The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost Your Sales

DO NOT attempt to write a sales letter without first reading THE ULTIMATE SALES LETTER by Dan Kennedy. Sure, I know, you're a good writer and you can probably construct a pretty good letter on your own. But along the way, you're bound to make a few mistakes that could have been easily avoided. Or, your letter wont be nearly as good, or effective, as it could have been. You might be able to survive quarterbacking an NFL game on your own, but if John Elway or Joe Montana were on the sidelines offering up advice, wouldn't you take it?Highly successful sales letter copywriter, Dan Kennedy, reveals in concise detail, the twenty-eight steps he uses to construct sales letters. Beyond that, there is a section describing the effective uses of sales letters, a section on sequencing, and a final section on electronic sales letters. Even if you are commercial writer who may not be doing much in the way of sales letters, you will still learn valuable and applicable techniques.The book is laden with excellent samples for your swipe files. And, like a good sales letter, also has some hidden bonuses if you act now! Sorry, I had to throw that in. When you do read this book, make sure you have a sharp number 2 and a highlighter handy. I guarantee you will use them. A lot.Excellent book. A "must have" for the sales letter writer.

Dan Kennedy is a popular copywriter and high-profile internet presence. His trademark "No B.S." style is not for the fainthearted, but for those who like their truths plain, and plainly told, he's an excellent source of advice.The Ultimate Sales Letter is designed to teach business owners how to write their own letters, and it's amply illustrated with samples of Kennedy's work, both real and manufactured. The letter he creates to show you how to provide the "internal repetition" your message needs-without putting your client to sleep-is particularly helpful.Kennedy never forgets his audience, and takes us step-by-step, with short, snappy chapters, from getting the initial idea to sending off the final draft to the printer. It's a fast read, but packed with information.His first step is first for a reason, I think. He says that before you do anything else, you must know your customer. He offers 10 questions you can ask yourself that will bring you closer to that knowledge, then smoothly segues into knowing your offer (where he gives a memorable example of "finding the hidden benefit" and what such benefits can do for your message).Later, he tells the story of an older salesman whose first boss gave him a notebook of 299 sales techniques. He quickly whittled them down to the "three or four that worked," and Kennedy tells us what those few are-and why they work. This new edition also offers a bonus chapter by the late, much-missed Cory Rudl, who explains why no square inch of your website is too small to ignore--not even the "Online Ordering" button.The Ultimate Sales Letter is particularly strong in its examples, and its approachability. Kennedy never talks down to his reader. More than once, I felt as if I were hearing him tell me his secrets over a glass of (I'm guessing) bourbon. Maybe scotch. And when he got to the part about the "Three Ways to Transcend Pricing Questions," I grabbed a napkin and started taking notes.

Yep, Dan is an information marketer, i.e. he wants to sell you the information he has compiled on selling information or becoming a direct marketer. There is no doubt that he is good at it. There is no doubt he can help the people and business that want to sell more. This is a great source for compiling a great, effective profit generating sales letter. It has been on my shelf since the second edition. When I couldn't find my old copy, I bought this third edition. Which, as far as I can remember, is actually better.The thing is you have to get past the fact that the book is a sales letter. As far as I am concerned it ought to be a sales letter, that's what the book is about. Right?!? Of course it is. So to those who would say this is not a good book because it gives his websites every few pages - Get Over It! The fact of the matter is that Dan Kennedy is a Direct Marketer / Information Marketer. This book is great illustration of how he he is successful at it. Read it, takes notes, write down your own thoughts and learn. As far as references to websites that are selling you high priced advice and information, look and learn. Besides this book has a light touch compared to his and other Direct Marketers. In this book he actually references a good deal of sites, books and information that is not his. He isn't profiting off of all of it.He starts with an excellent set of excersizes that help the writer: Identify the Customer,Identify the Real MarketIdentify What Their Best Interests are, etc.Then he guides you through the art of crafting your message in the subsequent chapters. I have used these approaches since I first read them 15 years ago and forgot where I had learned them until re-reading this edition.This is one of the better sales letter books and one of the best Dan Kennedy books. If you take it for what it is and what it's cover promises, it is a great book. persuasion

This is one of the foundation books for copywriting and selling. I recommend it to everyone.

nice book

In diesem Buch lernt man wirklich, wie man einen guten Salesletter schreibt. Die Informationen sind gut und werden leicht verständlich dargeboten. Ich gebe jedoch nur 4 von 5 Sternen, da man heutzutage fast alle Inhalte auch im Internet finden kann, wenn man ein wenig Recherche betreibt.

What Dan tells you is how it really is - there truly are no wishy washy messages here. I have personally recommended his books to dozens of people. If you enjoy Dan's no holds barred style then I can also recommend Swimming with Piranha Makes You Hungry by Colin TurnerSwimming with Piranha Makes You Hungry

OK but of limited value. Kennedy seems mainly interested in selling himself.