Before you can post or print your sales letter you need to proof-read it to ensure that there aren’t any mistakes.

But the problem is, every time you read your sales copy you run the risk of missing obvious mistakes even though you’ve used a spell checker and reread it more than once…

For instance, a major accounting firm recently sent a proposal to a Fortune 500 client. On the cover they identified themselves as: “Certified Pubic Accountants.”

An unfortunate mischoice of words I’m sure you will agree… But it’s so easy to miss when you proof-read your sales letter yourself.

You know what is supposed to have been written and your eyes play tricks on you so you misread words like the above example or read ‘their’ instead of ‘there.’

The problem is your prospects don’t make the same mistakes because they are looking at your sales copy through fresh eyes.

One great way to proof read sales letters is to get a friend to read it for you but sometimes even they may miss glaring mistakes… So you need to try another tactic that will reliably isolate msitakes that would otherwise been have missed.

Here’s how to do it:

Proofread the sales letter backwards. You’re guaranteed to catch many typos you’d otherwise miss – especially if this is not the first time you’re reading the document.

Why this works:

When you proofread backwards, you focus on each word individually. Also, the copy has no meaning when read backwards, so your attention is on the individual words and their spelling; you don’t get caught up in the content itself.

Give it a try and see how many mistakes you’d have let slip through otherwise.

And if you’ve got a great way to proof-read your sales letter be sure to leave a comment – I’m always open to new suggestions.

Take care,

Stuart.