Direct marketing lore has it that in a typical direct mail letter, the two things the recipient is most likely to read are: 1) the first paragraph and 2) the P.S. It's critical therefore that the first few lines of your letter grab or "hook" the reader into proceeding further. In particular, learn to avoid these two common mistakes:

#1: Asking a "Yes or No" question.

Don't ask the reader whether they have the problem your product or service can solve. Just assume they have the problem, and then tell them how to solve it. Instead of "Is network performance an issue for you?", start your letter with "Now there's a way to increase your network performance by 200%!"

#2: The "so what?" sentence.

Don't tell the reader something they already know. Open with a benefit, not a statement of fact. For instance, don't say "If you're a software developer, you know that being able to port applications to different platforms is critical." Instead, use something like "Discover a simple way to instantly port applications to multiple platforms - without rewriting code."

Within the first few lines of your letter, your reader should know a) why you're writing, and b) what's in it for him or her. If you take too long to "set the stage" for a benefit statement, the reader may not get that far, and your letter will end up in the recycling bin.