "sample" to
those who ask, so your costs can be significantly
lower. 2) You don't risk “unselling” anyone if your
product or service isn't immediately impressive or
takes time to appreciate. 3) You can make your trial
a negative option offer so that you have buyer
inertia working FOR you on the back end, meaning
that you make a sale automatically unless they go to
the trouble of canceling.
Teaser Copy – This is a popular and effective
technique, especially for publications and
information products. I used it in a subscription
package for an “office professional” newsletter. At
the top of the letter, I showed a picture of the
newsletter with a list of teasers preceding the
offer:
How to dress down and still look professional
9 steps for motivating a lazy coworker (without
stressing yourself out)
The secret to dealing with difficult customers
7 ways to be a take-charge employee
While it may not seem obvious, teasers are a form of
sampling because they convey highly specific
information about your product or service without
actually giving anything away.
Product Photos or Illustrations – Visuals help
convey information quickly. They give your prospect
an immediate sense of the quality and value of the
thing you're selling. They provide a visual “sample”
that is worth a thousand words.
For subscriptions and books, show the front cover.
For software, include screen shots of the most
powerful features. For industrial or high-tech
equipment, provide cutaways with call-outs
describing prominent features. For less visual
items, such as financial services, create something
to show and offer, such as a special report,
brochure, certificate, or invitation. Simply ask
yourself what your prospect would want to see, then
show it.
Letter with a Story – A good story can start a
letter with a bang while allowing your prospect to
experience your product or service second hand. I
created a direct mail package to sell a book on how
to buy a home, and the letter told a little story
before stating the offer:
I could just kick myself!
A couple years ago, my wife and I bought a new home.
After we moved in, our neighbor asked us over for
coffee.
What a shock! He had the same house design, but it
was full of all the extras we couldn't afford – like
a fireplace, panel doors, tile, oak cabinets. It was
stunning.
When I asked how much it cost, he smiled. "Nothing.
I knew how to get the extras added on free." And it
was so simple, I could have done it, too. If I had
only known the secret!
Testimonials – In addition to adding credibility and
supporting your claims, testimonials let your
prospect experience your products or services
through the words of satisfied customers. Don't
settle for empty statements, such as "I love it!"
The best testimonials are specific. One direct mail
package I created for a laminating business featured
two pages of testimonials like this:
"Most of my signs I laminate with your 6 mil and 10
mil products, but for signs that we want to stay
posted for long periods of time I use your
adhesive-backed products. The adhesive backing is
strong and reliable. These signs stay up as long as
we want them to, even in our high traffic
situations."
Success Stories – Your prospects can also sample
your product or service through the experiences of
others. Success stories clarify how your product is
used, dramatize the benefits, and build instant
credibility.
To get the most from success stories, be specific
and keep the tone factual. When you're selling to
businesses, talk about well-known business names
whenever possible. I created a highly successful
lead generation package for one of my high-tech
Canadian clients and enclosed a broadside packed
with success stories like this:
AT&T recently moved from a high-maintenance document
management system to [product name], a Web-based
system accessed through a standard Web browser. This
has resulted in a savings of $4,406,322. They have
reduced paper costs by 80%, lowered shipping costs
by eliminating most overnight mailings, and saved 45
hours a week in duplication work. The bottom line is
a 684% return on their investment.
---Source: Dean Rieck is a leading
direct mail
copywriter. For more copywriting and selling
tips, sign up for Dean’s FREE
direct response newsletter and get a free
report, 99 Easy Ways to Boost Your Direct Mail
Response.
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