Consumer Team
Houston chiropractor Brett Downey cashed a $2.50 check last December from Yellow Pages Inc. of Anaheim, California. That is when his troubles began. He thought the check was some kind of refund for overpaying his company’s ad in the Southwestern Bell’s local telephone book. Like many small business owners and profes- sional people, he takes care of his own bills and does not have time to read everything carefully.
In January he was flabbergasted to receive a bill for $179 from the Anaheim company for registering his Fairview Health Center in its Yellow Pages directory. He called and discovered that by cashing the check, he unknowingly had signed up for a one-year listing on the Internet. Fine print on the back of the check apparently authorized the listing. Representatives of the company insisted that by signing the check, Dr. Downey had accepted their promotional incentive, which starts the billing process. He did, after all, sign the check.23
Your Task. In teams or individually, analyze what happened.
How many companies do you think have “Yellow Pages” in their names? Does this “Yellow Pages” check offer sound like a scam?
What other scams do you know about that involve small business- people? Should Dr. Downey contact the Better Business Bureau?
Capitalization
Review Guides 39–46 about capitalization in Appendix A: Grammar and Mechanics Guide (Competent Language Usage Essentials), beginning on page A-16. On a separate sheet, revise the following sentences to correct capitalization errors. For each error that you locate, write the guide number that reflects this usage. Sentences may have more than one error. If a sentence is correct, write C. When you finish, check your answers on page Key-2.
Example: Once the Management Team and the Union members finally agreed, mayor murphy signed the Agreement.
Revision: Once the management team and the union members finally agreed, Mayor Murphy signed the agreement.
[Guides 39, 41]
1. All southwest airlines passengers will exit the Plane at gate 14 when they reach ontario international airport.
2. Personal Tax Rates for japanese citizens are low by International standards, according to professor yamaguchi at osaka university.
3. The vice president of the united states said that this country continues to seek middle east peace.
4. My Father, who lives in the midwest, has Skippy Peanut Butter and coca-cola for Breakfast.
5. Our Sales Manager and Director of Marketing both expected to receive Federal funding for the project.
6. Although the Manager recommended purchasing dell comput- ers, our Vice President wanted to wait.
7. Sana Nadir, who heads our customer communication division, has a Master’s Degree in social psychology from the university of new mexico.
8. Please consult figure 4.5 in chapter 4 to obtain U.S. census bu- reau population figures for the pacific northwest.
9. Did you see the article in businessweek titled, “The global conse- quences of using crops for fuel”?
10. Christian plans to take courses in Marketing, Business Law, and English during the Fall.
Assume that Dr. Downey has received several billings, and he wants them to stop. He asks you to help him write an appropriate letter to Yellow Pages Inc., P.O. Box 4298, Anaheim, CA 95091. Should he send back the $2.50 from the check he cashed? Use the simplified letter style to avoid a salutation.
Video Resources
Bridging the Gap Video Library 2 Adjustment Letter: Ben & Jerry’s
In an exciting inside look, you see managers discussing six factors that determine Ben & Jerry’s continuing success. Toward the end of the video, you hear staffers discuss a new packaging material made with unbleached paper. As a socially responsible company, Ben & Jerry’s wanted to move away from ice cream packages made from bleached papers. Bleaching requires chlorine, a substance that contains dioxin, which is known to cause cancer, genetic and reproductive defects, and learning disabilities. In
producing paper, pulp mills using chlorine are also adding to dioxin contamination of waterways. After much research, Ben &
Jerry’s found a chlorine-free, unbleached paper board for its pack- ages. That was the good news. The bad news is that the inside of the package is now brown.
Assume you have been hired at Ben & Jerry’s to help answer incoming letters. Although you are fairly new, your boss gives you a letter from an unhappy customer. This customer opened a pint of Ben & Jerry’s “World’s Best Vanilla” and then threw it out. After seeing the brown inner lid, he decided that his pint must have been used for chocolate before it was used for vanilla. Or, he said, “the entire pint has gone bad and somehow turned the sides brown.”
Whatever the reason, he wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted his money back.
Your Task. Write a letter that explains the brown carton, justifies the reason for using it, and retains the customer’s business. Address the letter to Mr. Cecil Hamm, 1608 South McKenna, Poteau, OK 74954.
Grammar and Mechanics C.L.U.E. Review 8
Chapter 9
Persuasive and
Marketing Messages
OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to
1 Define the concept of persuasion, identify effective and ineffective persuasive techniques, and discuss the importance of tone in persuasive messages.
2 Apply the 3-x-3 writing process to persuasive messages.
3 Explain the four major elements in successful persuasive messages and how to blend those elements into effective and ethical business messages.
4 Write messages that request favors and actions.
5 Write persuasive messages within organizations.
6 Write effective claim and complaint letters.
7 Write effective, yet ethical, sales and marketing messages.
8 Compare effective persuasion techniques in high- and low-context cultures.
9 Understand basic patterns and techniques in developing persuasive press releases.
© TRBfoto / Photodisc / Getty Images
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1 Define the concept of persuasion, identify effective and ineffective persuasive techniques, and discuss the importance of tone in persuasive messages.
Understanding Persuasion and How to Use It Effectively and Ethically
The art of convincing others that your point of view is the right one is a critical business communication skill. At Hands on Miami, CEO Pat Morris must be persuasive in all aspects of his job—in convincing his staff about the importance of their tasks, in winning over cor- porate sponsors, and in swaying volunteers to support community projects. For all busi- nesspeople, persuasion is a critical skill. However, many of us do it poorly or unconsciously.3 You have already studied techniques for writing routine request messages that required subtle forms of persuasion. This chapter focuses on messages that require deliberate and skilled persuasion. You will learn what persuasion is and how to apply it effectively when you write requests for favors and action, make claims, and prepare marketing messages.
This is one of the most important chapters in the book because much of your success in business depends on how skilled you are at persuading people to believe, accept, and act on what you are saying.
What Is Persuasion?
Persuasion is defined as the ability to use argument or discussion in attempting to change an individual’s beliefs or actions. Parents use persuasion to cajole their kids into doing their Persuasion is the ability to
use argument or discussion to change beliefs or actions.
Persuasion is the ability to use argument or discussion to change beliefs or actions.
Hands on Miami
Communicating at Work Part 1
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” said Winston Churchill. To Pat Morris, this is a creed to live by.
“For me, it is about trying to make a difference in my community,”
said Morris, CEO of Hands on Miami, a volunteer organization dedi- cated to making Miami a better place to live. “Giving to others,” said Morris, “often comes back to you many, many times.”1
Morris helped found Hands on Miami (HOM) to create a user- friendly approach to community service. HOM’s new method involves making it easy for volunteers to participate regardless of their hectic schedules. Projects take place outside traditional work hours, and flexible time commitments permit volunteers to serve once a week, once a month, or whenever they can.
Hands on Miami partners with schools, social service organiza- tions, and environmental organizations to offer more than 80 service opportunities each month. This gives thousands of Miamians the chance to make a difference in their community. Volunteers can spend a morning delivering care packages to AIDS patients in a local hospital, an afternoon planting native vegetation to restore natural beauty and ecosystems, or an evening reading bedtime stories to children at an emergency shelter. What’s distinctive about HOM’s program is that it makes community service accessible to anyone regardless of schedule. Because volunteerism is essential to enrich- ing a community’s well-being, most HOM projects are team based and take place in the evenings and on weekends, making it easy for busy people to give back to the community. HOM’s hallmark flexible volunteering program has been a resounding success.
In addition to organizing volunteers, HOM acts as a consultant on a fee-for-service basis to design volunteer opportunities to meet a company’s particular needs. Carnival Cruise Lines and other local companies often use the expertise of HOM in planning their own volunteer programs. Corporate donors provide further assistance by sponsoring big events such as Hands on Miami Day.
As CEO, Pat Morris uses persuasion to keep his staff energized, motivated, and organized. He must be persuasive in reaching out to corporate donors to persuade them to send volunteers to participate in Hands on Miami programs. He must also sway corporations to sponsor events with cash contributions. Persuasion is a large part of his leadership role at Hands on Miami.2 You will learn more about Hands on Miami on page 242.
Critical Thinking
● Pat Morris at Hands on Miami believes firmly in the benefits of volunteering. In his role as CEO, who must he effectively persuade to ensure the success of the organization?
● In your own career, when might you find it necessary to be per- suasive?
● In your experience, what techniques are effective or ineffective in persuading others to accept your views?
http://www.handsonmiami.org © Jeff Greenberg / PhotoEdit
homework. A team member uses persuasion to convince her technology-averse manager that instant messaging is an excellent tool to keep all team members informed about a project. You might want to persuade your boss to allow you to work at home part of the time. In Figure 9.1 Stacy McPherson, general manager of Oak Park Town Center, uses persua- sion in a memo to the mall owner and president. She wants to convince him to restrict the access of unchaperoned teenagers on weekends and evenings.
Some people think that persuasion involves coercion or trickery. They think that you can achieve what you seek only if you twist an arm or deceive someone. Such negative tac- tics are ineffective and unethical. What’s more, these tactics don’t truly represent persua- sion. To persuade is to present information enabling others to see the benefits of what you are offering, without browbeating or tricking them into agreement.
Successful persuasion depends largely on the reasonableness of your request, your credi- bility, and your ability to make the request attractive to the receiver. Many techniques can help you be effective in getting your ideas accepted by your fellow workers, superiors, and clients.
Effective Persuasion Techniques
When you want your ideas to prevail, spend some time thinking about how to present them.
Listeners and readers will be more inclined to accept what you are offering if you focus on the following important strategies, which are outlined here and further discussed with illus- trations throughout the chapter.
Establish credibility. To be persuasive, you must engender trust. People must believe that you are telling the truth, are experienced, and know what you are talking about.
Most of us would not be swayed if a soccer or film star told us how to ease world tensions. If you lack credentials or experience, use testimonials, expert opinion, and research to support your position.
Make a reasonable, precise request. Persuasion is most effective if your request is realistic, doable, and attainable. Don’t ask for $100,000 worth of equipment when your department’s budget is $5,000. Also be clear about your objective. In one research study, students posed as beggars and asked for money. If they asked for an unspecified amount,
Successful persuasion results from a reasonable request, a credible source, and a well- presented argument.
Successful persuasion results from a reasonable request, a credible source, and a well- presented argument.
© Natural Moments Photography / Jupiterimages
Does “climate change” evoke more positive emotions than
“global warming?” Frank Luntz thinks so, and he wrote the book on persuasion—literally. The communication expert’s top selling book, Words That Work, examines words, phrases, and message strategies that resonate with audiences in the 21st century. Luntz’s ground-breaking research, including the use of Instant Response dial technology to gauge the impact of words on live audiences, has aided politicians and guided Fortune 500 clients including American Express and Disney. When is persuasion ethical, and when is it manipulation and “spin”?
Establishes credibility by citing specific data and examples
Gains attention by presenting graphic details of problems
Builds interest and enhances readability with bulleted list and parallel phrasing
Expects community resistance and describes plan to overcome it Uses careful tone
(“it might be wise”) in message to a superior
Lists benefits to management including increased profits and monetary savings
Motivates reader by mentioning what could be lost if action is not taken
Oak Park Town Center Interoffice Memorandum
M E M O
DATE: April 2, 2009
TO: Antwoine M. Jones, President, Oak Park Associates
FROM: Stacy R. McPherson, General Manager, Oak Park Town Center SUBJECT: Encouraging Adult Shoppers to Return to Oak Park Town Center Families and adult shoppers have largely disappeared at Oak Park Town Center after 5 p.m. Attendance at our 21-screen cinema has dropped 40 percent, and all five of our anchor stores report slow weekend and evening sales. Families and older consumers seem to be scared off by rowdy teens who congregate and socialize but do not shop. On some weekends, we have expelled up to 750 teens a night.
Restricting Access
It might be wise for Oak Park to follow the lead of other malls facing similar problems. A survey of 1,000 members of the International Council of Shopping Centers found that nearly a third of the respondents had adopted policies that limited access of teenagers. Here are a few examples:
vMall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, prohibits unchaperoned teens 17 and under from access after 4 p.m. on weekends.
vHolyoke Mall and Eastfield Mall in Massachusetts restrict teenagers 17 and under from entering after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays unless escorted by an adult.
vFairlane Town Center, Dearborn, Michigan, requires teens 17 and under to be escorted by a chaperone after 5 p.m. every evening.
Benefits of Restricted Access
If Oak Park institutes restrictions, we could experience a number of benefits:
vIncreased profits by attracting a wider range of customers who spend money vLess shoplifting
vFewer disruptive incidents such as fights
vSavings of $5,600 in salaries for seven off-duty police officers currently hired for weekend duty
Winning support for a teen restriction policy at Oak Park would require cooperation from school officials, local civil rights groups, and religious leaders. Considerable effort would be necessary to make our program work, but I am convinced that the benefits are well worth the effort. Please examine the program I have outlined in the attached sheet.
If we don’t begin to restrict teenagers, Oak Park will continue to lose adult shoppers, and we may have to expand the number of police officers as the summer approaches. May I talk with you about my plan to return Oak Park to a lively but secure shopping center? I will call you Monday to arrange an appointment.
Attachment
FIGURE 9.1 Persuasive Action Request
they received money 44 percent of the time. If they asked for a precise sum (say, $1), they received money 64 percent of the time.4 Precise requests are more effective.
Tie facts to benefits. Line up solid information to support your view. Use statistics, printed resources, examples, and analogies to help people understand. Remember, however, that information alone rarely changes attitudes. Marketers have pumped huge sums into failed advertising and public relations campaigns that provided facts alone. More important is converting those facts into benefits for the audience, as Stacy did in Figure 9.1.
Recognize the power of loss. Describing the benefits of your proposal is a powerful motivator. Another powerful motivator is the thought of what the other person will lose if he or she doesn’t agree. The threat of losing something one already possesses—such as time, money, competitive advantage, profits, reputation—seems to be more likely to motivate people than the idea of gaining that very same thing.5
Expect and overcome resistance. When proposing ideas, be prepared for resistance.
This may arise in the form of conflicting beliefs, negative attitudes, apathy, skepticism, and opposing loyalties. Recognize any weakness in your proposal and be prepared to You will be more persuasive
if you are credible, make a reasonable request, tie facts to benefi ts, recognize the power of loss, overcome resistance, share solutions, and are ready to compromise.
You will be more persuasive if you are credible, make a reasonable request, tie facts to benefi ts, recognize the power of loss, overcome resistance, share solutions, and are ready to compromise.
counter with well-reasoned arguments and facts. In Figure 9.1, Stacy realized that her proposal to restrict the access of unchaperoned teenagers would require acceptance and cooperation from community groups.
Share solutions and compromise. The process of persuasion may involve being flexible and working out a solution that is acceptable to all concerned. Sharing a solution requires listening to people and developing a new position that incorporates their input. When others’ views become part of a solution, they gain a sense of ownership;
they “buy in” and are more eager to implement the solution.
The Importance of Tone
Tone is particularly important in persuasion today because the workplace has changed.
Gone are the days when managers could simply demand compliance. Today’s managers and team leaders strive to generate cooperation and “buy-in” instead of using intimidation, threats, and punishment to gain compliance.6 Team members no longer accept unques- tioned authority. How can persuaders improve the tone of their requests?
● Avoid sounding preachy or parental. People don’t want to be lectured or instructed in a demeaning manner. No one likes to be treated like a child.
● Don’t pull rank. Effective persuasion doesn’t result from status or authority. People want to be recognized as individuals of worth. Pulling rank may secure compliance but not buy-in.
● Avoid making threats. People may comply when threatened, but their compliance may disappear over time. For example, many drivers follow the speed limit only when a patrol car is near. Threats also may result in retaliation, reduced productivity, and low morale.
● Soften your words when persuading upward. When you must persuade someone who has more clout than you, use words such as suggest and recommend. Craft sentences that begin with It might be a good idea to . . . Make suggestions without threatening authority.
● Be enthusiastic. Convey your passion for an idea through your body language, voice, and words. When you enthusiastically request something to be done, people feel more confident that they can do it.
● Be positive and likeable. If people feel positively toward you and perceive you as a friend, they are more likely to agree with you. Use sincere compliments and praise. Describe what a positive impact others have had. Offer to reciprocate, if you are asking a favor.
Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Persuasive Messages
Persuasion means changing people’s views, and that’s often a difficult task. Pulling it off demands planning and perception. The 3-x-3 writing process provides you with a helpful structure for laying a foundation for persuasion. Of particular importance here are (a) analyz- ing the purpose, (b) adapting to the audience, (c) collecting information, and (d) organizing the message.
Analyzing the Purpose
The purpose of a persuasive message is to convert the receiver to your ideas or to motivate action. A message without a clear purpose is doomed. Not only must you know what your purpose is and what response you want, but you must know these things when you start writing your message or planning a presentation. Too often, inexperienced writers reach the end of the first draft of a message before discovering exactly what they want the receiver to do. Then they must start over, giving the request a different “spin” or emphasis. Because your purpose establishes the strategy of the message, determine it first.
The tone of eff ective persuasive business requests invites cooperation; it avoids intimidation, lecturing, and excessive authoritarianism.
The tone of eff ective persuasive business requests invites cooperation; it avoids intimidation, lecturing, and excessive authoritarianism.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2 Apply the 3-x-3 writing process to persuasive messages.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2 Apply the 3-x-3 writing process to persuasive messages.
Persuasive messages require a careful analysis of the purpose for writing.
Persuasive messages require a careful analysis of the purpose for writing.