Gentle Rain Affluent Marketing Blog

One of the more common questions that I get asked in my sales training seminars on Marketing & Selling To The Affluent is “How long should a sales letter be? What’s the best way to get an affluent client’s attention” Although there are no hard and fast rules, and no shortage of conflicting opinions, here’s what has worked best for our clients.

Let’s take the questions in order.

Regarding length…letters that are one or two pages in length will get the greatest response.
This makes a great deal of sense when one considers the environment in which the letter is read. One main characteristic of the affluent is that they are very busy. Competing with your letter are phones that are ringing, appointments that are waiting and a myriad of other distractions. Thus it is imperative that the opening sentences hook the reader’s attention.

Let me share with you some excerpts from letters that have done quite well.

This is from a letter I wrote for a client called “Financial Peace Of Mind”

Dear—

The tech bust of 2000 … real estate bust of 2007 … credit crisis of 2008 … recession of 2009 — throughout it all of my clients have breathed easier knowing that their advisor was communicating with them-often daily-with ideas and suggestions they needed.

I believe that the reason why this letter worked so well was that it immediately personalized the relationship. Secondly, my research of the affluent suggested that the number one complaint they had about their advisors was a lack of communication. As you can see this is addressed very early on.

Let’s take a look at another example.

This is the beginning from a letter I wrote for a client called Shoring Up Your Financial Future

Dear-
As I grow older, the number of people I meet who are near, or close to retirement continues to grow. Certainly they’re all mentally prepared for leisurely rounds of golf, time spent watching the grandkids, and languid walks on the beach, very few of them are financially prepared to realize their cherished dreams.

I also have many younger friends, people still in their prime and just starting their careers. They’re many decades away from retirement, and they’ve fallen victim to the mindset of those with whose career horizon stretches out far into the distance. Although they “Talk” about investing for the long term, their actions…lavish spending…living paycheck to paycheck, ignores the future that will soon become their reality.

The response to this one was even greater than I hoped. The advisor I wrote this for felt that readers could really relate to what was being communicated.

Finally, this is a letter I wrote for another advisor called The Big Picture. The target here were highly affluent investors who like to take an active role in their investing. They want to align themselves with advisors who will bring them interesting ideas and who are smart “big picture” thinkers.

Dear –

And more specifically: What are the biggest crises brewing, and how can we profit from them?

The tone reflected a “team-based” approach that resonated very highly with this targeted group of affluent prospects.

These excerpts are from 7 of my all time most successful letters. I sell only 25 copies of these each year. If you would like a set ($49) delivered to you electronically send two emails (one with your credit card number minus the last 4 digits, and a second email with the last 4 digest and the expiration date) to mark@gentlerainmarketing.com

Alternatively, if you would like to consult with me about writing a custom lead generation sales letter for you please let me know via email mark@gentlerainmarketing.com or by calling 770-643-8566.