Business Communication Chapter 8

1
Business CommunicationChapter 8

• Delivering Persuasive Messages

2
Persuasion

• Persuasion The ability to influence others with
  an honest, organized presentation of information
  to buy whatever youre selling (ideas, products,
  services, etc.)
• To succeed, you must know your product/service/ide
  a, know your audience,
• and have a clear goal in mind.

3
Product/Service/Idea

• What will it do for the audience?
• How does it stack up against competitive
  products/services/ideas greatest strength,
  superior features, weaknesses (how best to
  minimize them)?
• What does it cost?

4
Audience

• What are the characteristics of the audience
  (gender, age, race, occupations, culture
  socioeconomics, what do they share, etc.)?
• What are their needs, desires, likes and fears?
• How can you serve the first three and avoid the
  last?
• What are the best channels/ways to reach them?
• What do you want them to do? What is your goal?

5
The Process

• Goal Immediately establish and then build a
  relationship between the audience and your
  product/service/idea
• Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA)
• Use the inductive approach, immediately grabbing
  attention with something they need.
• Write economically and concisely, organizing your
  points into short, bite-sized paragraphs.
• Use specific, concrete, visually vivid nouns and
  active verbs, not abstract nouns and passive
  verbs.

6
The Process

• Help the audience visualize with you language.
  You will enjoy the smooth operation and
  high-quality feel of the tool
• Select a central, unique feature and use it as a
  theme to unify the entire message.
• End with a short, summary paragraph designed to
  spur immediate action the hook (Get 15 off
  until March 1st).

7
Gaining Attention

• A personal experience people love stories
• A problem they encounter that your product solves
• A startling Did you know announcement
• A what-if What if there were a savings plan
  that would
• A question Why keep buying a Toyota when ,,,
• An apt quote from a famous person If winning
  isnt everything, why keep score?
• An analogy Like a good neighbor, State Farm is
  there.
• A gift, offer, bargain

8
Introducing Your Product

• Be Cohesive If the lead sentence doesnt
  introduce the product, service or idea, it should
  lead naturally to it.
• Be Action-oriented Sell the pleasure and utility
  of using your product with vivid, visual
  descriptive you language
• Use a central selling point Easy to use, strong
  and durable, etc.
• Provide brief, specific, convincing evidence
  research results, testimonials, superior
  guarantees, compare to something familiar, etc.
• Be objective and dont over-reach understate and
  over-deliver

9
Motivating Action

• Make the action clear and simple
• Incentivize quick action
• Buy before March 1st and save 15 percent
• Confidently restate the reward for action
• To save time in cleaning, complete and return
• Example
• High-Wire software is as easy to order as it is
  to use. Simply dial 1-800-555-8341 and enter the
  personal code in the upper right-hand corner of
  this card. Your order and an invoice for payment
  will be shipped immediately, arriving within four
  days. Order before march 1st and save 15
  percent.

10
Ethical Persuasion

• Be honest and accurate dont make unsupportable
  claims of superiority. Competitors and/or
  watchdog groups will go to the Federal Trade
  Commission (FTC) or sue.
• Clearly reference any supporting data. Failure
  to do so can lead to loss of your credibility,
  your companys reputation, and lawsuits.
• Include relevant context Better, faster,
  cleaner.. Than what?
• Beware cultural sensitivities (Toyotas panel).

11
Email Marketing

• Gain immediate attention with an intriguing
  subject line.
• Personalize the message with the recipients
  name, but dont overuse this technique since it
  can be viewed as insincere.
• Make restrained use of color and images.
• Design the message for easy forwarding.
• Keep the message brief with a two-step approach
  that does not directly sell the product but
  instead motivates the recipient to call, visit
  the companys website, or go to a store.
• Include means for easy removal from the
  distribution list.
• To learn about designing interactive websites,
  access the on-line textbook resource center
  (www.thomson.com/bcomm/lehman).

12
Making a Claim

• Research demonstrates that companies retain 95
  percent of customers treated equitably in the
  claims process.
• Consequently, they have an incentive to satisfy
  claimants.
• In view of this, it is counterproductive to file
  a claim using angry, threatening language.
• If you send a persuasive claim, it is likely to
  be granted.
• Use the inductive approach and positive language
  as you would in any sales message.

13
Making a ClaimGood Example

• Thunderbolt negotiated with your firm to produce
  our first music video because we were impressed
  with your videos, track record and reputation.
• When we met with your creative team, we
  specifically requested graphic symbolism
  juxtaposed with shots of the band. Your initial
  effort focuses solely on the band and appears to
  be a live concert tape. Consequently, it will
  have little appeal to our customers (the MTV
  set), who demand innovative new approaches to
  musical entertainment.
• However, in view of your reputation for creative
  products, we believe we can work together to
  shoot a revised version more suitable to our
  needs. The band will do its part for the
  re-shooting and we are eager to meet with your
  creative director to arrange a mutually
  convenient time. Please call me on 555-3920 to
  arrange this meeting.

14
Persuading Within an Organization

• Steak and Ale used a light approach to impose new
  customer-treatment standards. Management built
  support for the changes by emphasizing employee
  as well as customer benefits.
• Out of control hair is the biggest turn-off to
  guests they dont want it wandering into their
  food. So please cover and control yours.
• If you wear a lot of jewelry, guests may think
  you dont need as large a tip.
• Your smile is the most important part of your
  appearance. By saying Im happy youre here,
  it signals our guests that their Steak and Ale
  experience will be pleasurable and memorable.
  But hey, dont take our word for it. Check out a
  recent Boston College study which found that
  smiling suggests awareness of others needs.
  Maybe thats the reason behind the phrase
  winning smile.

15
Persuasive CommunicationClass Exercise

• Situation