Cover Letter Help – 3 Stages Of The Sales Type Cover Letter Selling You
Whenever I am asked for cover letter help I always point out that these types of letters for resumes are nothing more than glorified sales letters. People then respond that they don’t know how to write a sales letter. So I explain as with selling anything you need to prepare an approach, a pitch and then close the deal or follow up. Let me take you through these steps in applying a sales perspective to an employment cover letter.
A vast majority don’t spend every day writing job application letters. Job applications are often done at a time when you are under pressure to get a new job so people tend to default to copying a cover letter template from the internet. I can tell you that copying off the internet is a very dangerous thing to do unless you are simply investigating resume cover letter format or looking at simple examples for context and tone.
For me, first stage is the approach. Think about how you would sell something to someone on the street. How would you approach them? For this method the approach is going to be sending the letter with your resume. The approach in my method also means much more than a general resume cover letter template, it’s about preparation.
You should have a blank layout with which you can quickly fill in the blanks and tailor the letter to the job on offer. You should also prepare a fax cover letter and an email cover letter for resume all set out and ready to go for every opportunity that comes along. You should have researched your ‘market’ – that is, you should know everything about the company before you apply. Fortune favors the bold but it also smiles on the prepared!
The second stage is the pitch. You are the product and that is how you should convey yourself. This is a letter of interest. You are interested in the job and the company. You have researched them and you convey that in the letter in a way which gets them to picture you as part of that organization, fitting in.
HR managers put a lot of effort going through cover letters for a job. They will tune out stock letters copied from the internet. Your pitch should shake them from their slumber and demonstrate that, hey – we have a live one here. The best person for the job has turned up, they have bothered to research us and they are interested in joining us. These points turn a simple letter of application into a powerful sales tool.
The third stage is the close. You will have submitted an application which has gone beyond the simple cover letter for resume format. You have impressed the HR people with a sales pitch and not something copied and pasted the internet. The close should be a call to action. Contact me. I want this job. Make it clear to whoever is reading this letter that you are interested.
Much like building a long-term relationship with a customer you are building a relationship with the person in charge of hiring in this company. You might not get the job this time. However, if another job becomes available or this person hears of a different position elsewhere, who are they going to think of and recommend? This is how a strong sales letter approach can make all the difference.
While this article might not have taught you how to exactly write a sales type letter selling you it should have at least given you the tools to get started. For further hints, tips and advice please come visit us at Amazing Cover Letters for more hints and tips.
