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Essentials of business communication

8th Canadian Edition

Mary Ellen Guffey/Dana Loewy/

Richard Almonte

Chapter 6

Persuasive Writing Situations

Learning Objectives

1. Understand why the indirect strategy is used to persuade and how the strategy works.

2. Request favours and other actions persuasively.

3. Write persuasive claim request messages.

4. Present persuasive new ideas within organizations.

5. Analyze techniques used in persuasive sales and promotional messages.

6. Compose various persuasive electronic sales and promotional messages.

Using the Indirect Writing Strategy in Persuasive Writing Situations

Use the indirect strategy when you know you will encounter resistance.

It requires more practice and experience than the direct strategy.

Components of an Indirect Persuasive Request

Writing Plan:

Gain attention in the opening.

Build interest in the body.

Reduce resistance in the body.

Motivate action in the closing.

Ask students why persuasion is such an important factor.

Persuasive Favour Request

Discuss the differences in the “Before” and “After” documents.

Persuasive Situation: Making Complex Claims and Complaints

Writing Plan:

Gain attention in the opening by paying the receiver a compliment.

Build interest in the body by explaining and justifying the complaint with convincing reasons and without anger.

Reduce resistance in the body by subtlety suggesting the responsibility of the receiver. Appeal to sense of fairness or desire for customer satisfaction.

Motivate action in the closing by explaining exactly what action you want taken and when.

Complex Indirect Claim

Persuasive Situation: Sales and Promotional Messages

Writing Plan: AIDA

Opening (gain Attention. Offer something valuable; promise a benefit to the reader.)

Body (build Interest. Describe central selling points and make rational and emotional appeals; elicit Desire in the reader and reduce resistance.)

Closing (motivate Action. Offer a gift, promise an incentive, limit the offer, set a deadline, or guarantee satisfaction.)

The AIDA Pattern

Attention

Opener should be short.

Begin with something to catch the reader’s attention:

Offer	Fact
Benefit	Produce feature
Open-ended suggestive question	Testimonial
Quotation Compliment	Startling statement
Compliment	Personalized action setting

The AIDA Pattern

Interest

Describe product/service with appeals:

Rational Appeal	Saving money or increasing efficiency
Emotional Appeal	Status, ego, sensual feelings
Dual Appeal	A combination of both rational and emotional appeal

The AIDA Pattern

Desire

Elicit desire in the reader and overcome resistance.

Anticipate objections.

Focus on reader benefits:

Provide testimonials	Offer free trial/sample
Use names of satisfied users (with permission)	Mention performance tests, polls or awards
Offer a guarantee or warranty

The AIDA Pattern

Action

Make it easy for the reader to respond.

Consider incentives to encourage action:

Offer a gift/incentive

Set a deadline/limit the offer

Guarantee satisfaction

The final paragraph of the sales letter carries the call to action.

Direct-Mail Sales Letter Using AIDA

Ask students why it is important to understand the differences between direct and indirect sales messages.

Persuasive Situation: Online Sales and Promotional Messages

Much like traditional direct mail, digital marketing can attract new customers, keep existing ones, encourage future sales, cross-sell, and cut costs.

Persuasive Situation: Online Sales and Promotional Messages

Selling by e-mail:

Craft a catchy subject line.

Keep the main information “above the fold.”

Keep the message short, conversational, and focused.

Convey urgency.

Sprinkle testimonials throughout the copy.

Provide a means for opting out.

Using Other New Media to Connect With Customers

Facebook

Blogs

Wikis

RSS

Podcasting

Other social media (Twitter)

Ask students to give examples of when each of the other new media ideas would be appropriate for a company to use in the context of persuasive writing.

Summary

The ability to persuade is a powerful versatile communication tool.

Apply the indirect strategy when writing claim letters, favour requests, persuasive suggestions within organizations, and sales letters.