Alan Sharpe

Writing Business Letters, Proposals, Reports: Omit Needless Words Says Online Writing Course Coach

William Strunk wrote a short, valuable essay on the need to omit needless words: "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnec... Read >

How to Write Effective Business Letter Proposals when Writing at Work, Contemporary or Formal

Do your letter proposals generate business? Or do they often miss the mark? I've learned that letter proposals must do four things. Incorporate these four steps into every letter proposal and you'll see improvements. 1. Focus on your prospect's need, ... Read >

How To Write Fundraising Letters: Your Donors Deserve Pity

Back in 1985, which I now realize is more than 20 years ago, a homeless man stood at the corner of College and Yonge streets, in downtown Toronto, begging for money. This was his cry: "Quarter! Quarter! Dime! . . . Nickel! . . . Eeeeeeeeven a penny wil... Read >

Lapsed Donor Reactivation And Recovery: Continue Writing Those Direct Mail Donation Letters.

When is the best time to stop sending direct mail donation appeal letters to your lapsed donors? Never. Dropping lapsed donors and members from your mailings is rarely cost-effective. Sending them all of your regular mailings is not cost-effective e... Read >

In B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation, Sell Your Offer, Not Your Offering.

In business-to-business direct mail lead generation, sell your offer, not your product. This sounds like lethal advice to a sales person, and it is, to a salesperson responsible for closing sales and meeting quota. But your direct mail is not responsib... Read >

Why Envelopes Outpull Self-Mailers in B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation.

In business-to-business direct mail lead generation, letters invariably outpull self-mailers, including postcards. Your sales message belongs in an envelope for a number of good reasons. 1. Better privacy An envelope announces to the recipient, "priva... Read >

Direct Mail Lift Notes: Boost Response by Breaking the Lift Letter Rules.

Do lift notes still lift response rates in business-to-business mailings? Yes, as long as they stand out. A lift note, of course, is an extra component slipped into a direct mail package to lift response. It's also called a lift letter. Publishers call... Read >

Earn Six-Figures Copywriting? Why I Respectfully Disagree With AWAI and Michael Masterson.

Aspiring copywriter, be warned. Don't expect to "retire this year and still make more money than most doctors." Paul Hollingshead and The American Writers & Artists Institute say you can. According to their website, all that you need to do is take Mich... Read >

Direct Mail Letter Design Tips For Improved Lead Generation Response.

Successful sales people dress their best when in front of prospects. And so do successful sales letters. Here are some tested sales letter design and layout tips, some of them from direct mail designer Ted Kikoler, and excerpted from The Lead Generation H... Read >

Your Fundraising Letter P.S.: 10 Ways to Write Powerful Postscripts.

Your postscript is one of the most important parts of your fundraising letter. It usually stresses the point of your letter and asks for action. Some donors read it first. Some professional writers write it first. Since the P.S. is one part of your le... Read >

How to Increase the Size of Donor Gifts with Fundraising Letters.

Do you want your donors to give more, do you want them to give more often, or do you want more of your donors to give? If your answer is "all of the above," here are some tested ways to increase the size of donor gifts using fundraising letters. As... Read >

Improve Your B2B Direct Mail Response Rates With Premiums.

Premiums are an effective way to increase your direct mail response rates. Whether you are selling a product or service directly through the mail, or whether you are using a sales letter to generate leads, premiums can help you boost response, increase co... Read >

Improve Your Donation Thank-You Letters, Cards and Notes: Make Your Donor The Hero.

One temptation in writing fundraising thank-you letters is to make your organization the star of the letter. You feel pressure to tell your donors how terrific you are, how cost-effective you are or how broke you are. You are tempted to brag about your ac... Read >

Send Donation Thank-You Letters, Cards and Notes Quickly.

The most important thing about your donation thank-you letters is not what you say or how you say it but how quickly you say it. According to Stephen Hitchcock in Open Immediately!, for many donors, a brief thank-you note pre-printed with just ... Read >