By Heather Eagar
For one, sales cover letters are pretty much identical to business cover letters in their format or rules, but differ crucially in their content. Your cover letter reflects directly on your ability to "make the sale".
Sales Cover Letter Basics
So here are the basics of sales cover letters. Sales cover letters must be written on a clean bright white paper and must be delivered to the addressee in an equally decent, stiff envelope. It must have contact information and three paragraphs neatly typed in their designated places. Cover letters are completely devoid of trivial things such as spelling and grammatical errors. So, it goes without saying that the letters must be proofed and edited a couple of times to thrash the trash. So if you think the language or tone of the letter needs drafting and redrafting, just go ahead and do it. But at the same time, remember that the cover letter must be limited to less than a page long to ensure complete reading.
Selling Ice Cream To Eskimos
Making the big bang with HR is the fundamental quality of sales people. The fact is, all companies need sales people, all the time – the question is why they should hire you. In the body of the sales letter, usually the second paragraph, including a couple of examples of selling under trying, extenuating circumstances to hesitant/unwilling customers and making it the focus point of the entire cover letter will turn the tables in your favor. But this should be done with aplomb without throwing off the balance of the rest of the letter.
Dedicate a few lines to explain how you beat the competition - which eventually becomes the point of discussion among every company executive. Employers will be only too happy to invite you for an interview if you can prove that you can bring in money regardless of the circumstances. Sales cover letters should exhibit the character traits of successful sales people - friendly and pushy in nature and being able to effectively convince others into buying their products. Sales people are some of the most prolific speakers with a good command of language skills and voice modulation. They also get friendly with people easily and love to talk.
The bottom line is that landing a sales position is all about the money. If you can show in your cover letter good sales figures and compare and contrast positive figures before and after your tenure, then you will have a good shot at landing the interview. Balance this with examples of your aggressiveness, determination and ability to outwit the competition, and you will be well on your way to landing your next sales position.
About the Author: Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end. If you need samples of cover letters, go to http://www.NothingbutCoverLetters.com
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