ObjectivesandOutcomes：WritingPersuasiveRequestsforActionDevelopingMarketingandSalesMessagesIntroductionPersuasionistoconvincepeopletochangetheirattitudes,beliefs,oractions,therefore,mostpersuasivemessagesusetheindirectapproach.Youneedtoexplainyourreasonsandbuildinterestbeforeaskingforadecisionorforaction.Particularly,whenyouaretryingtopersuadeaskepticalorhostileaudience,credibilityisessential.Youmayusethefollowingtechniques:

Usesimplelanguagetoavoidsuspicionsoffantasticclaimsandemotionalmanipulation.Provideobjectiveevidencefortheclaimsandpromisesyoumake.Identifyyoursources,especiallyifyouraudiencealreadyrespectsthosesources.Establishcommongroundbyemphasizingbeliefs,attitudes,andbackgroundexperiencesyouhaveincommonwiththeaudience.Persuadewithlogic,evidence,andcompellingnarratives,ratherthantryingtocoercewithhigh-pressure,“hardsell”tactics.Trytobuildyourcredibilitybeforeyoupresentamajorproposaloraskforamajordecision.Inthatway,audiencesdon’thavetoevaluatebothyouandyourmessageatthesametime.I.WritingPersuasiveRequestsforActionExpertsinpersuasivecommunicationhavedevelopedanumberofindirectmodelsforwritingpersuasivemessagesforaction.OneofthebestknownistheAIDAplan,whichorganizesmessagesintofourphases:

Attention引起注意Interest提高興趣Desire激發欲望Action敦促行動1.AttentionAtthebeginning,youdrawtheaudienceattentionthatyouhavesomethingimportantorinterestingtosay.Trytotellthemfactuallywithoutmakingextravagantclaimsorthreats,orirrelevantpoints.E.g.

You’vecomplainedseveraltimesinthelasttwomonthsthatplanninganemployeeschedulehasbecomeincreasinglydifficult.Ihaveasuggestionthatcouldsubstantiallyreducethetimeyouspendonmakingandrevisingthoseschedules.2.InterestIntheinterestphase,youexplainhowyourmessagerelatestotheaudience.Youexplaintheproblemindetailandproposeasolutiontotheproblem.Yourgoalistogettheaudiencethinking“Thisisaninterestingidea.Coulditpossiblysolvemyproblems?”E.g.Example:

AnarticleonflextimeschedulewaspublishedintheAugustissueofFinance.Thecompanyprofiledinthearticlehadsimilarproblemstous:latearrivals,earlydepartures,longlunchtime,andexcessivesickleave.Themanagerfounditalmostimpossibletosetupascheduleeveryonewouldadhereto.Finally,thecompanychangeditsmanagementandgaveemployeesflexibilitytoscheduletheirownwork,underspecialguidelinesandregulations.Oncethecompanyinstitutedtheflextimeschedule,theseproblemspracticallydisappeared.Thisisbecausetheschedulegivesemployeesflexibilitytoarrangetheirworkhours,whichsolvestheconflictbetweentheirworkandtheirpersonalconcerns,andthusimprovestheirworkinginitiative.

Theinterestphasepresentsthesolution“flexibleschedule”indetailwithaconcreteexamplefromawell-knownmagazine,whichsupportsitscredibility.Furthermore,thebenefitsofimplementingtheprogramrelatespecificallytotheaudience’sproblem:toreducethefrustrationofdevisinginadequateschedules.3.DesireInthedesirephase,youreduceresistancebyidentifyingandansweringinadvanceanyquestionstheaudiencemighthave.Youbackupclaimsbyexplaininghowthechangewillbenefityouraudience,andincreasetheirwillingnesstotaketheactionthatyou’llsuggestinthenextsection.Toproveyourclaim,makesuretheevidenceisdirectlyrelevanttoyourpoint.

Theexamplebellowprovidesapersonalproofandmethodsonhowtoconducttheflexibleschedule.Example:

Mr.TedTurner,chiefmanagerofthecompany,saidinthearticle,“Iseemedtobespendingallmytimemakingschedulesandthentearingthemup.NowIletmyemployeesfigureouttheirownschedules.Ihavemoretimetosupervisetheirworkandtotrackthequalityoftheproducts.”Thiscompanyhadinstitutedaflextimeprograminfulloperationanditsworkingefficiencyincreasedby20%overoneyear.Attachedisacopyofanarticleaboutthefactorstoconsiderbeforeswitchingtoaflextimescheduleandthefivestepsinvolvedinimplementingit.Thissectionfurthersupportsthesolutionnotonlywithconcretepersonalevidence,butalsowithdetailedmethodsonhowtoimplementtheflexibleschedule.Therefore,itremovestheaudience’sdoubtsonwhetherthesolutionispracticalfortheirowncompany,andthusincreasestheirdesiretoacceptthesolution.4.ActionIntheactionphase,yousuggesttheactionyouwantyouraudiencetotake.Thissectionoffersthelastopportunityforyoutoremindthemainbenefittheaudiencewillrealizefromtakingtheactionyouwant.Example:Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasecallmeat63052108.Otherwise,Ihopewecanmeetnextweek(Tuesday10:00a.m.?)toseehowwemightinstituteaflextimeschedule.Withalittlebitofextraeffortnow,youcouldsoongetridofyourworriesandconcentrateonsomethingmoreimportantthanscheduling.Thesecretoftheactionphaseistomaketheactioneasytotake,includingofferingtoassist,ifappropriate.Besuretoprovidealltheinformationtheaudienceneedstotaketheaction,includingdeadlinesandcontactdetails.Inasalesletter,youmightaskreaderstocallatoll-freenumberformoreinformation.Youmightaskyouraudiencetofilloutanenclosedorderfrom,oryoumightuseapreaddressed,postpaidenvelopefordonationsorpledges.

5.SubjectLineforRequestWhendeliveringpersuasivemessagesbymemooremail,youshouldkeepinmindthatyoursubjectlineusuallycatchesyourreader’seyefirst.Yourchallengeistomakeitinterestingandrelevantenoughtocapturereaderattentionwithoutrevealingyourmainidea.Ifyouputyourrequestinthesubjectline,youmightjustgetaquick“no”beforeyou’vehadachancetopresentyourarguments.

Example:InsteadofThis:RequestforbudgettoaddtheautomatedcustomerinquirysystemWriteThis:ReducingthecostofcustomersupportinquiriesMEMOTO:MaryNixonDATE:Augustl0,2016FROM:MikeJohnsonSUBJECT:ImprovingOurOrderProcessingWemaynotbegettingourmoney’sworthfromourdata-entryclerks,althoughtheclerksaren’treallytoblame.TakealookatthesefiguresJaneandIhavecompiledoverthelastmonthconcerningourorderprocessing:About19percentofcustomerorderslackssomepieceofinformation(suchasaZIPcodeandafullname)neededtoprocessandshipthemerchandiseefficiently.Intencasesthatweknowabout(becausecustomerscalledtocomplain),ordersnevershowedupinthecomputerrecordsandwerethereforeneverprocessed,althoughwedidfindthepaperwork.Wefoundthattheproblemswerecausedbytheorder-processingsystem,whichhasbeenusedforoverthreeyears.Althoughitwasthebestavailableatthetime,thenewsoftware,OrderMasterIII,onthemarketismuchsimplertouseandmoreefficient.Withaudiblepromptstoremindoperatorswhennecessaryinformationismissingandwithasimplified“save”function,OrderMasterIIIcouldsolveourdata-entryproblemsandupgradecustomerserviceatthesametime.Itcaneasilybecustomizedtosuitouroperations.Andpleasenotethisfactparticularly:Thetotalcostislessthanwehavespentinthepastmonthtohaveengineersresolveorder-processingproblems.TherequisitionformweneedtoobtainOrderMasterIII(completeexceptforyoursignature)isattached.Thesoftwaremanufacturerassuresmethatwecanhaveitwithinaweek;afieldrepresentativewillcomeoutforadayortwotosetitupandtoshowthedata-entryclerkshowtouseit.Doyouhaveanyquestionsaboutthisprogram?Ifso,callmeatext.4328.Otherwise,pleasesigntherequisitionformandsenditbacktomerightaway.Thesoonerweordertheprogram,thesoonerwecansolvesomeseriousproblemswithorderprocessing.II.DevelopingMarketingandSalesMessagesMarketingandsalesmessagesusethesamebasictechniquesasotherpersuasivemessages,withtheaddedemphasisofencouragingsb.toparticipateinacommercialtransaction.Marketingmessages市場信息

leadpotentialbuyersthroughthepurchasingprocesswithoutaskingthemtomakeanimmediatedecision.Marketingmessagesinclude:introducingnewbrandstothepublic,providingcompetitivecomparisons,encouragingcustomerstovisitwebsitesformoreinformation,remindingbuyersthataparticularproductorserviceisavailableSalesmessages銷售信息

encouragepotentialbuyerstomakeapurchasedecisionimmediately.Theessentialstepsinwritingmarketingandsalesmessagesinclude:assessingcustomerneeds;評估受眾需求analyzingyourcompetition;分析你的競爭對手determiningkeysellingpointsandbenefits;確定關鍵賣點和效益anticipatingpurchaseobjections;預期購買異議applyingtheAIDAmodelorasimilarorganizationalplan;應用AIDA模型或類似的組織計劃1.AssessingAudienceNeedsCustomers’needsoftenextendbeyondthebasicproductorservice.Forexample,clothesdofarmorethansimplykeepyouwarm.Whatyouwearcanalsoreflectyourstatus,yoursocialgroups,andhowyouviewyourrelationshipswiththepeoplearoundyou.Youshouldgettoknowyouraudience’sneeds,interests,andemotionalconcerns.Trytoformamentalimageofatypicalbuyerfortheproductyouwanttosell.Askyourselfwhatyouraudiencemightwanttoknowaboutthisproduct,howyourproductcanhelpthem,andwhethertheyaredrivenbypriceorbyquality.

Exercises:AssessingAudienceNeedsClothesBuyingCriteriaChildrenYoungPeopleOldPeopleSafetyStyleQualityPriceStatusComfortIdentification/SocialgroupExercises:AssessingAudienceNeedsClothesBuyingCriteriaChildrenYoungPeopleOldPeopleSafety√√Style√Quality√√Price√√Status√√Comfort√√Identification/Socialgroup√2.AnalyzingYourCompetitionMarketingandsalesmessagesnearlyalwayscompetewithmessagesfromothercompaniestryingtoreachthesameaudience.WhenNikeplansamarketingcampaigntointroduceanewshoemodeltocurrentcustomers,thecompanyknowsthatitsaudiencehasalsobeenexposedtomessagesfromNewBalance,Reebok,andnumerousothershoecompanies.Incompetitivemarkets,youhavetosearchforwordsandphrasesthatothercompaniesaren’talreadyusing.Youalsoneedtoavoidthemes,writingstyles,orcreativeapproachesthataretoosimilartothoseofcompetitors’messages.3.DeterminingKeySellingPointsandBenefitsAfteranalyzingyouraudienceandcompetition,you’rereadytodecidewhichaspectsofyourproductorservicetohighlight.Youshouldfirsthaveathoroughunderstandingofyourproductinstructureandinfunction,especiallyforcomplexproductsandservices.Youalsoneedtodistinguishbetweenthefeaturesoftheproductorserviceandthebenefitsthatthosefeaturesofferthecustomers.SellingPointsandBenefitsSellingpointsarethemostattractivefeaturesofaproductorservice,whereasbenefitsaretheparticularadvantagesthatreaderswillrealizefromthosefeatures.Sellingpointsfocusontheproductorservice,whereasbenefitsfocusontheuser.Acommonapproachtocommunicatingfeaturesandbenefitsistoshowtheminalistoratable,identifyingeachfeatureanddescribingthebenefitsitoffers.Figure2SellingPointsandBenefitsofXiandai55In4KHDRPCTVXiandai55In4KHDRPCTVSellingPointsBenefits

TV+PCfunctionsYoucanuseitasacomputerwithallPCfunctionsaswellasatelevision.2.

55-inchwidescreenYoucanenjoylargeTVpicturesandconductmulti-programPCoperationswithoutworryingaboutthespace.3.

4KHDR(highdynamicrange)picturesTheTVprovidesclearpicturesofhighspeedmotionwithrichcolors.4.

Hi-fistereocomponentsystem

Youcangetherealstereosoundeffectsimilartothatinthecinema.5.

Super-thinandWall-mountedTVTheproductcanbemountedonthewallandthusincreasethewatchingdistance.6.

WirelesskeyboardandmouseThewirelesskeyboardandmouseenableyoutositatacomfortabledistancefromthescreenincomputeroperation.4.AnticipatingPurchaseObjectionsAswithpersuasivebusinessmessages,marketingandsalesmessagesoftenencounterobjections,whichmayincludeperceptionsofhighprice,lowquality,incompatibility,orunacceptablerisk.Consumersmightworrythatacarwon’tbesafeenoughforafamily,thatajacketwillmakethemlookunattractive,orthatahairsalonwillbotchahaircut.Businessbuyersmightworryaboutdisruptingoperationsorfailingtorealizethefinancialreturnsonapurchase.Pricecanbeaparticularlytrickyissueinanymessage.Ifpriceisamajorsellingpoint,giveitapositionofprominence,suchasintheheadlineorasthelastiteminaparagraph.Ifpriceisnotamajorsellingpoint,youcanhandleitinseveralways:leavethepriceoutaltogetherdeemphasizethepricebyputtingitwellafteryou’vepresentedthesellingpointsandthebenefits.lookforwaystoincreasetheperceivedvalueofthepurchaseanddecreasetheperceivedcost.Forexample,tohelpblunttheimpactofthepriceofahomegym,youmightsaythatitcostslessthanayear’sworthofhealthclubdues—plus,customerssaveontransportationcostsbyexercisingathome.5.ApplyingAIDAMostmarketingandsalesmessagesarepreparedaccordingtotheAIDAmodelorsomevariationofit.AtypicalAIDA-organizedmessagebeginswithanattention-gettingintroduction,generatesinterestbydescribingsomeoftheproduct’sorservice’suniquefeatures,increasesdesirebyhighlightingthebenefitsthataremostappealingtotheaudience,andclosesbysuggestingtheactionthesenderwouldliketheaudiencetotake.(1)CapturingAttentionYoucanusevarioustechniquestoattractyouraudience’sattention:ToughonDirt,GentleontheEarth.(PromotingtheenvironmentallyfriendlyaspectsofBiokleenbiokleen百潔去污除味清潔劑cleaningproducts).對污漬兇狠，對環境溫和。Upto35mpg.UnlimitedFun!(Promotingthefuelefficiencyandfunofdrivingasportscar.)每加侖35英里，其樂無窮。Autocold-weatherserviceforthesafetyandhappinessofyourfamily.WinterClearance:Nearly5000piecesoffurnitureonsale.Savingsupto90%.夏季清場大甩賣：近1萬本書，最低一折。500Applephoneswitha30%discount,onlyonSundaymorning.Earlybirdscatchtheworm.Example:XiandaiPCTVAll-in-OneAreyoustillworryingthatyourPCscreenistoosmallforwatchingfilmsandformulti-programoperations?PleasetrytheXiandaiPCTVAll-in-One.Thesuper-screenanditshighdefinitionpictureswilleraseyourworriesonceandforall!(2)BuildingInterestIntheinterestsectionofyourmessageyoushouldoffersupportforanyclaimsorpromisesyoumadeintheopening.Youneedtoprovidethesellingpointsoftheproductandthebenefitstheycanbringtothecustomers.E.g.Xiandai55-inch4KHDRPCTVprovidesyouallthePCfunctionsaswellasaTV’s.The55-inchscreenprovidesamuchlargerspaceforpicturesanddocumentsthanaPCscreen,whichisconvenientformulti-programoperation.The4KHDRfeatureprovidesmuchclearerpicturesofhighspeedmotionwithrichercolorsthananordinaryTV.Thevideotelephonefunctionenablesyoutotalkwithanyonethroughouttheworldonthescreenjustasifyouweresittingfacetofaceinoneroom.Withthehi-fistereosystem,youcanexperiencerealstereosoundeffects,similartothoseinacinema.(3)IncreasingDesireTobuilddesireforaproductoraservice,continuetoexplainhowacceptingitwillbenefittherecipient.Anticipatetheaudience’ssuspicionandobjection,andremovethembyexplainingtheproduct’ssellingpoints.Whenyoutalkaboutproducttechnicalfeatures,usesimpleandexpressivelanguagethatmakesensetousers.Example:Increasingthedesirebyreducingobjectionandprovidingbenefits.Youmaythinkthatyourroomistoosmallforthebigscreen.However,the5-cmsuper-thinscreencanbehungonthewall,greatlyincreasingyourwatchingdistance.Youdon’thavetoworrythatthescreenwillbetooneartoyouwhenit’sinPCmode.Thewirelesskeyboardandmouseenableyoutositatacomfortabledistancefromthescreen.Theprice,￥5999.00,istheusualpriceforeitheraPCoraTV;butnowyoupaythesamepriceandgetboth.Also,ifyouorderwithin15days,you’llreceivea10%discount.Toincreasetheaudiences’desireandboostyourcredibility,youshouldprovidesupportforyourclaims.Yoursupportmayinclude:testimonialsfromsatisfiedusers,來自滿意客戶的證詞articleswrittenbyindustryexperts,行業專家撰寫的文章competitivecomparisons,競爭比較productsamplesandfreedemonstrations,產品樣品和免費演示independenttestresults,獨立測試結果moviesorcomputeranimationsthatshowaproductinaction,電影或計算機動畫，顯示產品的實際效果guaranteesthatdemonstrateyourfaithinyourproductandyourwillingnesstobackitup.能夠證明您對產品的信任和支持意愿的保證(4)MotivatingActionTomotivateyouaudiencestotakeanimmediateaction.Youmightusethefollowingmeasures:Offeradiscounttothefirstcomers(500or1,000people)whoorder.Setadeadlineontheoffer(in10or15days).Remindcustomersthatthesoonertheyorder,thesoonertheywillbeabletoenjoytheproduct’sbenefits.Makethepurchaseactionassimpleandasrisk-freeaspossible.Ifthepurchaseprocessisconfusingortime-consuming,youwilllosepotentialcustomers.Youmayoffersuchconditionsas“Homedeliveryservice.”,“Cashondelivery.”,or“Unjustifiedgoods-returnwithin7days.”送貨上門，貨到付款。七天無理由退貨。E.g.Thisproductsupportsthecash-on-deliverypolicyandthepolicyofunjustifiedgoods-returnwithin7days.PleaseorderASAP!Thesooneryouorder,themoreyousave,andthesooneryouwillenjoythemarvelousfunctionsofourproductforbothworkandrecreation.(5)MaintainingHighStandardsofEthicsThewordpersuasionhasnegativeconnotationsforsomepeople,especiallyinamarketingorsalescontext.Theyassociatepersuasionwithdishonestandunethicalpracticesthatleadunsuspectingaudiencesintoacceptingunworthyideasorbuyingunneededproducts.Tomaintainthehigheststandardsofbusinessethics,usethe“you”attitudebyshowinghonestconcernforyouraudience’sneedsandinterests.Forallmarketingandsalesefforts,paycloseattentiontothefollowinglegalconsiderations:Marketingandsalesmessagesarecoveredbyawiderangeoflawsandregulations.Themessagesareconsideredasdeceptiveiftheyincludestatementsthatarelikelytomisleadcustomers.Failingtoincludeimportantinformationisalsoconsidereddeceptive.Youmustbackupyourclaimswithevidence.Simplyofferingamoney-backguaranteeorprovidinglettersfromsatisfiedcustomersisnotenough;youmuststillbeabletos