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CHAPTER 10: PERSUASIVE AND SALES MESSAGES
Exercise II: Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false statements.
1. Persuasive techniques in the digital age involve the use of flattery, empathy, nonverbal cues,
and likability appeals. TRUE
2.The first step in planning a persuasive message is determining the purpose. TRUE 3.
In a practical sense, effective persuasion shows how you can help solve a problem or
make life easier for your audience. TRUE 4.
If you expect resistance or need to educate the reader, use the INDIRECT direct
approach for your persuasive message. FALSE 5.
When using the indirect (AIDA) strategy to write a persuasive message, begin by
gaining your reader's attention the message by overcoming any resistance your reader might have. FALSE 6.
When writing a persuasive message, it is important to expect resistance from your audience. TRUE 7.
In a sales letter promoting its new hybrid vehicle, a car company included thissentence:
Our new hybrid model will save you hundreds of dollars annually on gasoline expenses. The
company is focusing on DIRECT indirect benefits of purchasing this vehicle. FALSE 8.
AIDA applies to persuasive messages that are written using a INDIRECT direct
organizational strategy. FALSE 9.
To overcome resistance most effectively, a message should directly address every
possibleobjection your reader might have. FALSE
=> Avoid bringing up objections that may never have occurred to the receiver in the first place. 10.
To receive complimentary breakfast each morning of your stay, please complete your
booking by April 30 effectively motivates action in the closing of a sales letter. TRUE
Exercise III: Complete the following sentences with a suitable word or phrase.
1. Persuasion is defined as a SYMBOLIC process in which communicators try to convince
other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the
transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice.
2. To establish CREDIBILITY, show your reader that you are truthful, experienced, and knowledgeable.
3. The goal of a persuasive message is to convert the receiver to your ideas and motivate ACTION.
4. When you expect your reader to resist your request, it's best to use the INDIRECT organizational pattern.
5. If you are asking for something that you know will be approved, use the DIRECT organizational pattern.
6. According to the AIDA strategy, the opening paragraph of a persuasive request should
gainthe ATTENTION of the reader. lOMoARcPSD| 38777299
7. Use facts, figures, expert opinions, and examples in a persuasive message to build
INTEREST in your product or idea.
8. The best persuasive requests anticipate and attempt to counter audience RESISTANCE.
9. What if? scenarios can help you develop ________ to address receiver resistance to your message. 10.
Persuasion becomes UNETHICAL when facts are distorted, overlooked, or
manipulated with an intent to deceive.
Exercise IV: Circle the best option to answer the question or complete the sentence.
1. A "limited-time offer" is an example of which psychological trigger that influences people to act or believe? A. Commitment B. Social proof C. Scarcity D. Authority
2. Which of the following defines persuasion? A.
Persuasion is a symbolic process.
B. Persuasion involves an attempt to influence. C. Persuasion involves transmitting a message.
D. All of these are part of the definition of persuasion.
3. AIDA, the indirect strategy for persuasive messages, seeks to gain the attention,
interest, ________, and action of the audience. A. direction B. desire C. deduction D. discernment
4. Which of the following is true about persuasion in the digital age? A.
The volume and reach of persuasive messages have become limited.
B. Persuasion is less complex and personal.
C. Persuaders play on emotions by using flattery, empathy, nonverbal cues, andlikability appeals.
D. Only organizations with dedicated sales teams are in the persuasion business.
5. Which of the following is not an effective persuasion technique? A. Incite fear B. Establish credibility
C. Recognize the power of loss
D. Make a reasonable, specific request
6. Candace is writing a proposal for her board of directors to request that her company
implement a wellness program. The first thing she should do is to ________. A. decide on
the purpose of her proposal. B. prepare an outline.
C. compose a rough draft of the proposal.
D. gather information to include in the proposal.
7. Showing customers how your product or service solves a problem, achieves a
personal or work objective, or makes life easier is accomplished by ________.
A. adapting the message to the audience. B. organizing your message.
C. collecting information for your message.
D. analyzing the purpose of the message.
8. Dillon wants to adapt his sales message to his target audience. What question is his
audience likely to ask while reading his message? A. Why should I? B. What’s in it for me? lOMoARcPSD| 38777299 C. Who cares?
D. Dillon’s target audience will likely ask all of these questions.
9. Colton has analyzed his purpose and his audience and has considered how he will
adapt his message to meet his audience's needs. What should he do next according to the 3-x3 writing process?
A. Start writing his final draft.
B. Collect data and organize it.
C. Edit what he's done so far.
D. Call audience members to confirm his approach.
10. Effective persuaders may choose from different organizational strategies to get the
results they want. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about organizational patterns?
A. When writing a persuasive message, always use the indirect organizational strategy.
B. If you are asking for something that you know will be approved, use the indirect organizational strategy.
C. When you expect resistance or when you need to educate the receiver, use the
indirectorganizational pattern.
D. The organizational strategy used is unimportant in persuasive messages.
11. Which of the following sequences works best for most persuasive messages?
A. Motivate action, gain attention, build interest, request order
B. Gain attention, build interest, elicit desire and reduce resistance, motivate action
C. Build interest, gain attention, motivate action, elicit desire and reduce resistance
D. Gain attention, build interest, motivate action, request order
12. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about the AIDA strategy? A.
The AIDA strategy consists of four separate steps that must be carried out separately.
B. The steps in the AIDA strategy must always be carried out in order.
C. Counterarguments should never be presented in a persuasive message because doing so will
remind the reader of other options.
D. Use facts, figures, expert opinions, examples, specific details, and direct and
indirectbenefits to build interest.
13. Nicole wants to ask her boss if she can telecommute two days a week, but she's
afraid her boss will oppose her request. What should she do first in her written request? A. Reduce resistance B. Gain attention C. Motivate action D. Build interest
14. The statement Did you know you can select five family members to enjoy free
access to our newspaper with your online subscription? ________.
A. builds interest with an expert opinion B. motivates action
C. gains attention by asking a question that focuses on reader benefits
D. presents an indirect benefit
15. Corinne is writing a persuasive message to her staff and includes the opening
sentence Your hard work in planning last month's trade show made it the most successful we
have ever had. She is gaining her reader's attention by using what type of opening statement?
A. A description of the problem B. A compliment C. A reader benefit D. A stimulating question lOMoARcPSD| 38777299
EXERCISE V: CLASSIFY THE FOLLOWING ITEMS INTO FOUR GROUPS of
activities according to the AIDA Strategy to request actions, make claims, and deliver complaints. Groups
A. Gain Attention: 11,19,13,4,15,17
B. Build Interest: 8,14,21,6,18,3
C. Elicit Desire and Reduce Resistance: 2,12,5,20
D. Motivate Action:1,16,10,7,9 Items 1. Add a deadline 12. Provide compelling
2. Anticipate objections counterarguments
3. Be objective 13. Reader benefit
4. Compliment 14. Reasonable request
5. Demonstrate credibility and 15. Related facts competence 16. Repeat a key benefit
6. Establish credibility 17. Stimulating questions
7. Express appreciation 18. Tie facts to benefits
8. Give specific details 19. Unexpected statement 9. Make a precise request
20. Use a moderate, unemotional tone 10. Offer an incentive
21. Use facts, statistics, examples 11. Problem description
EXERCISE VI. Identify errors & revise messages
In the following message, Luke tries to convince his boss, the vice president of marketing, that
their organization could save money by importing T-shirts from China. However, his message
could be improved by employing several strategies for persuasion.
YOUR TASK Analyze the following e-mail and list its weak- nesses. If your instructor directs, revise the message. To: Bryanna Mazzetta From: Luke Downey luke@worldclasstrainer.com Subject:
Possible Chance for Saving Money
We always try our best to meet customers and sell World- class Trainer equipment at numerous
trade shows. But instead of expanding our visits to these trade shows, the company continues
to cut back the number that we attend. And we have fewer staff members attending. I know
that you have been asking us to find ways to reduce costs, but I don’t think we are going about it right.
With increased airfare and hotel costs, my staff has tried to find ways to live within our very
tight budget. Yet, we are being asked to find other ways to reduce our costs. I’m currently
thinking ahead to the big Las Vegas trade show coming up in September. lOMoARcPSD| 38777299
One area where we could make a change is in the gift that we give away. In the past we have
presented booth visitors with a nine-color T-shirt that is silk-screened and gorgeous. But it
comes at a cost of $23 for each and every one of these beauties from a top-name designer.
To save money, I suggest that we try a $6 T-shirt made in China, which is reasonably
presentable. It’s got our name on it, and, after all, folks just use these shirts for workouts. Who
cares if it is a fancy silk-screened T-shirt or a functional Chinese one that has “Worldclass
Trainer” plastered on the chest? Because we give away 2,000 T-shirts at our largest show, we
could save big bucks by dumping the designer shirt. But we have to act quickly. I’m sending a cheap one for you to see. Let me know what you think. Luke [Full contact information] Weaknesses
a. Fails to provide a descriptive subject line.
b. Opening paragraphs sound whining, negative, and critical.
c. Fails to begin with an engaging statement or a description of the existing problem.
d. Does not develop a logical, focused description of the problem or the proposal.
e. Fails to emphasize savings in a highly readable form.
f. Does not promote the proposal with positive arguments.
g. Fails to present counterarguments to possible objections.
h. Fails to guide the reader to a positive response to the proposal or the sample garment.
i. Does not put forth a specific recommendation.
j. Fails to close with a specific action to be taken and an end date. Omits a motivation to act. Revision To: Bryanna Mazzetta From: Luke Downey
Subject: Possible Chance for Saving Money
At your suggestion, I've been searching for ways to reduce our trade show exhibition costs.
One of our major expenses is the booth gift that we present to visitors. At past trade shows
we've given away a nine-color, silk-screened T-shirt designed by a high- priced outside
designer. Each shirt cost $23 to produce. However, I've located a Chinese supplier who can
produce good-looking T-shirts, and the cost is only $6 each. Look at the savings:
2,000 silk-screen T-shirts @ $23 $46,000
2,000 cheaper T-shirts @ $6 12,000 SAVINGS $34,000
Please take a look at the T-shirt sample I recently sent to you. You might expect a cheaper shirt
to be less acceptable, but as you can see, this shirt is quite presentable. What's more, it lOMoARcPSD| 38777299
advertises our name just as well as the more expensive silk-screened T-shirts. We expect folks
to wear this shirt when they work out, and the cheaper shirt serves the purpose just as well as the more expensive one.
With increasing travel costs and decreasing trade show budgets, we at Worldclass Trainer have
had to look carefully at how we spend our limited funds for exhibitions. We have decreased
the number of shows in which we participate, and we take fewer booth staffers. However, here
is a significant way we can reduce a substantial expense.
To save $34,000 in exhibition costs, please authorize the purchase of 2,000 T-shirts for our
next major trade show. If I receive your authorization before April 6, we can be sure of
receiving a supply from our Chinese supplier for the September Las Vegas trade show. Enclosure
EXERCISE IX. Compose a message
As public relations director for the Business and Accounting Association on your campus, you
have been asked to find a keynote speaker for the first meeting of the school year. The owner
of a successful local firm, TempHelp4You, is an alumna of your university. You think not only
that many students would enjoy learning about how she started her business, but also that some
might like to sign up with her temporary help agency. She would need to prepare a 30-minute
speech and take questions after the talk. The event will be held from noon until 1:30 p.m. on a
date of your choosing in Branford Hall. You can offer her lunch at the event and provide her
with a parking permit that she can pick up at the information kiosk at the main entrance to your
campus. You need to have her response by a deadline you set.
YOUR TASK Write a direct-approach e-mail to Marion Minter in which you ask her to speak
at your club’s meeting. Send it to mminter@temphelp4you.com. ANSWER KEY: To: Marion Minter From:
Subject: Sharing Your Success Story With Business Students Dear Ms. Minter:
As a former [name of school's team], please accept my invitation to be the keynote speaker at
the Business and Accounting Association's annual kick-off meeting.
Because of our club's focus on business and your success as an entrepreneur, you would be the
perfect speaker to get our club off to an impressive start this year. Your expertise as well as
your history with our campus will make your talk a big draw for our members. (attention –
compliment) With their business and accounting backgrounds, some students in our club may
even be potential employees at TempHelp4You.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 10, from noon until 1:30 p.m. in Branford
Hall. We would like you to speak for about 30 minutes and then take questions from the lOMoARcPSD| 38777299
audience. On the day of the event, we would provide you with lunch and a complimentary
parking permit, which you could pick up at the information kiosk at the main campus entrance.
(interest – reader benefits)
Please let me know if you can speak at our meeting by August 20 so I can make the appropriate
arrangements. (action) You can phone me at [student phone] or e-mail me at [student e- mail]
if you have any questions. We hope you will share your success story with us in September! Sincerely,
[Student's name and contact information]
EXERCISE X. Share your experience.
Think of a TV commercial you watched or an advertisement poster you saw. If it follows the
four steps of the AIDA principle, analyze in detail what techniques were employed. If it does
not, how can you improve its effectiveness with suggestions of how to follow the AIDA principle?