How to Make $100,000 From a Single Sales Letter in Less Than 90 Days
The winning 3-step formula will help you turn a dull, blah text into a persuasive sales copy.
When you create a product, you put your heart and soul into it.
You aim to nail every little detail to make it perfect, to make it lovable. You imagine how thousands of customers will like it, and your sales skyrocket every day.
The last thing is to write a sales letter! It does not seem like a big deal, but you struggle to explain what is unique about your product and why people should buy from you.
You mention its wonderful features and list what’s great about your product and. You think people will like it as much as you do, but it does not get the attention it deserves.
It fails.
However, it is not your fault.
Nobody is born knowing how to make people buy things.
One of the greatest copywriters of our time, Jim Edwards, used to live in the trailer for six years, creating ads for the mortgage banks before he finally succeeded. In his book “Copywriting Secrets,” he recalls a long and thorny road towards personal and financial freedom:
“You can’t learn how to make great decisions until you make a bad decision.
Success is a ghost future that becomes a reality for those who have the patience to move further despite failures. “
Copywriting is an art that does not always follow the same patterns. The good news is it can be learned!
In the book “Copywriting Secrets,” Jim Edwards shares how he made a fortune from a single sales letter and what you, too, can do to create a seductive sales copy.
A Sales Letter that Made $100,000 in Less Than 90 Days
In the middle of 2000, Jim Edwards was hired to create a sales letter for CD tutorials for $97 each.
The Internet has just started to take off. Thus, many people were willing to learn how to attract the right customers and run an online business.
In the real world, you can meet potential buyers and develop personal connections that would help you sell more.
However, you can only sell a description of things in the digital world. The more realistic and persuasive the description is, the more likely you will make a deal.
It is exactly what Jim Edwards did! Here is his winning sales letter that made over $100,000 from selling CD-ROMs in 3 months:
“How to generate Serious Targeted Traffic to Your Website!”
It seems there is nothing unusual in this headline. But why did it work? What’s there?
Jim Edwards used the words his potential buyers use to describe their desired outcome. He created a compelling headline selling people hope and the future without uncertainty.
The headline directly addressed the intrinsic motivations of people who wanted to know “how to generate serious traffic to the website” fast and easy.
Millions might read your sales message, but you can only sell to a single person at a time.
Over 20 years have passed since Jim Edwards made a 6-figures fortune out of this sales letter. However, his strategies are applicable nowadays and will become even more relevant in times of tight competition.
A Winning Sales Formula That Never Fails, According to Jim Edwards
In the 21st century, copywriting is selling!
If your business is not online, it does not exist.
According to Jim Edwards, people will keep reading your copy without thinking about the selling intent if your content speaks to their needs, directly addresses their fears, and uses the words they use.
People buy when they are attached emotionally to your message; they believe you help them get what they want and become a better version of themselves.
People do not buy things; they buy solutions. They do not buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
Here is a winning 3-step formula designed by Jim Edwards that should help you assemble the sales copy and address the main reasons why people buy.
1. Define the Problem Your Customers Face
People will buy from you if you show them a strong “why.” — Jim Edwards
“Why” creates emotions.
People might not remember what they read yesterday. Still, they will remember if something made them feel sad, happy, nostalgic, and motivated.
Sell a solution to a problem, not a product; sell a hope, not a service; sell a bright and confident future.
According to Jim Edwards, you have to address the following customer objections when you assemble your sales copy:
- Why should I care?
- Why does that matter to me?
- What does that mean to me?
Remember, your copy will be read by millions of users on the Internet, but you can only sell to a single person at a time.
First, you define your customers' problems with the help of the 3 “whys” mentioned above and agitate them later.
Here is a problem statement:
“If your dog barks or acts like it’s going to bite other people, this is something you need to get under control quickly.”
2. Agitate It, Make It Worse, Make It Hurt
Now is the right time to reach your customers’ deepest parts of the soul and agitate the pain. Here is what you can say:
“If you don’t solve the problem, you could be subject to a lawsuit. Your dog could mutilate a child. You could carry the guilt as well as the financial burden of a single, instantaneous dog attack for the rest of your life.
No matter how innocent, cuddly, and friendly your dog is, if you don’t train it properly, it could cripple you financially for the rest of your life.”
Agitating is the secret sauce in this formula!
By showing your potential buyers what may go wrong or what might result from their action/inaction, you influence their emotional state. You make things look worse; you make them believe they need a prompt solution now.
In the end, this is you who will sell them the solution they look for.
3. Solve It By Presenting Your Product or Service as a Solution
By now, your copy served as a hook, developing a motivation for a change.
Now, it is time for your copy to present a solution and sell.
First, master your headline because it will make a significant impact on your sales message.
The headline's only purpose is to get people to stop what they’re doing and start reading whatever you put in front of them.
Use simple words in your sales copy to make it easy to understand and memorable. A confused prospect always answers, “No!”
Once you stated why barking dogs are dangerous and agitated the situation by describing all potentially harmful circumstances, you can finally start selling your offer:
You can say, “Luckily for you, there’s now a solution. The Complete A-to-Z Puppy-Dog Training Guide helps you not only with aggression, but also with potty training, learning tricks, and socializing your dog to be a happy, healthy member of the family.”
Remember this powerful 3-step formula to create a compelling sales copy. It’s been used many times, and it will help you, too, transform how your customers perceive your business:
- State a problem
- Agitate
- Solve
Final Thoughts
People love to buy; they hate to be sold.
People want personalized offers to help them manage their problems, feel better about themselves, escape from uncertainty, and foresee a stable future.
No one wants to live in a guess of how tomorrow will look. Everyone wants to have a bright tomorrow and live a happy life.
People want to live their dreams and are ready to pay to make them come true.
If you want to run an online business — you will have to master the art of copywriting. Talk to people like they do; use words they understand, and never make them feel confused.
“When dealing with people, remember, you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. “
— Dale Carnegie.
Interested in creating content people want to read? Grab my free guide “How to Discover Popular Topics For Any country In a Few Minutes.”
If you enjoy reading stories and would like to support writers on Medium, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s $5 a month, giving you unlimited access to stories.