Direct Response Copywriting Secrets – How To Close Your Salesletter

Even people who are comfortable at writing direct response sales copy, often have lots of problems when it comes to “closing.” It’s kind of like once they’ve said everything they had to in the ad, they reach a “pregnant pause” in the conversation, where it gets awkward to finish things up properly and ask for the order.
To some extent, this has to do with asking for money, which is difficult for many people. One way to overcome this is to make sure you believe your value proposition is justified. In other words, know you’re giving more in value than whatever you’re looking to get in exchange for it.
If this isn’t the case, then all you need to do is make a sweeter offer. Figure out how to give more value for what you’re asking in return, and that fixes your problem.
O.K., so now let’s look at an excellent close, from an ad called “Give Me 5 Days And I’ll Give You A Magnetic Personality. Let Me Prove It – FREE!” This ad was selling a course called “Instantaneous Personal Magnetism,” in the mid 1920’s.
The last thing the writer says, is… “I can give you a glorious new magnetic personality so that you can influence the minds of others, attract people to you instantly, be popular and well-liked where ever you go!”
Then he closes like this:
“Let me prove it. Give me 5 days, and if in that time you do not experience a new surge of personal power, if you do not find yourself making friends wherever you may be, if you do not discover yourself on the road to happiness, wealth, and success – guided by my principles of personal magnetism – the test will cost you nothing whatever. You are the judge.”
See how he does this? This is a very soft close. It’s not “BUY BUY BUY!” it’s “Let me prove it to you and then YOU decide if it works or not.”
Then he continues by simply rehashing all the big bold claims he made throughout the ad, only instead of making claims, he’s inferring benefits.
This is a very effective close and one you can do in any business whatsoever. If I have any comments on it, it would be to extend the 5 day guarantee to as long as possible. At least 90 days at a minimum (although I’m sure 5 days was adequate back then).
Longer guarantees get you more orders, for sure. In fact, I have a lifetime guarantee for people who order my book and it sells very briskly.
I’d encourage you to focus on your close, and plan how you’re going to close, before you actually sit down and write it out. It’s an essential part of your sales letter, and an essential component of direct response copywriting.
Now go sell something.