The Art of writing a great query letter - Part 2
Why go through this extra work on a query letter? Because it makes your potential client feel
like you're writing/talking directly to him.
Sound familiar? It should. Because a self-promotion letter is nothing more
than a sales letter. You're selling yourself and your skills to potential
clients. And all successful sales letters speak personally to *one* prospect
(in this case, a prospective client).
In Part 1 we talked about how to use
mail-merge to personalize your self-promo letters.
Let's see how mail-merge lets you personalize your self-promo letter so it
doesn't feel like a form letter.
For our example, we'll use the latest version of MS Word (Word 2003 for
Windows or Word 2004 for Mac). If you have a different word processor, see its
instructions on how to start a mail-merge letter and incorporate these database
fields.
1. MAKE YOUR DATABASE
We described how to do this in Issue #204. Your potential client database
fields should be similar to this: Company_Name, First_Name, Last_Name,
Position, Address, City, St, ZIP, Phone, Email, Other1, Other2. Make sure your
database is accurate and that you've saved it someplace where you can find it
easily.
2. CREATE A BLANK DOCUMENT
Click Control-N (Windows), or Command-N (Mac). Save with a meaningful name
(like January06 Self-Promo Master Letter) in the same place where you saved
your database.
3. OPEN THE DATA MERGE MANAGER
Go to Tools>Data Merge Manager; a small palette or window opens.
4. CLICK "CREATE" IN THE "MAIN DOCUMENT" TAB
Have your blank document open and in front when you do this. Choose
"Form Letter." This automatically makes the front document a form
letter.
5. CLICK "GET DATA" IN THE DATA SOURCE TAB
You have the option of starting a New Data Source (NO, DON'T), Open Data
Source (YES, DO), using the MS Office Address Book (NO, DON'T - not until
you're more skilled in mail-merge), or opening a FileMaker Pro database (NO,
DON'T). Navigate to where you saved your database and click to use it. The Data
Merge Manager then opens a section with all the merge fields you created in the
database.
6. WRITE YOUR LETTER AND PUT
MERGE FIELDS IN PLACE.
In the latest versions of MS Word, you simply click on the field you want to
use and drag it into your letter where you want it. In earlier versions, you
put the cursor where you wanted it and clicked on a button in the Data Merge
Manager. The field would appear there.
7. PROOF YOUR LETTER, THEN MERGE TO NEW DOCUMENT
When you're finished writing the letter, inserting the merge fields,
spell-checking, and proofing the merge letter (by reading a PRINT-OUT of it),
you're ready to merge your data to make personalized letters.
Word gives you four options for Merge: Merge to Printer, Merge to New
Document, Merge to E-Mail, and Query Options. For now, you want to Merge to New
Document. If you Merge to Printer and have some mistakes you didn't find
earlier, you could wind up with 150 printed letters for scratch paper. And
ignore Query Options until you've gained the basic skills.
When you Merge to New Document, your computer creates one file containing
all the personalized letters. Page through each one to make sure the formatting
looks okay. (It usually does.) If there are problems, figure out what went
wrong. Close the merged letter file without saving it. Make the necessary
corrections on your master letter. Then merge again.
When you have the letters looking perfect, print them on good quality paper.
8. MAKE MAIL-MERGE ENVELOPES
You can use the same database to make envelopes. We do not recommend using
labels, since they are less personal. However, if you have problems printing
envelopes, labels are an acceptable option.
9. LEARN THE FINER POINTS OF MERGING
Have a friend who's skilled at mail-merge help you learn the finer points (like
using the Word Field option). And pick up a good book on your word processor or
on mail-merge (like the outstanding "Quickstart Visual Guide" series
from Peachpit Press).
NOW ... HERE'S A SAMPLE LETTER
Your word processor determines what your merge fields look like on the page
when you put them in, but I've indicated them here by using double angle
brackets like this: <<Company>>
January 9, 2006
<<First_Name>> <<Last_Name>>
<<Position>>
<<Company>>
<<Address>>
<<City>>, <<St>> <<Zip>>
Dear Mr. <<Last_Name>>:
[Alternatively - Dear <<First_Name>>:]
The body copy of your strong, benefit-oriented self-promo letter goes in
this space. It should be about 4 or 5 paragraphs. At an appropriate point, you
put <<Other1>> in the letter. This is anywhere from one sentence to
a short paragraph that applies only to that particular company or marketing
director.
Find a way to use the company's name at least once in the body of the
letter. For example: "I am eager to discuss with you how I can help
<<Company>> increase direct-mail response. Please ..."
Respectfully yours,
Joan Smith
There
you have it: the fundamentals of using mail-merge to personalize any letter.
Practice a few times before doing it for real. And once you master the skills,
you'll discover that mail-merge is a powerful tool to have in your self-promo
arsenal.
By Michael Masterson - reprinted with permission from AWAI - American Writers Association - www.awaionline.com
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