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And this appeal may pull even better than the first one—provided the proposition is "on the square." It is hard to put sincerity into a letter that is not based on an absolute truth. If "Only 46 sets left" is merely a salesman's bluff when in fact there are hundreds of sets on hand, the letter will have a hollow ring.
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MAKING IT EASY TO ANSWER CREATING DESIRE TIME LIMIT LIMITED NO. OF ARTICLES CUT PRICE SPECIAL TERMS RESERVATION OF STOCK OR MACHINE EVADING THE COST FREE TRIAL OFFER GUARANTEE DEFERRED PAYMENTS "SEND BILL" NOT AN EXPENSE—AN INVESTMENT ENCLOSURES ORDER BLANKS POST CARDS MONEY ORDER APPLICATIONS COIN CARDS ADDRESSED ENVELOPE
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Sincerity is the hardest thing in the world to imitate in a letter and absolute confidence is the key-stone to all mailorder selling.
There are plenty of plausible reasons for making a time limit or a special offer. A large publishing house, selling both magazines and books by mail occasionally turns the trick by a human interest appeal:
"I told the business manager that I believed I could bring our
August sales up to equal those of the other months.
"He laughed at me. Always before they have fallen off about twenty per cent.
"But I am going to do it—if you'll help me."