Chapter 26

_Sales have been made--and lost--by the printed matter enclosed with business correspondence. A mere mass of folders, cards and bric-a-brac is in itself not impressive to the "prospect_'" unless each item backs up a statement in the letter _and has a direct bearing on the sale_

_Enclosures may be classified thus:_ FIRST, _catalogues, price lists and detailed descriptive matter--to inform the prospect of the goods_; SECOND, _testimonials and guarantees--to prove the claims made for the goods_; THIRD, _return postals, addressed envelopes and order blanks--to make it easy for the prospect to buy the goods_

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The enclosure is to the letter what the supporting army is to the line of attack. It stands just behind the men at the front, ready to strengthen a point here, reinforce the line there, overwhelm opposition finally with strength and numbers.

A clever sales letter may make the proper impression, it may have all the elements necessary to close the sale, but it is asking too much to expect it to handle the whole situation alone.

The average prospect wants more than he finds in a letter before he will lay down his money. The very fact that a letter comes alone may arouse his suspicions. But if he finds it backed up by accompanying enclosures that take things up where the letter leaves off, answer his mental inquiries and pile up proof, the proposition is more certain to receive consideration.

The whole principle of right use of enclosures is a matter of foreseeing what your man will want to know about your proposition and then giving it to him in clear convincing form and liberal measure. But enclosures must be as carefully planned as the letter itself. They are calculated to play a definite part, accomplish a definite end and the study of their effect is just as vital as the study of step-by-step progress of letter salesmanship.

Some letter writers seem to think that the only essential in enclosures is numbers and they stuff the envelope full of miscellaneous folders, booklets and other printed matter that does little more than bewilder the man who gets it. Others make the mistake of not putting anything in with the letter to help the prospect buy. Neither mistake is excusable, if the writer will only analyze his proposition and his prospect, consider what the man at the other end will want to know--then give him that--and more.

And in order to live up to this cardinal rule of enclosures, simply confine your letter to _one_ article. Seven of the best letter writers in the country have made exhaustive tests with descriptive folders. They have found that _one_ descriptive circular, with _one_ point, and _one_ idea pulls where the multiplicity of enclosures simply bewilders and prejudices the reader. These men have conclusively proved that overloaded envelopes do not bring results.

In general the enclosure has three purposes: first, to give the prospect a more complete and detailed description of your goods; second to give him proof in plenty of their value; third, to make it easy for him to buy. On this basis let us classify the kinds of enclosures; that is, the mediums through which these three purposes may be accomplished.

The first, the detailed description, is usually given in catalogue, booklet or circular, complete in its explanation and, if possible, illustrated. Supplementing the catalogue or booklet, samples should be used whenever practicable for they help more than anything else can to visualize the goods in the prospect's eyes.

Proof is best supplied in two ways, through testimonials and guarantees; and the ways of preparing these for the prospect are endless in variety.

Third, you will make it easy to order through the use of order blanks, return cards, addressed envelopes, myriads of schemes that tempt the pen to the dotted line.

The exact form of each of these elements is not of moment here so long as it is clear to the man who receives it. The point to be made is that one enclosure representing each of these elements-- description, proof, and easy ordering--should accompany the sales letter to back it up and make its attack effective.

And now to take these up one by one and see the part each plays.

When the prospect reads your letter, if it wins his interest, his first thought is "Well, this sounds good, but I want to know more about it." And right there the circular comes to his assistance--and to yours. And on this circular depends very largely whether his interest is going to grow or die a natural death. If it is to lead him toward an order it must picture to him clearly just what your proposition is and at the same time it must contain enough salesmanship to carry on the efforts of the letter.

And it is well to bear down hard on this: do not put material into your letter that properly belongs in the circular. Link your letter up with the enclosure and lead the reader to it, but do not go into lengthy descriptions in the letter. Concentrate there on getting your man interested. Do that and you may depend on his devouring the enclosures to get the details. A common mistake in this line is to place a table of prices in the body of the letter. It is simply putting the cart before the horse. Price in every sale should be mentioned last. It certainly should not be mentioned _before_ you have convinced your prospect that he wants your article. Prices should be quoted at the end of the descriptive folder or on a separate slip of paper.

This descriptive enclosure takes on many forms--a booklet, a circular, a folder, a simple sheet of specifications, a price list--but in all cases it is for the one purpose of reinforcing the argument made in the letter. When a proposition requires a booklet, the mistake is often made of making it so large and bulky that it cannot be enclosed with the letter. The booklet comes trailing along after the letter has been read and forgotten. Sometimes the booklet never arrives. Where possible it is much better to make the booklet of such a size that it may be enclosed in the same envelope with the letter. Then you catch the prospect when his interest is at the highest point. It is embarrassing and ineffective to refer to "our booklet, mailed to you under separate cover." Put the book with the letter. Or, if you must send the booklet under separate cover, send it first and the letter later, so that each will arrive at about the same time.

And now that you have put in a circular to help the letter, put in something to help the circular--a sample. Here you have description visualized. In more ways than one the sample is by all odds the most valuable enclosure you can use. In reality, it does more--much more than help the circular with its description, it is concrete proof, in that it demonstrates your faith in the article and your readiness to let your prospect judge it on its merits. A two by three inch square of cloth, a bit of wood to show the finish, any "chip off the block" itself speaks more eloquently than all the paper and ink your money can buy. How irresistible becomes a varnish maker's appeal when he encloses in his letters a small varnished piece of wood, on the back of which he has printed, "This maple panel has been finished with two coats of '61' Floor Varnish. Hit it with a hammer. Stamp on it. You may dent the wood, but you can't crack the varnish. This is _one_ point where '61' varnish excels."

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ENCLOSURES: CIRCULARS FOLDERS OR BOOKLETS PRICE LIST ORDER BLANKS TESTIMONIALS STUFFERS RETURN POST CARD RETURN ENVELOPE COUPONS OR CERTIFICATES LIST OF BUYERS SAMPLES

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A manufacturer of a new composition for walls gives a more accurate idea of his product than could ever be learned from words and pictures by sending a small finished section of the board as it could be put on the wall.

A knitting mill approaches perfection in sampling when it encloses a bit of cardboard on which are mounted a dozen samples of underwear, with prices pasted to each and a tape measure attached to aid in ordering. A roofing concern has the idea when it sends little sections of its various roof coatings. And at least one carriage maker encloses samples of the materials that go into his tops and seat covers.

Most unique samples are enclosed and because of their very novelty create additional interest in a proposition. A real estate company selling Florida lands enclosed a little envelope of the soil taken from its property. To the farmer this little sample has an appeal that no amount of printed matter could equal.

A company manufacturing cement has called attention to its product by making small cement souvenirs such as paper weights, levels, pen trays, and so forth, sending them out in the same enclosure with the letter or in a separate package.

One manufacturer of business envelopes encloses with his letter his various grades of paper, made up into envelopes, each bearing the name of some representative concern that has used that particular grade. Then in the lower corner of the envelope is stamped the grade, weight, price and necessary points that must be mentioned in purchasing. The various envelopes are of different sizes. On the back of each envelope is a blank form in which the purchaser can designate the printed matter wanted, and underneath, in small letters, the directions, "Write in this form the printed matter you demand; pin your check to the envelope and mail to us."

Thus this one enclosure serves a number of purposes. First, it carries a testimonial of the strongest kind by bearing the names of prominent concerns that have used it; then, it is an actual sample of the goods; and lastly, it serves the purpose of an order blank.

Even a firm which sells a service instead of a product can effectively make use of the sample principle. One successful correspondence school encloses with each answer to an inquiry a miniature reproduction of the diploma that it gives its graduates. While the course itself is what the student buys, unquestionably the inspired desire to possess a diploma like the one enclosed plays its part in inducing him to enroll.

A New York trust company gets the same effect by sending the prospective investor a specimen bond complete to the coupons which show exactly how much each is worth on definite dates through several succeeding years. Here again the specimen bond is not actually the thing he buys but it is a facsimile and an excellent one in that it puts in concrete form an abstract article.

Possibly it is inadvisable to include a sample. Then a picture of the article accomplishes the purpose. A grocer who writes his customers whenever he has some new brand of food product, always includes in his letter a post card with a full tinted picture of the article. For instance, with a new brand of olives he encloses a picture of the bottled olives, tinted to exactly represent the actual bottle and its contents, and underneath he prints the terse statement "Delicious, Tempting, Nutricious." If his letter has not persuaded the housewife to try a bottle of the olives, the picture on the enclosure is apt to create the desire in her mind and lead to a purchase.

An automobile dealer who knows the value of showing the man he writes a detailed picture of the machine, includes an actual photograph. Even the reproduction of the photograph is insufficient to serve his purpose. The photograph is taken with the idea of showing graphically the strongest feature of the machine as a selling argument, and illustrating to the smallest detail the sales point in his letter. Then, with pen and ink, he marks a cross on various mechanical parts of engine, body or running gear, and refers to them in his letter.

To carry the photograph enclosure a step farther, one dealer of automobile trucks illustrates the idea of efficiency. He encloses with his letter a photograph of his truck fully loaded. In another photograph he shows the same truck climbing a heavy grade. Then in his letter he says, "Just see for yourself what this truck will do. Estimate the weight of the load and then figure how many horses it would take to handle an equal load on a similar grade."

In the sale of furniture, especially, is the actual photograph enclosed with the letter a convincing argument. Fine carriages, hearses, and other high-grade vehicles are forcibly illustrated by photographs, and no other enclosure or written description is equally effective.

After description and visualizing--through the medium of circular and sample--comes proof, and this you may demonstrate through any means that affords convincing evidence of worth. The two best are testimonials and guarantees, but the effectiveness of either depends largely on the form in which you present them. Testimonials are often dry and uninteresting in themselves, yet rightly played up to emphasize specific points of merit they are powerful in value. The impression of their genuineness is increased a hundredfold if they are reproduced exactly as they are received.

An eastern manufacturer has helped the prestige of his cedar chests tremendously with the testimonials he has received from buyers.

Letters from the wives of presidents, from prominent bankers and men in the public eye he has reproduced in miniature, and two or three of these are enclosed with every sales letter.

An office appliance firm with a wealth of good testimonials to draw on sends each prospect letters of endorsement from others in his particular line of business. A correspondence school strengthens its appeal by having a number of booklets of testimonials each containing letters from students in a certain section of the country. The inquirer thus gets a hundred or more letters from students near his own home, some of whom he may even know personally.

A variation of the testimonial enclosure is the list of satisfied users. Such a list always carries weight, especially if the firms or individuals named are prominent. A trunk manufacturer, who issues a "trunk insurance certificate" to each customer, reproduces a score or more of these made out to well known men and submits them as proof of his product's popularity.

Another effective form of enclosure is a list of buyers since a recent date. One large electrical apparatus concern follows up its customers every thirty days, each time enclosing a list of important sales made since the previous report.

Another plan is that of a firm manufacturing printing presses. In making up its lists of sales it prints in one column the number of "Wellington" presses the purchaser already had in use and the number of new ones he has ordered. The names of the great printing houses are so well known to the trade that it is tremendously effective to read that Blank, previously operating ten Wellingtons, has just ordered three more.

Second only to the testimony of the man who buys is the guarantee of the seller. Mail-order houses are coming more and more to see the value of the "money-back" privilege. It is the one big factor that has put mail sales on a par with the deal across the counter. Time was when sellers by mail merely hinted at a guarantee somewhere in their letter or circular and trusted that the prospect would overlook it. But it is often the winner of orders now and concerns are emphasizing this faith in their own goods by issuing a guarantee in certificate form and using it as an enclosure.

A roofing concern forces its guarantee on the prospect's attention by giving it a legal aspect, printing in facsimile signatures of the president and other officials--and stamping the company's name. Across the face of this guarantee is printed in red ink, the word "Specimen." Along the lower margin is printed, "This is the kind of a real guarantee we give you with each purchase of one of our stoves." A mail-order clothing firm sends a duplicate tag on which their guarantee is printed. Across the tag of this sample guarantee is printed in red, "This guarantee comes tagged to your garment."

The prospect who finds proof like this backing up a letter is forced to feel the worth-whileness of your goods or your proposition, and he draws forth his money with no sense of fear that he is chancing loss.

The number and kind of enclosures you will put into your letter is entirely up to you. But before you allow a letter to go out, dig under the surface of each circular and see whether it really strengthens your case.

Apply this test; is the letter supported with amplified description, proof, materials for ordering? If it is, it is ready for the attack. You may find it best to put your description, your testimonials, your guarantee and your price list all in one circular. It is not a mistake to do so. But whether they are all in one enclosure or in separate pieces, they should be there. And in addition, put in your return card order blank or envelope or whatever will serve best to bring the order. When your letter with its aids is complete, consistent, equipped to get the order then, and only then, let it go into the mails.

Bringing In _New Business_ By POST CARD