The ultimate sales letter
Write Well to Sell Big! In the age of e-mail and instant communication, great sales copy is indispensable to closing a deal. But too many sales letters end up in the junk file or the wastebasket. In this new edition of his top-selling book, author Dan Kennedy explains why some sales letters work and most don't. And he shows how to write copy that any business can use. Among other things, he provides: Completely updated text and examples Great headline formulas New exercises to spark creativity The best way to use graphics Kennedy is the most successful, highly paid direct-response copywriter in the country. In this book, he shares his step-by-step formula so everyone can write letters that will nail the sale.
Stats for nerds
8recommend
11mentions
9people
2007–2025years
91% recommend9% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Friendly suggestion to read (and study) The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy. In addition to anything else you do. Guy is a prick. But, he’s a prick who has made me $$$.
- Sales: The very best books/resources on the subject are:
1. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes 2. Zig Ziglar's The Secrets of Closing the Sale 3. Brian Tracy's The Psychology of Selling
Copywriting: The 3 Best Books (All out of print):
1. Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples 2. Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins 3. Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz
If I could add a fourth it would be: 4. The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy
If you want to get even deeper, here is a longer list:
https://capitalandgrowth.org/questions/627/what-are-some-goo...
- "Scientific Advertising" Claude Hopkins
"Tested Advertising" Caples (4th edition or earlier only)
"How I Raised Myself from a Failure to Success in Selling" Betger
"How to Write a Good Advertisement" Schwab.
"How to Write Sales Letters That Sell" Drayton Bird
"The Robert Collier Letter Book" - by Robert Collier
"Tested Advertising Methods" -by John Caples
"The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" - by Joe Karbo
"Break-Through Advertising" - by Eugene M. Schwartz
"Advertising Secrets of The Written Word" by Joe Sugarman
"Making Ads Pay" by John Caples
"Web Copy That Sells" by Maria Veloso
"The Architecture of Persuasion" by Michael Masterson
"Influence The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini
"The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" by Joe Sugarman
"The Elements of Copywriting" by Gary Blake and Robert Bly
"The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy
"Cashvertising" by Drew Eric Whitman
"Write to sell " it is written by Andy Maslen
"Influencing Human Behaviour" by H.A.
"Tested Sentences That Sell" by Elmer Wheeler
"Unlimited Selling Power" by Moine and Lloyd.
"Writing for Emotional Impact" by Karl Iglesias
Bob Bly's "The Copywriter's Handbook"
"How To Make Your Advertising Make Money" - John Caples
"The Copywriters Handbook" - Bob Bly
"The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" - Joseph Sugarman
"Sales Letters That Sizzle" - Herschell Gordon Lewis
"Cash Copy" - Jeffrey Lant
"Magic Words That Bring You Riches" - Ted Nicholas
"Ogilvy On Advertising"
"Method Marketing" by Denny Hatch.
"My First 50 Years in Advertising" by Maxwell Sackheim.
"The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of all Time" by Richard Hodgson.
"How To Write Advertising That Sells" by Clyde Bedell
"Ads That Sell" by Bob Bly
"Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich" -- David Garfinkle
"Magic Words" -- Ted Nicholas
"Robert Collier Letter Book" -- Robert Collier
"My Life In Advertising" -- Claude Hopkins
"Bird" - Commonsense
"The First Hundred Million" by E. Haldeman-Julius
David Ogilvy's "Blood, Brains and Beer"
"Confessions of an advertising man"
"Million Dollar Mailings" by Denison Hatch
"The Wizard of Ads" trilogy by Roy H. Williams
"Making Ads Pay" by John Caples
- Go read Dan Kennedy's book titled The Ultimate Sales Letter. It's a timeless crash course on copywriting. Don't waste your time on anything else.
- If you want to ask companies about problems they're facing you'll need to learn sales. I've been a freelancer for 12 years and these books changed my life...
* How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients by Jeffrey J. Fox
* The Dollarization Discipline: How Smart Companies Create Customer Value...and Profit from It by Jeffrey J. Fox
* The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don't) by Sean D'Souza
* The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost your Sales by Dan S. Kennedy
* The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Mathew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Also watch a few Gary Vaynerchuck Keynotes and you'll get ideas on how to add value first, specifically read this blog post https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/working-for-free-the-debate/
- My runner up sales books are:
Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton The Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Watch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. Sales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.
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