How a Sales Letter Can Hurt the Brand

Sales letters are where copywriters display their art. The traditional sales letter is the most studied, carefully crafted communication in the world today. Some of the most successful phrases in this communication channel are repeated so often in mailings, they have become cliches of the craft:

"If you're like me, then you..." (are interested in saving money, want to find a great deal, etc.)
...that's why I'm sitting down to write to you today..."(to let you in on this secret, bargain, offer)

The familar list of phrases goes on, and if you're in marketing you probably know them all to well.

That's Why I'm Sitting Down to Write to You Today

Copywriters are always pressed to get response, to create excitement around a product or service that may have been on life support previously. This constant push for results sometimes sends the sales letter close to a point where sales efforts begin to cannibalize the corporate brand.

For example, I recently received a sales letter from a local Mazda dealership informing me that they are one of the lucky, authorized dealerships permitted to buy my current, used vehicle at the ORIGINAL FULL PRICE that I paid! For a limited time, they would pay full new-car price for any used vehicle, purchased from 2002 or after, with the purchase of any new Mazda - but I can't share the letter, this offer is available only to me.

Wow, what an offer! Sign me up! I just happen to have a 2002 truck that I'd love to trade in for the original price I paid in 2002. Who wouldn't want that deal?

Of course, you know as you're reading this that they really don't intend to buy anyone's used vehicle at full price. And the letter goes on to qualify the claim. It turns out that they will use a formula, explained later in the letter, to simply deduct a mileage penalty from their full price offer.

Let me get this straight. You've just been authorized by Mazda USA to buy used cars, at a depreciated price, in order to sell a new car? What exactly had you been doing before?

I'm sure the sales letter will be effective with less-educated consumers or the elderly. Most people will toss it, but just enough will respond to make it profitable. I'm sure the dealer would say, just get 'em into the showroom - I'll take it from there. Unfortunately, he is probably right.

When the Sales Letter Hurts the Brand

Car dealers and politicians have the lowest trust ratings among consumers for good reason. The empty promises of politicians and the misleading sales offers of car dealerships drive both their reputations into the gutter. For any business, the point of sale is the most important place for establishing the integrity of the brand.Your customer's purchase experience with your product will either support or belie your brand position.

For those companies that make extensive use of sales letters, I'd like to propose an experiment. Ignore all your other customer communications (print and broadcast advertisments, public relations, sponsorships etc.). Simply read all of your sales letters in one sitting.

What do your sales letters tell you about your brand?