Letter Perfect

Nothing spells failure like a bad business letter. That's the message from William Bethel, a Burlingame, California, co-author and consulting editor of Sales Letters Ready to Go! (National Textbook Corp.). Bethel's book offers pointers on penning winning correspondence and warns writers against falling into the traps of today's trite treatises.

In business letters, you have 10 seconds to capture someone's attention, says Bethel. And 10 seconds means about one-sixth of a page. Bethel offers the following hints for composing captivating letters:

• Decide on your purpose. Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish by writing the letter. Do you want the reader to call and order a catalog? Send away for a free sample? Place an order right then?

• Picture your customers. Tailor your wording to your customer's age, gender and cultural characteristics. Even geography should affect how you address your readers: I would not write the same letter to somebody in New York City that I would write to somebody in Miami, says Bethel. There's a different style in the South than there is in the Northeast.

• Decide what you are really selling. One way to accomplish this is to have several readers review your letter during the composition stage.

• Create a strong opening. The hallmark of any good piece of literature is a killer lead. You really have to grab them, says Bethel. To this end, he recommends using a question as a first sentence because it forces the reader to concentrate on the subject at hand.
• Overcome potential objections. Try to address questions you think the customer might ask.
• Make your letters easy to read. Beyond composition, Bethel emphasizes the importance of making business correspondence look good. He recommends using italics as well as different type styles and sizes.
• Edit letters several times. Bethel advises letting letters cool between drafts and avoiding writing response letters in a hurry.

If you can adhere to Bethel's tips and avoid confusing that and which--his personal pet peeves--writing sterling business letters is only a word away.

--L.B.