Creating a steady pipeline of leads you can sell to is critical to the growth and success of any company. Without being able to connect properly with your potential customers, generating revenue would be virtually impossible. Where the “rubber meets the road” in sales, so to speak, is during the conversion process. During the past year, as the world stayed home to deal with a global pandemic, writing quality, effective sales copy became more important than ever for converting prospects online.

If your sales copy just isn’t doing the job it’s supposed to do, there are specific steps you can take to make sure it is engaging and persuasive enough to convince online shoppers that your offering is the one they need. Here, 11 members of Forbes Communications Council offer their best insights into how you can improve your sales copy and successfully convert more prospects into paying customers.

1. Take Another Look At Your Audience

Consumers, especially B2B clients, do not appreciate being “sold” to. Are you offering to solve a need for them? Is your call to action clear? Is your message under- or overly personalized? You must always ensure that your copy—particularly your sales copy—is going to resonate with your prospective customer and make them feel something in order for them to engage with you. - Meg Ugenti, Focus USA

2. Use Words Your Market Will Understand

I have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, and the common problem I have seen is not having enough understanding of their market. Every segment uses a distinct set of words to understand the same thing. We all laugh at different jokes and have different desires and motivations to take action. There is an important clue here. Without this research, your copy can never be that effective. - Himanshu Bisht

3. Look At What The Data Says

This is the first step. What are your insights and analytics telling you? In this tech-centric era, sales and marketing efforts should be constantly tracked and evaluated so that a business can adapt and improve. It’s essential to understand the data, your customer journey and customer behavior. Then ask yourself, “What do my customers want, and how can I provide it to them?” - Dave Dabbah, CleverTap

4. Get To Know Contacts Through Research

Research is the cornerstone of writing sales copy that converts. There’s no way to write compelling copy without detailed research into the people you’re reaching out to, their companies and current events happening that might be impacting their industries. Research gives you the ability to personalize your copy and shows that you put in the time and effort to get to know your contacts. - Shawn Herring, PandaDoc

Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

5. Aim To Educate And Engage

In order to write sales copy that actually converts, the goal should be to educate and engage, not sell. Go back to the basics to understand your prospects’ challenges, and then address those. In most cases where sales copy is not converting, there is ambiguity about who the company is talking to. Understanding the audience and their motivations can help you create effective copy. - Maheen Zaidi, Diversified Maintenance

6. Listen Closely During Live Conversations

Have a live conversation with your prospects and your customers. Listen to the words they use to describe the problem that you solve. Make sure you probe how they think about their problem, not your solution. Use the specific words they use (the nouns, adjectives and verbs) in your sales materials. - Scott Case, Upside Business Travel

7. Put Your Prospect Hat On

Does the message resonate with you? Do you feel compelled to act? Is it obvious that the seller put work in to find out who you are, what your pain point may be and what business outcomes you are looking for? My inbox gets filled with sales pitches every week, and I do take meetings with reps who have clearly done their homework and have compelling solutions. - Megan Ruszkowski, CoreSite

8. Make Sure Your Value Propositions Resonate

Ensure your value propositions resonate with your target audience. Confirm that what you think customers care about actually addresses their needs. Infusing the voice of the customer in everything you do is key to business success. There’s no reason to guess what customers care about. Ask them, and do something with their feedback by using it to inform marketing decisions, product development and more. - Stacy Sherman, Customer Experience Expert

9. Provide Specific And Accurate Descriptions

You should look to see in what areas you are being too general. You might only have your prospective client’s attention for a small amount of time, so you need to give a specific, accurate and detailed description of what is being sold. Starting with an eye-catching hook also helps in this aspect of copywriting because an interesting starting line can capture potential customers’ attention quickly. - Christian Anderson, Lost Boy Entertainment Company

10. Take It To A Technical Co-Worker

Salespeople typically have extroverted tendencies and can fall into an echo chamber when devising copy. The best way to counter this is by taking it to an introvert. Try a technical person from software engineering or IT. Not only will this person be able to provide you with feedback quickly, but their inherent skepticism will also provide the necessary rigor for your sales copy. - Patrick Ward, Rootstrap

11. Listen To A Sales Call

If you’re a marketer or non-sales person who creates copy for others, this is critical. Sometimes, sales copy doesn’t connect with the real problems that people are facing, and that’s often why it misses the mark. When you hear what’s on your customer’s mind, it will help you identify ways to strengthen (or even rewrite) your sales copy. - Kate Barton, Clearview Advisory