Wow, what a strange question!

Does this question whether your prospect is a mythical person like the dragons in fairy tales of old or does it ask whether you really know your prospect?


Well, there is truth in both sides of the question. A lot of would be marketers think they have found a killer product and write a sales letter to match, only to find out later (to their cost) that there is no market for that product.

But, what I really want to discuss today is…

Do You Breathe The Same Air As Your Prospect?

I mean do you really know your prospect, do you talk the same talk as him/her do you live the same life as him/her? In short can you honestly say that you can identify with your prospect?

Look, when you write a sales letter not only do you have to know your product intimately, taste it, feel it, own it and use it but…

You have to also KNOW your prospect intimately.

Too many marketers today, whether they be Internet or Offline marketers, locate a product or service that they think will sell. They research it in depth and start to write a sales letter for it, but fail to put the same amount of effort into identifying who they are writing the sales letter to.

"You may have the best product in the world but how can you write a killer sales letter for it if you don't know who will buy it?"

No, you must learn everything there is to know about your target market, what their needs are, what their desires are, how they think, how they talk and yes, even how they dress.

For instance, say your product is the latest high-tech skateboard. You've researched it endlessly and know that it will benefit your prospect because it is lighter and stronger thus giving him/her more speed and will never break. How do you think your prospect will react if you walk up to him/her wearing a suit and tie then try to talk to him/her in language that would be more suitable for the annual financial meetings of a fortune 500 company?

Or say you are selling a top-notch financial product, how do you think your prospect would react if your opening words were "Yo Dude! What's the juice?"

I can tell you that he/she would probably laugh in your face. You certainly wouldn't hold much credibility in his/her eyes.

Far better if you took the time to learn your prospect's habits then approach him/her wearing similar attire that he/she would wear - immediately you'd start to fit in. Now when you talk to him/her about your product and use familiar language he/she will listen with open ears and be begging you for a chance to try out your product because you're talking to him/her on his/her level.

Don't be misled into thinking that there is no need to worry about clothes when addressing prospects via the Internet either. A photo of yourself adds instant credibility to your sales letter but of course that photo must show you in attire that matches the minds eye of your prospect. For instance a picture of you sitting there in your underpants wouldn't do much for your credibility if you were selling stock market advice would it?

So the next time you sit down to write a sales letter for that killer product you've identified take the time to research your buyers, let them live inside your head for a while before you put pen to paper.

That way when you do write your sales letter it will talk the same language and walk the same walk as your prospect. Thus you will gain his/her respect immediately he/she starts to read it.

Oh, by the way, do make sure there is a market for your product, you don't want to be selling skateboards to dragons now do you? (Remember, dragons can fly so have no need of a skateboard!)


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Stuart Elliott is a world-class copywriter who has written numerous articles about sales letters and copywriting.

Drop by: http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up your Free Copywriting Power Guide.

Article Copyright 2006 Stuart Elliott, All rights reserved. You may only reprint this article in its entirety and you must leave this resource box intact.