• Objectives:

1. Develop effective outlines and appeals for messages that persuade.
2. Write effective sales messages and persuasive requests (claim, favor, information requests, and persuasion within organizations) that are persuasive but critical.
3. Write collection letters at various stages of the collection process.

• Preliminary planning is vital.
• What questions must be answered before writing a persuasive message?
• What will the product, service or idea do for the receiver(s)?
• What are its superior features?
• What is the cost to the receiver?

1. Read all available literatures.
2. Using the product and watching others use it.
3. Compare the service, product or idea with others.
4. Conducting tests and experiment.
5. Soliciting report from users.

• Why is the major difference so important?
• People are inclined to choose an item (or alternative) that had some distinct advantage. I.e. some people may choose a brand of bread because it is high in fiber and contains no cholesterol; still others may choose bread because it is wrapped in 2-layer paper.
• Envision yourself as the person receiving the message.
• What is an "appeal"?
• Some people may respond favorably to appeals to physiological, security and safety need.
• People with such needs would be impress with a discussion of such benefits as convenience, durability, efficiency or serviceability.
• Decide what action you want the receiver to take before you write.
• Why are persuade messages usually longer than other messages?
• They are longer because you have to apply the principle of unity, coherence and emphasis in persuasive messages. Also you need to:

1. Use concrete nouns and action verbs.

• Concrete nouns and verbs help the receiver see the product, service or idea and its benefit more vividly than do abstract nouns and passive verbs.

1. Use specific language.

• General words seem to imply subjectively unless they are well supported with specifics.

1. Let receivers have the spotlight.

• If the receivers are made the subject of some of the sentences, if they can visualize themselves with the product in their hands, the chance of creating a desire is enhanced.

1. Be certain your persuasive message presents the facts honestly, truthfully, and objectively.

• Substantiate all claims.

1. Stress a central selling point or appeal.

• Stress point of difference from competitors.

1. Use an inductive outline.

• You are selling the benefits gained not the product, service or idea.
• What are ethical and legal implications of persuasive messages?
• Businesses have learned that unethical behavior, such as overstating the capabilities of a product or service is not good for business in the long run.
• What is the central selling point? Why is it important?
• A point of difference from you competitors. A major satisfaction from using the item. It is important because your receiver will ultimately choose between your product and your competitors and you want the to know the advantages of your product so they will choose your product or idea.
• What are the 4 steps in the selling procedure?

• Should a persuasive message have 4 paragraphs one for each point of the outline?
• A sales letter written following these steps is inductive. The main idea which is the request for action, appear in the last paragraph after presenting the details-convincing reasons for the receiver to comply with the request.
• Each step is essential, but the steps do not require equal amounts of space.

• Why are unsolicited sales letters more difficult to write than solicited sales letters?

• The 4-point outline is appropriate for an unsolicited sales letter, a letter written to someone who has not requested it.
• The very first sentence is deliberately designed to make a receiver put aside other thoughts and concentrate on the rest of the message. Such a message is essential when the receiver is not known to have expressed an interest previously.

• The first sentence should arouse desire to read the sentences that follow.
• If the attention getter does not relate to the product, service or idea, the receiver may feel misled.
• When the first sentence exaggerates or seems to mislead, the receiver may not read the remaining sentences.
• Select a major feature of the product or a primary user benefit; emphasize it throughout the message.
• Relate the topic to something relevant and important to the receiver.
• An original story or anecdote is a more effective attention-getter than the receiver is likely has heard already.
• What are the purposes of paragraphs?
• The spaces between paragraphs serve 3 purposes:

1. To show the dividing place between ideas.
2. To improve appearance.
3. To provide convenient resting-place for the eyes.

• Today’s TV generation does not want to read long sections of unbroken text.
• Should the first paragraph be the longest?

• Hold the 1^st and last paragraph to 3 or fewer lines.
• A one-line paragraph (even a very short line) is acceptable.

• Include attention-getting words that either introduce the product, service or idea or lead to its introduction.
• Notice how this approach would blend Points a and b in the 4 point outline.
• Let one sentence lead smoothly to the next.
• In some sentences use the receiver as the subject.
• When should the central selling point be introduced?
• If the attention-getter does not introduce a distinctive feature, it should lead to it.
• You can stress important points by position in the letter and by space allocated to the point. As soon as the receiver visualize the product, service or idea, they need to have attention called to its outstanding features; the features are therefore emphasized because they are mention first.
• If you want to devote much space to the outstanding features, introduce them early.
• Does stressing one point mean excluding other points?
• By stressing one point, you do not limit the message to that point.
• Why should you avoid unsupported generalities?
• Few people will believe general statements without supporting factual evidence.
• Why are facts and figures important in the evidence section?
• To increase your receiver to buy the product.
• Discussing the results of research increases the receiver’s credibility in your message.
• What are some signs of subjectivity?
• Use language people will believe.
• Specific concrete language makes letters sound authentic.
• Unsupported superlatives, exaggerations, flowery statements, unsupported claims, income comparisons and remarks suggesting certainly all make letters sound like high-pressure sales talk.
• Might an unsupported superlative in one sentence reduce confidence in subsequent statements? Just one such sentence can destroy confidence in the whole letter.
• Can incomplete comparisons be misleading?
• Yes, the writer of such sentence hopes the receiver will assume the comparison is with all others. Written with that intent, the incomplete comparison is unethical.
• Why should you interpret statements?
• Some prospects may no fully comprehend what the statement means for them. To make the most of this feature, clearly interpret your statements.
• Let receivers see the relationship of features and benefits.
• Why should you introduce price late in a letter?
• Most sales letters should mention price. They should either state the price or say something to assure the receiver that the price is not unreasonable.
• Price should be introduce late in a letter-after most of the advantages have been discussed. Few people want to part with their money until they have been shown how they can benefit by doing so.
• Why state price in a long compound or complex sentence?
• Mention price in a complex or compound sentence that relates or summarizes the virtues of the product, service or idea. In the sentence in which price is mentioned, remind receivers of what they got in return.
• Why avoid introducing the enclosure in the first paragraph?
• An enclosure is less significant than the letter itself. A letter should make the receiver want to read the enclosure. The preferred technique is to refer to the enclosure late in the letter, after the major portion of the evidence has been given.
• Offering guarantees and free trails can convince the receiver to buy.
• What are some characteristics of the action ending?
• You’re chance of getting action is increased if you:

1. State the specific action wanted.
2. Allude to the reward for taking action in the same sentence in which action is encouraged.
3. Present the action as being easy to take.
4. Provide some stimulus to quick action.
5. Ask confidently.

• Why allude to the reward for taking action?
• Because receivers are encouraged o act if they are reminded of the reward for acting.
• A central selling feature is a thread of continuity running through every paragraph. To end without a final reference to the selling feature (theme) would be like ending a speech without summarizing remarks.
• What is one way to reduce the likelihood of procrastination?
• Instead of asking receivers to fill in their names and addresses on order forms or return cards and envelopes, do that work for them. If action is easy or consumes little time, receivers may act immediately.
• Why avoid hope and if statements in the action ending?
• Persuasive writers who have a good product, service or idea and have presented evidence well have a right to feel confident. Hope will convey lack of confidence, and doubt.
• What ideas should appear in the final paragraph?
• For good appearance and proper emphasis, the last paragraph should be relatively short. Yet the paragraph has a lot to do: It must suggest the specific action wanted, refer to the distinctive selling feature, present action as being easy to take, encourage quick action, and ask confidently.
• Some sales letters have no attention-getters.

Persuasive requests

1. Seeks to gain attention by introducing an experience the receiver has probably had. Presents "important call" as central selling point.
2. Introduces the product as a solution to a problem. Uses "important call" to achieve transition from the preceding sentence and to reinforce the central selling point.
3. Begins presentations of evidence. Use a pronoun for coherence. Uses receiver as subject of an active voice sentence.
4. Shows how easy it is to solve the problem-the reason to buy.
5. Continues presentation of the evidence. Uses active voice.
6. Presents price in a sentence that reinforces the primary reward for paying that price.
7. Associates action with reward for taking action, identifies specific action desired, makes action easy, and reward quick action.
8. Use the 4 point AIDA outlines for persuasive requests.
9. What is the difference between a persuasive claim and the routine claim letters discussed in chapter 9.