Greatest Sales Letter!
Greatest Sales Letter – is the holy grail of any lead developer. The following is an excerpt from the classic direct-mail piece that generated an estimated $2 billion in revenue for The Wall Street Journal. I’ve seen adaptations and straight rip-offs hundreds of times.
Here’s how it starts:
Dear Reader:
On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both – as young college graduates are – were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.
Recently, these two men returned to college for their 25th reunion.
They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had gone to work for the same Midwestern manufacturing company after graduation, and were still there.
But there was a difference. One of the men was manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president.
What Made The Difference?
Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes this kind of difference in people’s lives? It isn’t always a native intelligence or talent or dedication. It isn’t that one person wants success and the other doesn’t.
The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge.
And that is why I am writing to you and to people like you about The Wall Street Journal. For that is the whole purpose of The Journal: To give its readers knowledge – knowledge that they can use in business. …
Almost nobody will remember your pitch but a memorable story will be remembered by almost everyone! That, is the greatest sales letter ever written – a great story!
People only buy for emotion reasons. Many of us will justify with logic but every decision to buy is emotional. Stories are emotional and will connect more deeply with the real reasons we buy – this is what really makes the greatest sales letter!
Write your greatest sales letter! What’s your story?