By Tanya Handy

You must understand this single truth: you the business owner, CEO or marketing manager must be intimate in your marketing.

That's because people buy from companies they know and trust. Relate to them in a personal way and you'll boost your chance of keeping a customer for life.

And the one tool that is sure to help you build rock-solid customers relationships is the sales letter.

A sales letter can be used to announce your product or service, follow-up on a lead, close a sale or to perform a myriad of other functions within the sales process.

But if you've ever written one, you know that a sales letter that does what it's intended to takes time and skill to create.

To help you write your own sales letter, I've listed five questions you must answer to ensure you write a sales letter that motivates customers and prospects to action:

1. What's your goal?
Imagine what you want your prospect to do before you write. When you craft a letter that is worth reading, your prospect will reward you by completing that intended action, and advancing through the sales process. Don't make the mistake of sending letters that simply feed readers more information. You'll waste valuable postage and opportunity. Write to spur action.

2. What's on your hook?
Harpoon your reader in the heart or your letter will be canned as junk mail. Bait your message hook in the form of a big benefit or a special offer that appears in your headline. Careful, though! This is the first part of your letter a prospect will read and it could be the last if you don't do hook'em right. So use the proper bait.

3. What message do YOU want to convey?
What did YOU do the last time you got a letter that may have made a similar offer? You could have trashed it, because there was no way to make a comparison to determine which offer was best. Make sure the message, pricing and offer that you use in your letter is uniquely yours.

4. Did you write as if your reader were looking you in the eye?
Read your letter out loud. Does it sound like you're speaking to someone in the room with you now? Well it should! Your letter is a personal message to a real person. Talk to your prospect in simple, direct language, not in fancy, overly-impressive language.

5. Did you make it easy for the reader to respond?
Make it easy for your prospect to act on your letter. The fewer obstacles before them to contact you, the better your chances are of making the sale. Whether you use the phone, e-mail or snail-mail, just make sure it's the easiest way for your prospect to respond to your offer.