Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

Jenny,
Bill makes some great points. A sales letter pursuades the prospects by discussing the features and benefits of your product (your town), compares it to the competition (other candidate towns), and shows how your product meets the need of the prospect better than the competitive offering.

The opening sentense in the first paragraph has to engage the reader and compel him to continue to read. The information here has to be as specific as possible - like "Did you know that Jennytown convention facilities are the largest in the state AND the least expensive?" For this claim, pick the features you believe have the highest value to the prospect AND make you look best. Consider making this BOLD and the only sentense in the paragraph to add emphasis. The rest of the paragraph backs up this claim, comparing it to competitor town's size and cost.

In your sales letter discussing features and benefits of a convention in your town, keep in mind you have two groups you are selling to: The teachers and the organizers. You may want to divide your letter into two parts as such to address both specifically. Here are some things to consider:

ORGANIZERS
. Availability of guest rooms - # hotels, and rooms
. Conference facilities - large hall, breakout rooms
. Cost of conference facilities
. Transportation to/from hotels to convention site
. Organized "fun" activities
. Help with planning organizing the town is willing to do

TEACHERS
. Cost of rooms
. Convenience and cost of travel in and out of your town
. Activities/nightlife available
. Restaurants and quality/variety of food and cost
. Safety
. Family friendly (many conventioners bring family)

Any comparitives you can make on the features with other leading candidate towns showing where your town is better enhances your pursuation capability.

If you can obtain information in the form of pamplets about your town, hotels, convention facilities, town map, you may consider putting together a packet for their consideration.

End the letter with a strong "call to action." For instance, ask that they please review the attached information. And then close with a statement that you will call the following week to discuss the information and other questions they may have. As an added incentiv, you might offer a "weekend trip" to your town for a couple of the organizers to tour the convention facilities and the town. You could probably get a hotel to give you rooms and restaurants to donate meals - knowing it's an investment to nab a convention. So in the closing, you would discuss the "freeby" and promise a follow-up call to discuss information, questions, and set up a weekend for this visit.

Hope this is useful....

Wayde