McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved.

12-2 Persuasive and Sales Messages Chapter 12   Purposes   Persuasive Strategies   Credibility   Threats   Organizing DR & PS Messages   Dealing with Objections   Reasons to Act Promptly   Tone   Varieties   Organizing Sales/Fund- Raising Messages   Writing Style   Checklists

12-3 Purposes  Primary  To have reader act  Secondary  To build good image of the communicator  To build good image of communicator’s organization  To cement a good relationship between communicator and audience  To overcome any objections that might prevent or delay action  To reduce or eliminate future messages on subject

12-4 Choosing a Persuasive Strategy  What do you want people to do?  What objections will audience have?  How strong a case can you make?  What kind of persuasion is best for organization and culture?

12-5 Three Aspects of Persuasion  Argument—reasons or logic communicator offers  Credibility—audience’s response to communicator as source of message  Emotional appeal—making audience want to do as communicator asks

12-6 Credibility in Persuasion  Three sources of credibility in workplace:  Expertise  Image  Relationships

12-7 Building Credibility  Be factual—don’t exaggerate  Be specific—if you say X is better, show in detail how it is better  Be reliable—if project will take longer or cost more than estimated, tell audience immediately

12-8 Use a Direct Request Pattern When…  Audience will do what you ask without resistance  You need response only from people who can easily do as you ask  Busy people may not read all messages they receive

12-9 Use a Problem-Solving Pattern When…  Audience may resist doing what you ask  You expect logic to be more important than emotion in the decision

12-10 Use a Sales Pattern When…  Audience may resist doing what you ask  You expect emotion to be more important than logic in the decision

12-11 Why Threats Don’t Persuade  Don’t produce permanent change  May not produce desired action  May make people abandon action  Produce tension  People dislike/avoid one who threatens  Can provoke counter-aggression

12-12 Organizing Direct Requests 1.Ask immediately for the information or service you want 2.Give audience all the information they need to act on your request 3.Ask for the action you want

12-13 Subject Lines for Direct Requests  Use one of these:  Request itself  Topic of request  Question RE: Need Your Advice

12-14 Organizing Problem-Solving Messages 1.Catch audience’s interest by mentioning common ground 2.Define problem you share with reader 3.Explain solution to problem 4.Show that advantages outweigh negatives 4.Summarize additional benefits of solution 5.Ask for action you want

12-15 Subject Lines for Problem-Solving Messages  Omit request from subject line  Use neutral subject line  Use common ground or audience benefit  Use positive or neutral subject line— even if first ¶ is negative RE: Order #34323

12-16 Developing Common Ground  Suggest you and audience have mutual interest in solving problem  Analyze audience to understand biases, objections, and needs  Identify with readers; make them identify with you

12-17 Dealing with Objections  Specify time, money required to act  May be less than reader fears  Example:  Filling out the forms should only take 10 minutes. Your responses will be put into our database—no more paperwork.

12-18 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Put time, money in context of benefits they bring  Example:  Paying $17,500 for all three of us to attend the summer institute will enable us to get the thorough instruction we need to train the rest of the staff.

12-19 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Show that money spent now will save money in long run  Example:  By spending $4,000 now, we can upgrade the labs in time to avoid a $6,500 fine for noncompliance with the new regulations.

12-20 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Show that doing as you ask will benefit something audience cares about  Example:  By becoming an mentor, you’ll give an at-risk student the encouragement he or she needs to stay in school.

12-21 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Show audience need for sacrifice to achieve larger, more important goal  Example:  If we each work just four additional hours each week, we’ll be able to keep the shelter open 24 hours a day, which will qualify us for the new urban development grant.

12-22 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Show that advantages outweigh the disadvantages  Example:  Although relocating support staff to the fourth floor means losing storage space, having everyone in a central location will increase our efficiency greatly.

12-23 Dealing with Objections, continued…  Turn a disadvantage into opportunity  Example:  With our budget cuts, we’ll fill open positions in the fall or later. With your approval, though, we could expand our internship program and bring in many highly qualified students at a fraction of the cost.

12-24 Reasons to Act Promptly  Show that time limit is real  Example:  Returning the enclosed form by July 1 will let us include your responses in our Executive Board presentation on July 15.

12-25 Reasons to Act Promptly, continued…  Show that acting now will save time or money  Example:  When you return the acceptance notice before October 1 st, you will be guaranteed the lower interest rate.

12-26 Reasons to Act Promptly, continued…  Show the cost of delaying action  Example:  The prices quoted are good until the first of next month. After that, everything will increase 5%.

12-27 Building Emotional Appeal  Storytelling  Psychological description  Create word picture for readers’ senses  Hear  See  Smell  Taste  Touch  Help readers imagine themselves doing, enjoying what you ask

12-28 Tone in Persuasive Messages  Be courteous  Give solid reasons for requests  Make requests clear  Give enough information for audience to act  Tone down requests to superiors  I expect you to give me a new computer.  If funds permit, I’d like a new computer.

12-29 Varieties of Persuasive Messages: Performance Appraisals  Cite specific observations, not inferences  Include specific suggestions for improvement  Identify two or three areas that the worker should emphasize in the next month or quarter

12-30 Varieties of Persuasive Messages: Recommendation Letters  Be specific  Tell how well, how long writer knew applicant  Give details about applicant’s work  Say whether writer would rehire applicant

12-31 Sales and Fund-Raising Purposes  Primary  To motivate reader to act (send donation, order a product)  Secondary  To build good image of writer’s organization  To strengthen commitment of readers who act  To make readers who do not act more likely to act next time

12-32 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Opener  Makes reader want to read entire message  Types  Questions  Narration, stories, anecdotes  Startling statements  Quotations  Sets up transition to letter body

12-33 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Body  Answers reader’s questions  Overcomes reader’s objections  Involves reader emotionally.  Long letters work best: 4 pages ideal  Short letters, work too

12-34 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Body  Content usually includes  Information any reader can use  Stories about history of product or organization  Stories about people who use product  Word pictures of readers enjoying benefits offered

12-35 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Action Close  Tells readers what to do  Makes action sound easy  Offers readers reason to act now  Ends with positive picture  May recall central selling point

12-36 PS: Many people read it first! Using a Postscript  Reason to act promptly  Description of premium reader receives  Reference to another part of package  Restatement of central selling point

12-37 Strategy in Sales Letters: Satisfying Need  Tell people of need product meets  Prove that product satisfies that need  Show why product is better than similar ones  Make reader want to have product

12-38 Dealing with Price  Link price to product’s benefit  Link price to benefits your company offers  Show how much product costs each day, week, or month  Allow customers to charge sales or pay in installments

12-39 Strategy in Fund-Raising Appeals: Vicarious Participation  Use we to talk about the cause  At end, use you to talk about what reader will be doing  Show how reader’s dollars help solve the problem

12-40 Fund-Raising Letters  Provide lots of information  To persuade readers  To give evidence readers can tell others  To give image of strong, worthy cause to non- supporters  Cite other ways reader can help

12-41 Always send a Thank You to every donor How Much to Ask For  Link gift to what it will buy  Offer a premium for giving  Ask for a monthly pledge

12-42 Logical Proof in Fund-Raising Letters Letter body must prove that— 1.Problem deserves reader’s attention 2.Problem can be alleviated or solved 3.Your group is helping to solve problem 4.Private funds are needed 5.Your organization will use funds wisely

12-43 Strategy in Contact Letters  Contact letter – keeps in touch with audience, does not seek action  Simple, short (may be less than a page)  Take theme of season or current event  Refer to reader / writer relationship; looks to future

12-44 Writing Style 1.Make text interesting  Tight  Conversational 2.Use psychological description: vivid word pictures  Describe audience benefits  Describe problem product solves

12-45 Writing Style, continued… 3.Make message sound like a letter, not an ad  One person talking to another  Informal: short sentences and words, even slang  Create a persona—character who writes the letter

12-46 Checklist: Direct Request  Specific subject line differentiates message from others on subject  Subject line contains request  First ¶ summarizes request / topic  Message gives all information, details

12-47 Checklist: Direct Request  Message answers questions, overcomes objections—in positive way  Last ¶ tells reader exactly what to do  Last ¶ gives due date and reason to act promptly

12-48 Checklist: Problem-Solving Message  Subject line omits request  Subject line cites shared problem or offers benefit  First sentence interests reader  Problem presented as joint problem that writer and reader want to solve

12-49 Checklist: Problem-Solving Message  Message gives all information, details  Message overcomes objections  Message avoids dictatorial, condescending, or arrogant phrases  Last ¶ tells reader exactly what to do  Sets deadline  Gives reason for prompt action