You've come so far - you've laid out exactly what product is and how it will help your unique audience. Now, seal deal - tell your readers to purchase product!

This step may sound strange, but it's necessary. Often, people hear about a product and are genuinely interested, but fail to actually make a purchase. A clear call to a simple action cuts down on buyer ambivalence. Don't be pushy - just change your verb tenses to imperative. Instead of:

"If you think that you fit this profile, you might want to think about buying Green Garden Lawn Fertilizer."

Say:

"Click here to order Green Garden Lawn Fertilizer today."

-------------------------- AN EYE FOR CONTINUITY --------------------------

More and more opt-in e-mail is being sent around Internet. Remind your prospect that he requested your messages by keeping an eye on continuity.

Start and end each message in a similar way. At top, let your prospect know who you are, why he is getting e-mail from you, and where he is in follow up sequence. This can be as simple as saying:

"Last week, you requested more information about Green Garden Fertilizer..."

Then, end each message with your own contact information. Use your autoresponder's personalization features to list details about your lead. Also, include a way for lead to unsubscribe. For example:

"This message was sent to Dusty Dan at dustydan@needsanewlawn.com. On April 5th, Dusty Dan requested information about Green Garden Fertilizer. Questions? Call us at 000-000-0000. Or, to unsubscribe, click here."

-------------------------- CREATE WITH CONFIDENCE --------------------------

Don't sweat over follow up messages - your prospects are waiting for you! Print and follow guidelines in this article, and follow up with confidence.

Let's look at these three steps a little more closely.

Brevity. A short letter isn't necessarily what Barton meant. I've read many of his letters and memos. Most of them were so brief they were blunt. But those were not sales letters. When Barton wanted to persuade you to donate money to a good cause or buy something he was selling, his letters were longer, sometimes several pages long. (Again, see that sample letter in The Seven Lost Secrets Of Success.) Barton knew you had to give people a complete explanation before they would buy.

Simplicity. Barton's letters were always simple and easy to read. He strove for clarity of communication. No big words, long sentences, or convoluted passages. He was clear and direct and conversational.

Sincerity. Barton was always sincere. He once dropped a million dollar advertising account because he didn't support client. That sincerity came through in everything he wrote. Readers could pick up on it.

Finally, Barton's letters were "... phrased in terms of other man's interest." Barton said your letters had to go straight to reader's selfish interest. He said favorite song of every reader is "I Love Me." As Barton said in 1924, "The reader is interested first of all in himself... Tie your appeal up to his own interests."

The next time you have to write a sales letter, consider Barton's formula. It helped him write letters that are still talked about today, and it helps me write letters that are making my clients rich. Now use it and see what formula will do for YOU!