Persuasive Sales Messages

 Organization: Indirect order

 Aim: Moving your reader from an uninterested or opponent’s position to an interested, cooperative
position. Present the case as a problem-solution message
 Structure:
1. Opening:
 Offer: something valuable: A free trip to Dubai is just the beginning!
 Promise: a benefit to the reader: Now you can raise your sales income by 50% with
the proven techniques found in X company products
 Quotation: Necessity is the mother of invention
 Fact: The people of X region consume the most saturated sugars yet a very low
percentage suffers from diabetes.
 Question: Are you looking for an honest, fulfilling relationship?
 Product feature: X’s new convertible ensures your safety with a roll bar that pops
out when the car tips 40 degrees to the side.
 Startling statement: Let the poor and hungry feed themselves for just 100 rupees.
 Personalized action setting: It’s 4:30 p.m. and you’ve got to make a decision. You
need everyone’s opinion, no matter where they are. Before you pick up your phone to
call them one at a time, pick up this card: AT&T Teleconference Service.
2. Middle section: Building interest in the middle section of the message:
 Reader’s benefit or You-view:
 Intangible rewards: make the readers identify with a bigger cause, for e.g. helping
the others or making their lives easier, getting more freedom, doing the right thing,
etc.
 Tangible rewards: for e.g. saving money, time, prizes, etc.
 Scenario painting: Picture the readers in the target situation enjoying the promised
benefits. Provide details to the readers to see how they will benefit from what you are
asking them to do.
 Appeals:
 Logical: facts, benefits, reasoning, data
 Emotional: Imagine how would one feel if s/he is deprived of a benefit or is in a
difficult/unpleasant situation
 Character: You/Your company is a reliable one to solve this problem
  Reducing resistance
 Testimonials: “I learned so much in this course that I can teach the contents
myself”
Names of satisfied users: (With permission) Enclosed is a list of satisfied
accountants who subscribe enthusiastically to our service
Money-back guarantee or warranty: We offer the longest warranties in the
business-all parts and service on-site for two years.
Free trial or sample: We are so confident that you’ll like our new accounting
program that we want you to try it absolutely free.
 Price: When price is an objection, consider these strategies:
Delay mentioning price until you’ve created a desire for the product
Show the price in small units, such as the price per issue of a magazine
Demonstrate how the reader saves money by subscribing for two or three years,
for e.g.
Compare your prices with those of a competitor.

3. Concluding paragraph: Motivating action

 Easy to follow: A postage-paid reply card, an easy website.
 Offer gift: a free cell phone with the purchase of a car
 Limit the offer: Only the first 100 customers receive free…
 Set deadline: You are requested to reply before March 10 to get these low prices
 Guarantee satisfaction: We’ll return your full payment if you’re neot entirely satisfied