By Stuart Elliott

Wow, what a strange question!

This question, however, has nothing to do with seeing your prospect as a mythical person, like the dragons in fairy tales of old. It asks whether you really know your prospect.

Actually, there is some truth to both sides of the question. A lot of would-be marketers think they have found a killer product and write a sales letter to match, only to find out later (to their cost) that there is no market for that product.

But, what I really want to discuss today is…

Do You Breathe The Same Air As Your Prospect?

I mean, do you really know your prospect? Do you talk the same talk as him/her? Do you live the same life as him/her? In short, can you honestly say that you can identify with your prospect?

When you write a sales letter, not only do you have to know your product intimately, you have to taste it, feel it, own it and use it. But…

You have to also KNOW your prospect intimately.

Too many marketers today, whether they be Internet or Offline marketers, locate a product or service that they think will sell. They research it in depth and start to write a sales letter for it, but fail to put the same amount of effort into identifying who they are writing the sales letter to.

"You may have the best product in the world, but how can you write a killer sales letter for it if you don't know who will buy it?"

You must learn everything there is to know about your target market: what their needs are, what their desires are, how they think, how they talk and, yes, even how they dress.

For instance, say your product is the latest high-tech skateboard. You've researched it endlessly and know that it will benefit your prospect because it is lighter and stronger, thus giving him/her more speed -- and it will never break. How do you think your prospect will react if you walk up to him/her wearing a suit and tie, then try to talk to him/her in language that would be more suitable for the annual financial meetings of a fortune 500 company?

Or -- say you're selling a top-notch financial product. How do you think your prospect would react if your opening words were "Yo, Dude! What's the juice?"

I can tell you that he/she would probably laugh in your face. You certainly wouldn't hold much credibility in his/her eyes.

Far better if you took the time to learn your prospect's habits, then approached him/her wearing similar attire that he/she would wear. Immediately, you'd start to fit in. Now, when you talked to him/her about your product and use familiar language, he/she will listen with open ears and be begging you for a chance to try out your product, because you're talking to him/her on his/her level.

Don't be misled into thinking there is no need to worry about clothes when addressing prospects via the Internet, either. A photo of yourself adds instant credibility to your sales letter but, of course, that photo must show you in attire that matches the minds' eye of your prospect. For instance, a picture of you sitting there in your underpants wouldn't do much for your credibility if you were selling stock market advice, would it?

So -- the next time you sit down to write a sales letter for that killer product you've identified, take the time to research your buyers, let them live inside your head for a while before you put pen to paper.

That way, when you do write your sales letter, it will talk the same language and walk the same walk as your prospect. Thus, you will gain his/her respect immediately he/she starts to read it.

Also make sure there is a market for your product. You don't want to be selling skateboards to dragons, do you? (Remember, dragons can fly, so they have no need for a skateboard!)

About the author:

Stuart Elliott is a world class copywriter. Drop by http://howtowritekickbuttcopy.com to pick up a free copywriting power guide.