My brother-in-law, Dave, called last night. He's started a new business—small engine repair. He's very good at it, been doing it for years working for various shops around town. Dave once installed a Ford 8-cylinder engine in his Harley-Davidson. His dad got angry when he found the Harley's engine was installed in his Ford—but that's a whole other story. Anyways, now he's striking out on his own.

Dave asked me to review a sales letter he'd written. Dave always apologizes for his grade 10 education at times like these, but I tell him, "Stop that apologizing, you're a gifted mechanic, people would kill to have your skills!"

Dave's letter was actually pretty good. The grammar was dazzling—extremely polite! The spelling was, well, …er …passable, but spellcheck could fix that.

The only problem with the whole piece was that it did not give a really good reason why anyone should do business with Dave …NOW! There was no incentive; no "special introductory offer"; no inducement for anyone to dash to the phone and call Dave there and then.

Of course I offered to rewrite the letter (I think this might have been Dave's cunning plan all along) but I was glad for the opportunity to help out, besides, our lawnmower needs a tune-up.

The basic truth on sales letters is – They have to get read. And they have to cause an action e.g pick up the phone; come right over; look at the web site …or anything else that will start a business relationship.

How do you do this? Glad you asked, here's how to do it:

To be effective, a sales letter must really get attention with a compelling promise for the recipient …and then it must deliver! It needs to have a powerful headline with an immediate clear benefit for the intended target not some wishy-washy "Hi, here we are" statement. You need to to create some trust with the reader. This can often be done by addressing the reader's concerns that are covered by the services you offer Ask them a question that shows you understand their needs, "Do you have gardening machinery that you depend on every day that's continually breaking down?" This show's you understand their needs and are not just jumping into a "rah rah" selling pitch.

Then tell them you have the solution, "Our 10 point small engine tune-up will keep you running strong all summer long—we absolutely guarantee it."

Give them your business credentials. Dave could say, "I've been repairing all makes of lawn and garden equipment for over 15 years and I love it!"

Now offer them something they can use, in other words: tell them what's in it for them if they buy your product or use your service. Don't be afraid to be bold, you need to get the message across, so use capitals, underline, or bold type—let the offer leap off the page so that if they read nothing else, they'll at least see the offer you're making.

Now add some credibility—have you got a customer testimonial you can add? People want to know what others say about you, so tell them. Use two testimonials—or even three if they're short.

Be sure your letter is memorable and has a high interest factor. You can do this by adding some free advice or tips and tricks. Dave could tell how to make an engine run better by selecting proper fuel mixtures or how to keep a lawnmower blade sharp.

Clearly state what the next action should be and give them a reason why it's important to act right away. "Be sure you're ready for the growing season—call us NOW, Spring is here and we're going to get busy!"

Use plain language, don't resort to jargon or insider talk—your customers will appreciate clear language. And don't use "lofty language" that you would not normally use, be sure it sounds like you.

Thank the recipient for reading your letter and sign it personally. If you know the recipient, add a note at the bottom in your own handwriting.

Last, add a P.S. This is a great place to reiterate the offer and maybe even sweeten the deal. You could say, "Take advantage of our FREE 'get-to-know-us' offer and we'll throw in a free tank of gas for your mower or tractor, but you must call now!"

One last thing: all of the above assumes you have a good list to send this out to—one that is accurate and up-to-date. It's best if you have an actual name to address the letter to, not just a company name so call around and get names. Some say a hand-written envelope with an actual postage stamp gets more response than metered mail. It's up to you.

Do a test, send out a few dozen per week. Vary the offer and see what happens.

Now Dave, the grass is starting to come in. When can you do my mower?