Sales letter model: You are exceptional, but…

I found inspiration for a model sales letter in the introduction to “How to Get to the Top and Stay There: 10 Strategies for Developing a Multiplier Mindset,” a free report available from Dan Sullivan of The Strategic Coach.

The formula goes like this:

Paragraph 1: As a [fill-in-the-blank], you are exceptional…

Paragraph 2: Like most other [fill-in-the-blank]s, you know you could go further…

Paragraph 3: How do you transcend the obstacles?…

Paragraph 4: [Fill-in-the-blank] can help.

To read a good example of this formula, register for The Strategic Coach’s free report and read the section called “Why a Multiplier Mindset?”

Sample sales letter

Here’s a letter following the model. It’s for a financial advisor who works parents worried about providing for their children’s college educations.

You’re a smart parent who knows a college education is essential for your child’s success. College graduates earn $20,000 a year more on average than high school graduates. Plus, they are more likely to find a good job and keep it. The unemployment rate of college graduates was only 2.2%–half the rate of high school graduates–in 2007.

Like most other parents, you can’t pay your children’s tuition out of your paychecks. You know you must plan and save.

But how do you figure out how much to save and the best way to save? There are so many confusing options – 529 plans, Coverdell savings accounts, and more.

Having guided many parents through the process leading to their children’s college graduation, I can help. Please contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX or info@XXX.com for your free initial consultation.

Why this letter works

This letter works because you

  1. Flatter readers at the beginning, putting them at ease.
  2. Reassure readers in paragraph 2 that they’re not alone, so they shouldn’t feel ashamed to acknowledge a problem.
  3. Define their problem in paragraph 3.
  4. Offer a time-tested solution in paragraph 4.

If you’ve been successful with a similar formula, I’d like to hear from you. I’m also open to suggestions on how to improve the formula.