E-mail is one of the greatest selling tools ever invented. It's fast, personal, and almost free. Here are some simple ways to make your e-mail sales letters more effective.

1. Keep your letter short and action-packed. Few people enjoy reading on a computer monitor. If your customer opens your e-mail message to find it scrolls on paragraph after paragraph, they will usually either delete it or save it to read later (and never get back to it).

Try to pack your most important information into just three or four short paragraphs. Let customers know they can access your autoresponder or web site for much more detailed information. That way those who want to know more can get those details.

2. Start your letter with a headline or single-sentence paragraph that clearly tells the reader what big benefit you are offering them. Tell the reader how their life will be improved when they use your product or service. Look for ways that your offer will increase their income, give them more time, make them look better, or help your reader have more fun.

3. Make your letter as personalized as you can. This is the great secret to good marketing and selling. You may need to break your recipient list down into subcategories. For example, if you have lots of firemen and lots of school teachers in your group, you will do far better to send two letters. One should speak directly to school teacher interests while the second should approach things from the firefighter's point of view. Many big-time ad campaigns produce different commercials for six or more sub-groups in their audience. Your e-mail sales letters can do the same thing.

4. Whenever possible, use the recipient's name. Use their name in the subject line, in the salutation at the beginning, and later in the body of your e-mail sales letter.

Using "Dear Stephanie" rather than "Dear customer" can easily double or triple sales. Your reader's ears perk up when they hear their own name.

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Terry Matson is the founder and president of ColoradoSoft, Inc., which publishes the award-winning WorldMerge emailing program. This FREE program allows you to send personalized email to your contact list with the click of a button, and works seamlessly with your address book or database program. Download your copy now at: http://www.coloradosoft.com