Transcript Chapter 3 Making Business Letters Look Attractive

Chapter 5
Writing Persuasively on Paper
and in Electronic Formats
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Learning Objectives
•
Explain when to use the indirect
persuasive writing approach vs. the direct
approach.
•
Detail the role of credibility.
•
Define and explain AIDA.
•
Describe a hook.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Learning Objectives
•
Compare and contrast emotional and
logical appeals.
•
List the different stages of the collection
campaign.
•
Describe how to increase the
effectiveness of your writing.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Types of Persuasive Documents
•
Letters
•
Memos
•
Proposals
•
Advertisements
•
Presentations
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Credibility
•
Your Credibility Hinges on the Following
Questions:
• Do you appear trustworthy?
• Do you have expertise and knowledge?
• Do you appear dynamic and excited about
your proposal?
• Will your reader identify with your message?
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writing Persuasively

Use the AIDA Approach:
• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writing Persuasively
•
When You Write Persuasively, Try to:
• Sell
• Convince
• Motivate
• Create interest
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ways to Gain Attention
1. Make an unusual, suspenseful, or startling
statement.
2. Refer to a familiar event or timely concern.
3. Use a rhetorical question.
4. Use a quote.
F. Stanford Wayne and David P. Dauwalder, Communicating in Business (Burr Ridge, IL: Austin
Press Irwin, 1994), pp. 265–266.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ways to Gain Attention
5. Tell a story.
6. State a problem and promise to solve it.
7. Relate to reader’s product or service
needs.
F. Stanford Wayne and David P. Dauwalder, Communicating in Business (Burr
Ridge, IL: Austin Press Irwin, 1994), pp. 265–266.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Other Ways to Gain Attention
•
Make a strong claim.
•
Use a short, punchy sentence.
•
Use some statistics.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Desire
•
Emotional Appeal
•
•
Stir up various types of feelings in the reader.
Logical Appeal
•
Use logic emphasizing high benefits for
relatively low cost.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Psychology of Persuasion

Always state the other person’s case first.

Give the customer something for free.

Give pieces of evidence to support your
stand.

Declare the whole thing an even issue.

Let the customer make the decision.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
The faster you can persuade
the other person to decide, the
more likely you are to get what
you want.
•
Secret of Power Persuasion by Roger Dawson
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
E-Mail Sales Message Techniques
•
•
•
•
Be selective. Make sure you have
permission to send e-mail marketing
messages.
Use the receiver’s name.
Write a strong subject line.
Keep the message short, conversational,
and focused.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
E-Mail Sales Message Techniques
•
•
•
•
•
Never begin with thank you.
Make a strong offer.
Motivate a response.
Provide a means for being removed from
the mailing list.
Do not give prospects reasons to
disqualify you.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Collection Letters
•
The collection campaign may
follow four steps:
•
•
•
•
Friendly reminder
Stronger reminder
Discussion letter
Urgent appeal
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Credit Customers
•
Three Classes of Credit Customers:
•
•
•
Good pay — reliable
Good pay but slow — careless but rarely
dishonest
Uncertain — unreliable and somewhat
dishonest
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Appeal to
•
Fairness
•
Cooperation
•
Self-respect
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Superior/Subordinate Messages
•
Use the direct approach to save time
and immediately satisfy your reader’s
curiosity.
•
Present your recommendation along
with the criteria or a brief explanation
in your opening paragraph.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Effective Writing Strategies
•
Choose effective, colorful words.
•
Write effective, readable sentences.
•
Use appropriate paragraphs.
•
Emphasize your ideas.
Roebuck: Improving Business Communication, 4th edition. (c) 2006, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.