Learn to Enjoy Writing Sales Copy

During our last Sunday Society call, one of the members talked about her inability to write her sales page or sales email for a product that has been done for months.

This isn’t unusual.

More than three-quarters of my clients struggle with writing sales copy.

They create products or services with no issue. They might even sell some via word-of-mouth. They write free content like blog posts and social media posts.

But, when it comes to writing anything “sales-y,” they’d rather salsa with a wild lion.

I’m constantly trying to get to the bottom of this and the main issue I’ve uncovered is inner critic sabotage that takes over when someone who isn’t sales oriented sits down to write sales copy.

That’s why I’ve written a short guide to change your sales mindset each time you write anything related to sales so that you learn to enjoy it.

Here are your six steps:

1. Remind yourself that people are reading the page or email for a reason.

When your nasty inner critic takes control of your brain matter and tells you that everyone is going to unsubscribe as soon as they read your sales email, remind yourself that they are on your list for a reason.

It didn’t happen by chance.

They didn’t lose control of their fingertips and magically input their name and email address into your opt-in form.

And, they haven’t stayed subscribed to your list by chance either.

Some of your subscribers may need an email declutter but most stick around because they want more from you.

They like your brand which means they want to know when you have something for sale.

When people enjoy your free content, they want the option to buy your products and services. They want more information. They want to be the first to know about new offerings. And, they want to receive sales emails.

If they didn’t, they would unsubscribe.

The same goes for a sales page. If someone lands on your sales page and sticks around, they’re interested. So tell your inner critic to stick it.  

2. Change your mindset from “sales-y” to “decision making.”

The biggest pushback I get from clients when I tell them to sell to their audiences is “I don’t want to be too sales-y.”

I have to hold back an eye roll because I’m not fourteen-years-old and I also understand.

I work with women and many women struggle with coming across as pushy and sales-y. They’re afraid it will backfire and they’ll lose potential customers.

It won’t work for me to yell, “GET OVER IT. YOU’RE RUNNING A BUSINESS!” That’s just going to make you feel even worse and probably have you running to hide under your duvet.

Here’s how we’re going to deal with this.

Instead of approaching a sales page or sales email with the intent on selling, you’re going to set the goal of helping readers make an informed decision.

You want to help them decide whether or not buying is the right option for them.

That’s less scary, right?

We’ve left the “sales” topic altogether. Now, you’re doing something that a woman does really well: helping a potential customer problem solve.

This will change your mindset but give you the same results.

3. Only sell to those who will love it.

One of the reasons most people hate sales is because of the slimey, sick feeling they get just thinking about the word.

That feeling comes from trying to push products and services onto the wrong people.

People who don’t actually want or need the product. People who won’t like the product. People who will wish they didn’t buy the product.

You will always feel good about selling if you sell to the right people. You do this by simply telling the truth and writing your sales copy to your ideal customer.

If your product is best for people who already know the knit and purl stitch, don’t sell to those who’ve never picked up knitting needles. If your service is right for women who want to be Instagram influencers, don’t say that it’ll work for anyone who wants to grow their IG account in your Q&A section.

It’s never worth the short term monetary gain to sell to the wrong people. It won’t feel good to you and you’ll be left with unhappy customers.

The best way to change your mindset about sales is to keep this tip in mind.

If you’re only selling your jewelry to women who adore it, you’re always going to feel good about selling it, right?

4. Don’t write it all at once.

If you want a calm mindset when you sit down to write any type of sales copy, then you need to break it up into sections.

For instance, if you’re writing a sales page, you should have deadlines for: the rough draft, the first, second, and third round of edits, the visuals/photos, and putting it all together.

If you’re trying to do it all at once, your inner critic is going to have the best time mocking you.

Don’t wait until the day before the launch. You think differently when you’re in drafting mode versus when you’re editing. You also need different rounds of editing so that you can focus on distinct things such as cutting everything unnecessary versus adding more personality and story versus making sure every word is the exact right word.

It’s much easier to write a sales page or sales email draft when you know it’s just the draft and you have multiple rounds of edits to improve it.

Otherwise, it’s too much pressure.

5. Remind yourself of your business why.

Another way to keep a positive mindset when writing sales copy is to keep in mind your business why.

Write it down on a post-it and stick it on your computer screen.

If you’ve created a membership site to empower women to build their own websites, brands and businesses and no longer rely on cookie cutter options or $5000 designers (hey, Amanda Creek) and you’ve got this posted on your computer screen while you’re writing your sales copy, it’s easier to keep going and feel less icky about it.

You know that you’re doing good. It’s not just about the money…it’s about so much more than that.

6. Remind yourself of your personal why.

When all else fails, remind yourself about your personal why.

This is a lot less altruistic, but we go into business for partly selfish reasons.

One of my personal whys is that working from home allows me to work despite my health issues.

It would be next to impossible for me to work a regular 9-5, so I’ve built a business with very flexible work hours that allows me to work when I’m feeling good and rest when I’m feeling bad.

If I’m sitting down to write a sales page or sales email and none of these other tips above are working, I can tap into one of my personal whys such as this one. It helps me to shut down my inner critic pretty fast!

So, what’s one of your personal whys that you can think about when nothing else is pushing you to write that sales email?

It could be paying for a child’s college education. It could be finally leaving a day job that is making you miserable. It could be taking your family on a Disney vacation. It could be paying off a credit card.

These personal reasons can push us to do the uncomfortable.

I hope this short guide helps you change your mindset when you sit down to write sales copy, especially sales emails and sales pages.

I know they’re the hardest things to write in business, but these six points can change the game if you focus on them.