alsharpe

Writing Business Letters, Proposals, Reports: Omit Needless Words

William Strunk wrote a short, valuable essay on the need to omit needless words: "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid detail... (posted by alsharpe 4 years 12 days ago.)

How to Write Effective Business Letter Proposals

Do your letter proposals generate business? Or do they often miss the mark? I've learned that letter proposals must do four things. Incorporate these four steps into every letter proposal and you'll see improvements. 1. Focus on your prospect's need, not your abilities Get to the point. Name a problem that is hurting your prospect's bottom line. Concentrate on their need and not on your company.... (posted by alsharpe 4 years 19 days ago.)

Write Pre-Lapsed-Donor Donation Fundraising Letters Before Donors Lapse.

When is the best time to recover a lapsed donor? Before they lapse. Using a “pre-lapsed donor letter." I heard recently of a non-profit organization that mails a special letter to all donors who are at risk of lapsing. This organization has found that pre-lapsed donor letters are effective at preventing some donors from lapsing. Here’s how you can implement a similar system for your... (posted by alsharpe 5 years 268 days ago.)

Successful Fundraising Donation Letters Use Before-And-After Samples, Examples.

The best advice I can give you for writing successful fundraising letters is to act as if your donors are obese. Really obese. Imagine, for example, that they struggle with their weight every single day. Imagine that they hate the way they look. Imagine that they want nothing more than to lose weight and look fabulous. (posted by alsharpe 5 years 275 days ago.)

Premiums in Request Letters Asking for Donations: Examples, Samples of Pros and Cons.

Q. What is a premium? A. In direct mail fundraising letters, a premium is an item offered to a donor, usually at no charge, to encourage the donor to make a donation. Q. What’s the difference between front-end and back-end premiums? A. Premiums that are included in the mail package are called front-end premiums. Premiums that the donor must request are called... (posted by alsharpe 5 years 282 days ago.)

In Direct Mail Marketing Copywriting, Specifics Outsell Generalities.

Lilly Tomlin, the American comic, once said: “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific." In direct response advertising and direct mail selling, as in life, specifics sell. Generalities don’t. Consider, for example, a direct response ad that I have in front of me. I tore it from the May 2006 issue of Harper’s Magazine... (posted by alsharpe 5 years 290 days ago.)