The Secret Formula for Writing Your Sales Letter

I have developed a "secret" formula to help you organize your sales letter in a hard-hitting fashion, for maximum impact with your PE. I call it a secret formula because few job hunters use it, or anything like it. Yet it is a simple adaptation of a commercial sales letter in which the unique product you are "selling" is you. Here it is:

Opening/attention getter + explanation + motivation + credibility + call to action = superior sales letter.

Let's look at each of these items in turn. The opening/attention getter captures your PE's attention, arouses his curiosity, and tempts him to keep reading. The explanation tells your PE why you are writing. Motivation creates a need for your services by describing what you can do for the PE in a persuasive and forceful manner. Credibility convinces your PE that all prior statements in your sales letter are accurate. The call to action tells your PE exactly what to do and suggests that he do it.



How to Write the Opening/Attention Getter

Your opening/attention getter is the lead paragraph in your sales letter. Your objective here is to get your reader's attention and lead into your purpose for writing. To do this, you can employ news, intrigue, shock, or any kind of unusual information, so long as you can relate it to your basic purpose for writing: to obtain an interview. Here are some examples of successful opening/attention getters:

1. "I doubled the work output of my department while cutting engineering man hours by 25%. Through lack of control, my department was working on unneeded subsystems. I reduced man hours while doubling productivity on essential work."
   
   This opening/attention getter was written by Tom J., an engineering manager for a large aerospace company. It was so effective that it got Tom interviews for engineering management jobs in both large companies and small, in several different industries.
   
   
2. As a professor at the U.S. Military Academy, I taught Juice to Cows who were Goats; 50% of my Goats became Engineers in Juice within 60 days as a direct result of my instruction."
   

This unusual opening/attention getter was used by Tony B. when he applied for a part time teaching position at a number of colleges and universities. Tony went on to explain that Juice was slang at the Military Academy for electrical engineering; Cows were college juniors; Goats were cadets with low academic averages; and Engineers were cadets with high academic averages. What Tony was saying was that he taught electrical engineering to juniors with low academic averages, and that 50% of his students achieved high academic averages in electrical engineering as a direct result of his teaching. Few hiring deans could resist reading Tony's sales letter once they had read that opener.

How to Write the Explanation and Why It Is Important

Once you have aroused your PE's interest by your opening, you will raise one major question in his mind: Why is this person writing to me? Your explanation will answer this question and will encourage the PE to read on. Here are some sample explanations for your sales letter:

1. "I am writing to you because you may be in need of someone with my training and experience as a marketing manager. If so, you may be interested in some of my other accomplishments."
   
   
2. "This letter will serve to introduce me and to inquire about your needs for a controller. If you have such a requirement, here are some other things I have done."
   
   
3. "I am writing to determine if you have a need for someone with my capabilities as a program manager. If you do, you may be interested in additional details of my experience."
   
   
4. "I am corresponding with you directly in case you need someone with my qualifications as a general manager. Here are some of my other accomplishments."
   
   
5. "Your company may be in need of a vice president of engineering, and therefore may be interested in additional facts about my expertise in this function."
   
   
6. "I am writing to alert you to my availability as a business development specialist. Here are some of my other accomplishments in this field."
   

The explanation paragraph is critical. In addition to telling your PE why you are writing, you will be stating the specific job position you want. Your entire sales letter from the opening/attention getter to the call to action must be built around that specific job. As I have mentioned before, many job hunters fail to focus their campaign on a specific job, often because they are afraid of missing out on another job that may be available. As a result, they write something like this: "I am writing in case you need someone with my qualifications for any position that might hold interest for me."

Don't make this mistake. You will seriously weaken your chances of getting a face to face interview. Instead of presenting yourself as a uniquely qualified individual with an outstanding background for the PE's immediate needs, you will appear to be a jack of all trades who is easily bettered by almost any competitor in the field. Mention one position and one position only in your sales letter. Concentrate your resources on a single objective. You have only so much space; make every word support the job that you want

Why does this technique work when the "I can do anything" approach does not? You are aiming your sales letters at that small percentage of PEs who have an immediate need and are thinking of hiring someone in your specialty. Failing to be specific can only weaken your image and dampen the impact of your sales letter. Citing a specific job objective with supporting background and accomplishments will get you high quality interviews.