1、Objectives and Outcomes：1.Writing Persuasive Requests for Action2.Developing Marketing and Sales MessagesIntroductionPersuasion is to convince people to change their attitudes,beliefs,or actions,therefore,most persuasive messages use the indirect approach.You need to explain your reasons and build i
2、nterest before asking for a decision or for action.Particularly,when you are trying to persuade a skeptical or hostile audience,credibility is essential.You may use the following techniques:Use simple language to avoid suspicions of fantastic claims and emotional manipulation.Provide objective evide
3、nce for the claims and promises you make.Identify your sources,especially if your audience already respects those sources.Establish common ground by emphasizing beliefs,attitudes,and background experiences you have in common with the audience.Persuade with logic,evidence,and compelling narratives,ra
4、ther than trying to coerce with high-pressure,“hard sell”tactics.Try to build your credibility before you present a major proposal or ask for a major decision.In that way,audiences dont have to evaluate both you and your message at the same time.I.Writing Persuasive Requests for ActionExperts in per
5、suasive communication have developed a number of indirect models for writing persuasive messages for action.One of the best known is the AIDA plan,which organizes messages into four phases:1.Attention 引起注意2.Interest 提高兴趣3.Desire 激发欲望4.Action 敦促行动1.AttentionAt the beginning,you draw the audience atte
6、ntion that you have something important or interesting to say.Try to tell them factually without making extravagant claims or threats,or irrelevant points.E.g.Youve complained several times in the last two months that planning an employee schedule has become increasingly difficult.I have a suggestio
7、n that could substantially reduce the time you spend on making and revising those schedules.2.InterestIn the interest phase,you explain how your message relates to the audience.You explain the problem in detail and propose a solution to the problem.Your goal is to get the audience thinking“This is a
8、n interesting idea.Could it possibly solve my problems?”E.g.Example:An article on flextime schedule was published in the August issue of Finance.The company profiled in the article had similar problems to us:late arrivals,early departures,long lunch time,and excessive sick leave.The manager found it
9、 almost impossible to set up a schedule everyone would adhere to.Finally,the company changed its management and gave employees flexibility to schedule their own work,under special guidelines and regulations.Once the company instituted the flextime schedule,these problems practically disappeared.This
10、 is because the schedule gives employees flexibility to arrange their work hours,which solves the conflict between their work and their personal concerns,and thus improves their working initiative.The interest phase presents the solution“flexible schedule”in detail with a concrete example from a wel
11、l-known magazine,which supports its credibility.Furthermore,the benefits of implementing the program relate specifically to the audiences problem:to reduce the frustration of devising inadequate schedules.3.DesireIn the desire phase,you reduce resistance by identifying and answering in advance any q
12、uestions the audience might have.You back up claims by explaining how the change will benefit your audience,and increase their willingness to take the action that youll suggest in the next section.To prove your claim,make sure the evidence is directly relevant to your point.The example bellow provid
13、es a personal proof and methods on how to conduct the flexible schedule.Example:Mr.Ted Turner,chief manager of the company,said in the article,“I seemed to be spending all my time making schedules and then tearing them up.Now I let my employees figure out their own schedules.I have more time to supe
14、rvise their work and to track the quality of the products.”This company had instituted a flextime program in full operation and its working efficiency increased by 20%over one year.Attached is a copy of an article about the factors to consider before switching to a flextime schedule and the five ste
15、ps involved in implementing it.This section further supports the solution not only with concrete personal evidence,but also with detailed methods on how to implement the flexible schedule.Therefore,it removes the audiences doubts on whether the solution is practical for their own company,and thus in
16、creases their desire to accept the solution.4.ActionIn the action phase,you suggest the action you want your audience to take.This section offers the last opportunity for you to remind the main benefit the audience will realize from taking the action you want.Example:If you have any questions,please
17、 call me at 63052108.Otherwise,I hope we can meet next week(Tuesday 10:00 a.m.?)to see how we might institute a flextime schedule.With a little bit of extra effort now,you could soon get rid of your worries and concentrate on something more important than scheduling.The secret of the action phase is
18、 to make the action easy to take,including offering to assist,if appropriate.Be sure to provide all the information the audience needs to take the action,including deadlines and contact details.In a sales letter,you might ask readers to call a toll-free number for more information.You might ask your
19、 audience to fill out an enclosed order from,or you might use a preaddressed,postpaid envelope for donations or pledges.5.Subject Line for RequestWhen delivering persuasive messages by memo or email,you should keep in mind that your subject line usually catches your readers eye first.Your challenge
20、is to make it interesting and relevant enough to capture reader attention without revealing your main idea.If you put your request in the subject line,you might just get a quick“no”before youve had a chance to present your arguments.Example:Instead of This:Request for budget to add the automated cus
21、tomer inquiry systemWrite This:Reducing the cost of customer support inquiriesMEMOTO:Mary Nixon DATE:August l0,2016FROM:Mike Johnson SUBJECT:Improving Our Order ProcessingWe may not be getting our moneys worth from our data-entry clerks,although the clerks arent really to blame.Take a look at these
22、figures Jane and I have compiled over the last month concerning our order processing:About 19 percent of customer orders lacks some piece of information(such as a ZIP code and a full name)needed to process and ship the merchandise efficiently.In ten cases that we know about(because customers called
23、to complain),orders never showed up in the computer records and were therefore never processed,although we did find the paperwork.We found that the problems were caused by the order-processing system,which has been used for over three years.Although it was the best available at the time,the new soft
24、ware,Order Master III,on the market is much simpler to use and more efficient.With audible prompts to remind operators when necessary information is missing and with a simplified“save”function,Order Master III could solve our data-entry problems and upgrade customer service at the same time.It can e
25、asily be customized to suit our operations.And please note this fact particularly:The total cost is less than we have spent in the past month to have engineers resolve order-processing problems.The requisition form we need to obtain Order Master III(complete except for your signature)is attached.The
26、 software manufacturer assures me that we can have it within a week;a field representative will come out for a day or two to set it up and to show the data-entry clerks how to use it.Do you have any questions about this program?If so,call me at ext.4328.Otherwise,please sign the requisition form and
27、 send it back to me right away.The sooner we order the program,the sooner we can solve some serious problems with order processing.II.Developing Marketing and Sales MessagesMarketing and sales messages use the same basic techniques as other persuasive messages,with the added emphasis of encouraging
28、sb.to participate in a commercial transaction.Marketing messages市场信息市场信息 lead potential buyers through the purchasing process without asking them to make an immediate decision.Marketing messages include:introducing new brands to the public,providing competitive comparisons,encouraging customers to v
29、isit websites for more information,reminding buyers that a particular product or service is availableSales messages销售信息销售信息 encourage potential buyers to make a purchase decision immediately.The essential steps in writing marketing and sales messages include:1.assessing customer needs;评估受众需求2.analyz
30、ing your competition;分析你的竞争对手3.determining key selling points and benefits;确定关键卖点和效益4.anticipating purchase objections;预期购买异议5.applying the AIDA model or a similar organizational plan;应用AIDA模型或类似的组织计划1.Assessing Audience NeedsCustomers needs often extend beyond the basic product or service.For examp
31、le,clothes do far more than simply keep you warm.What you wear can also reflect your status,your social groups,and how you view your relationships with the people around you.You should get to know your audiences needs,interests,and emotional concerns.Try to form a mental image of a typical buyer for
32、 the product you want to sell.Ask yourself what your audience might want to know about this product,how your product can help them,and whether they are driven by price or by quality.Exercises:Assessing Audience NeedsClothes Buying CriteriaChildren Young PeopleOld PeopleSafetyStyleQualityPriceStatusC
33、omfortIdentification/Social groupExercises:Assessing Audience NeedsClothes Buying CriteriaChildren Young PeopleOld PeopleSafetyStyleQualityPriceStatusComfortIdentification/Social group2.Analyzing Your CompetitionMarketing and sales messages nearly always compete with messages from other companies tr
34、ying to reach the same audience.When Nike plans a marketing campaign to introduce a new shoe model to current customers,the company knows that its audience has also been exposed to messages from New Balance,Reebok,and numerous other shoe companies.In competitive markets,you have to search for words
35、and phrases that other companies arent already using.You also need to avoid themes,writing styles,or creative approaches that are too similar to those of competitors messages.3.Determining Key Selling Points and BenefitsAfter analyzing your audience and competition,youre ready to decide which aspect
36、s of your product or service to highlight.You should first have a thorough understanding of your product in structure and in function,especially for complex products and services.You also need to distinguish between the features of the product or service and the benefits that those features offer th
37、e customers.Selling Points and BenefitsSelling points are the most attractive features of a product or service,whereas benefits are the particular advantages that readers will realize from those features.Selling points focus on the product or service,whereas benefits focus on the user.A common appro
38、ach to communicating features and benefits is to show them in a list or a table,identifying each feature and describing the benefits it offers.Figure 2 Selling Points and Benefits of Xiandai 55In 4K HDR PCTVXiandai 55In 4K H D R PCTVSelling PointsBenefits1.TV+PC functionsYou can use it as a computer
39、 with all PC functions as well as a television.2.55-inch wide screenYou can enjoy large TV pictures and conduct multi-program PC operations without worrying about the space.3.4K HDR(high dynamic range)picturesThe TV provides clear pictures of high speed motion with rich colors.4.Hi-fi stereo compone
40、nt system You can ge the real stereo sound effect similar to that in the cinema.5.Super-thin and Wall-mounted TVThe product can be mounted on the wall and thus increase the watching distance.6.Wireless keyboard and mouseThe wireless keyboard and mouse enable you to sit at a comfortable distance from
41、 the screen in computer operation.4.Anticipating Purchase ObjectionsAs with persuasive business messages,marketing and sales messages often encounter objections,which may include perceptions of high price,low quality,incompatibility,or unacceptable risk.Consumers might worry that a car wont be safe
42、enough for a family,that a jacket will make them look unattractive,or that a hair salon will botch a haircut.Business buyers might worry about disrupting operations or failing to realize the financial returns on a purchase.Price can be a particularly tricky issue in any message.If price is a major s
43、elling point,give it a position of prominence,such as in the headline or as the last item in a paragraph.If price is not a major selling point,you can handle it in several ways:leave the price out altogether deemphasize the price by putting it well after youve presented the selling points and the be
44、nefits.look for ways to increase the perceived value of the purchase and decrease the perceived cost.For example,to help blunt the impact of the price of a home gym,you might say that it costs less than a years worth of health club duesplus,customers save on transportation costs by exercising at hom
45、e.5.Applying AIDAMost marketing and sales messages are prepared according to the AIDA model or some variation of it.A typical AIDA-organized message begins with an attention-getting introduction,generates interest by describing some of the products or services unique features,increases desire by hig
46、hlighting the benefits that are most appealing to the audience,and closes by suggesting the action the sender would like the audience to take.(1)Capturing Attention You can use various techniques to attract your audiences attention:Tough on Dirt,Gentle on the Earth.(Promoting the environmentally fri
47、endly aspects of Biokleen biokleen 百洁去污除味清洁剂 cleaning products).对污渍凶狠，对环境温和。Up to 35 mpg.Unlimited Fun!(Promoting the fuel efficiency and fun of driving a sports car.)每加仑35英里，其乐无穷。Auto cold-weather service for the safety and happiness of your family.Winter Clearance:Nearly 5000 pieces of furniture o
48、n sale.Savings up to 90%.夏季清场大甩卖：近1万本书，最低一折。500 Apple phones with a 30%discount,only on Sunday morning.Early birds catch the worm.Example:Xiandai PCTV All-in-OneAre you still worrying that your PC screen is too small for watching films and for multi-program operations?Please try the Xiandai PCTV All
49、-in-One.The super-screen and its high definition pictures will erase your worries once and for all!(2)Building InterestIn the interest section of your message you should offer support for any claims or promises you made in the opening.You need to provide the selling points of the product and the ben
50、efits they can bring to the customers.E.g.Xiandai 55-inch 4K HDR PCTV provides you all the PC functions as well as a TVs.The 55-inch screen provides a much larger space for pictures and documents than a PC screen,which is convenient for multi-program operation.The 4K HDR feature provides much cleare
