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Guest post by: Cheryl A. Clausen Become an Author

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Most pre-approach letters are a terrible waste of ink, paper, and postage. They don’t add any value to the receiver. They produce poor results for the sender.

The only value some pre-approach letters have is they make the sender commit to taking an action. That action is calling the recipient of the letter. The problem is the letter did absolutely nothing to make the letter recipient want your call.

Yet, pre-approach letters can produce fantastic results when they’re done right.

First, let’s understand why most pre-approach letters miss the mark. There are 3 key parts to a pre-approach letter: content, offer, and action. Each part plays a key role in your pre-approach letters success.

The content shouldn’t be about you the sender. The content should be entirely about me the recipient. There are 3 reasons and only 3 reasons I will care about what you have to say. The content of your letter must make it perfectly clear how you can help me get something I already want, how you can help me avoid something I don’t want, or how you can help me solve a problem I’m looking for a solution to.

Asking the receiver to call you for an appointment or to be ready to receive your call is an offer the receiver can and will refuse. Your offer is self-centered and selfish. The receiver gains nothing.

Rather than asking for something you don’t deserve, ask for something the prospect deserves. The prospect deserves to get what they want, avoid what they don’t want, or get help with their problem. You want the prospects to identify themselves as qualified prospects. The easy way to get what you want is to help the prospect get what they want. Make the offer a request to get information about what they want.

When you commit to the action the prospect is committing to nothing. You shouldn’t be surprised when they aren’t impressed with your commitment. You shouldn’t be surprised when they have no interest in committing to or taking any action.

Ask the receiver to take an action to get the information. Spell out exactly what the prospect has to do to take that action. Make the action available 24/7.

When you send out pre-approach letters that don’t work you don’t get a response then you make a phone call and trigger the defenses of the people you call. Most will ask you not to call them again. In effect, you’ve burned your bridges.

When you formulate your pre-approach letters correctly highly qualified prospects take actions. Once they take that action you can ask them to take another action, or you can follow-up with them. You’re moving your best prospects forward, yet you haven’t burned your bridges with the prospects who didn’t act now. You can continue mailing to them until they are ready to act.

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