Sales copywriters persuade, and good ones are paid big bucks for their craft. You may never write a sales letter for American Express, but you can follow the secrets of sales copy pros. Follow this basic outline to write more persuasively and you will see more success in your attempts to inspire change: State the problem, state the impact (issues, symptoms, etc.) caused by the problem and state how the problem has been managed ineffectively until now, and discuss the risk that will continue if the problem remains unresolved. Every persuasive letter has three targets: The problems is solves. The desire it satisfies. The needs it fulfills. Hit all three. Include the opinion of an expert or two and statistics if you can find them, and spell out the next steps and how soon they should be taken in order to prevent missed opportunity or further loss.