I read an article recently where a direct mail company placed an ad offering a crisp $100 bill to anyone that would respond to their offer. But in the ad they said nothing more than “fill out the form below and return it for your FREE $100 bill.”

The results of this test ad was startling…

Even though they ran their ad in a large circulation publication, not a single reader of the ad responded to collect their $100 bill.

The lesson?

Even if you’re offering the world to your prospects they won’t take you up on your offer if there’s a doubt in their mind.

Of course, there are a lot of different factors that make a sales letter effective. But if you feel you have an offer that’s wanted by your target audience, if you’re throwing in a bundle of free, desirable benefits, and if you’re still not converting like crazy, then you have to wonder if people believe what you’re telling them.

Credibility is king, and to make your sales letters and ads work, you have to make a strong argument as to why you should be believable.

So, here’s a few ways to add instant credibility to your offer and make your prospects believe that what you’re telling them is the truth.

TELL THE PROSPECT THE DOWNSIDE OF YOUR PRODUCT Telling a prospect what’s wrong with your product can actually build credibility. For instance, I could say, “Unfortunately, these new Shark’s Teeth Scissors won’t cut through everything. But when was the last time you needed to cut through titanium?” It shows that you’re realistic about your products abilities, and assures them you’re not overstating.

STATE YOUR CREDENTIALS If you’re the creator of the product, what makes you qualified? What kind of research went into developing the product? How long did you spend creating it? What’s your background, and how does it apply to making your product the best it can be?

USE CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS Good products get fantastic testimonials. And by using them in your sales letter you’re showing that everyday people just like your prospects have found your product to be as described. To further build credibility, ask the creators of your testimonials if you can use their URL or email address as further proof that these comments came from real people.

SHOW STATISTICS Detailing how well your product has worked under certain circumstances is a solid credibility builder. Use customer testimonials, tests run by you, or even have a control group use your product and record the results.

WRITE A CREDIBLE GUARANTEE A strong guarantee builds credibility because it assures the prospect that what you’re claiming is the truth. And a really powerful way to write a strong guarantee is to detail everything they’ll get with your product. For instance, “Shark’s Teeth Scissors are guaranteed to cut through everything from the thinnest paper to the thickest plastic, are guaranteed to never rust or need sharpening, and will never need to be replaced.” Then back it up by saying that if they find any of the above untrue, simply return the product for a complete refund.

With the ammunition above write your next sales letter with the goal of creating credibility in you as well as your product. If you do it effectively, you’ll be amazed by the results.