M Business Communication 3rd Edition Rentz Solutions Manual

M Business Communication 3rd Edition
Rentz Solutions Manual

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Chapter 07 - Writing Persuasive Messages and Proposals
Part II: Chapter-by-Chapter Lecture Notes & Exercises

Chapter 7: Writing Persuasive Messages and Proposals
Teaching Suggestions
The teaching techniques for this chapter are the same as for the preceding two chapters.
Text Summary, Lecture Outline
Slides 7-1, 7-2, 7-3

This chapter begins with some advice that pertains to all kinds of persuasive messages. Then it covers the
three most common types in business: persuasive requests, sales messages, and proposals.
You can use these slides to discuss the importance of persuasive writing in business. Such messages are
frequently written both internally and externally. Ask students to give examples of both types.
Point out that persuasive messages are often written in the indirect order. Ask students why—and lead them to
the answer: that you are moving the reader from one position or attitude to another. This effort usually means
starting with something the reader cares about and moving to what you care about—in other words, getting to
your point indirectly.
As the book says, you do not want your reader, at any point, to think “no.” This means writing the message so
that his/her interests and values are the focus from beginning to end.
General Advice About Persuasion
Slides 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-7, 7-8
Following are some important concepts, terminology, and advice that can help you have good class
discussions about persuasion, both when analyzing it in general and when analyzing and evaluating a specific
persuasive case or message.
When you want to persuade, it is critical that you know your readers.
This is always important, but it is of paramount importance when persuading. You can formally gather
information about your readers (study marketing reports, conduct surveys and focus groups, etc.).
Or you can informally gather information about them (speak with sales, service, and marketing personnel;
look at prior messages that have succeeded; collect your memories and thoughts from previous interactions;
etc.).
Once you’ve profiled your readers’ characteristics, needs, and values, you are ready to choose and develop
targeted reader benefits. These can be
tangible (e.g., saves time, money, trouble) or
intangible (e.g., will make the reader feel good, gain prestige, etc.),
intrinsic (part of the product or service being sold or action being requested) or
extrinsic (added on, as an extra incentive).
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Which kinds of benefits are best depends on the situation, but caution students against relying too much on
extrinsic benefits. These do not have a lasting effect and may cheapen the reader’s perception of the intrinsic
benefits.
Also be sure that your students understand the difference between product features and product benefits.
Saying that a certain washing machine can clean a large load of laundry in 25 minutes is describing a feature;
saying that it enables you to “do your laundry in half the time” or “gives you more time with your family” is
bringing out a reader benefit. Also, all benefits should sound realistic enough to be believable. In addition,
most benefits are followed by a reason to believe, known as RTB in the advertising industry. If you claim that
a washing machine does your laundry in half the time that would be backed up by a brief description of the
product feature that makes this possible.
This section also describes a useful strategy for developing reader benefits: scenario painting. This is writing
that depicts the reader using and enjoying the benefits. Inviting readers to imagine themselves in a specific
positive situation brought about by doing as the writer asks is a powerful persuasive technique.
As Aristotle pointed out over 2,000 years ago, writers have a range of appeals to choose from when
constructing a persuasive message. These can be categorized as follows:
Logic-based appeals (logos, in the Greek)
Emotion-based appeals (pathos)
Character-based appeals (ethos)
You can help students understand what these are by asking them to describe television commercials they’ve
seen that, in turn, rely mostly on logic (ads that rely on science and/or numbers, such as a car-insurance ad
that focuses on its low premiums and deductibles), emotion (such as tire commercials that focus on babies’
safety or commercials for sexy jeans), and the spokesperson or character of the company (such as ads
featuring a popular sports or movie star, or ads that make the company seem funny and “cool”).
Finally, students should be careful to devote sufficient thought to planning the action part of the message.
They need to
make the desired action clear, and
make it as easy as possible for the reader to perform.
You might discuss a sample scenario in which graduating seniors are being asked to submit information about
the jobs they’ve been offered (the hiring company, salary, etc.) to their university’s career counseling office.
What are several ways one might have them submit the information? How could one make the desired action
as simple as possible to perform? Answers can range from creating an easy-to-fill-in paper form to having
them submit the information at the bottom of something else they’re turning in, to having them click on a
Web link and put the information into form fields. Clearly one would have to think about the options and
choose/develop the one that seemed best under the circumstances.
Persuasive Requests
Slides 7-9, 7-10
These are messages that seek something the reader is likely to resist. Persuasion (or “selling”) is necessary.
More specifically, you will need to reason with the reader—presenting facts and logic that support your case.
Hence, planning the persuasion is a first step in writing these messages. It involves using your imagination—
developing a strategy that will move the reader to accept your proposal.
You can do this best by placing yourself in your reader’s shoes and determining the reader’s objections. Then
think about what can be said to overcome these objections.
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The Opening
As with other types of indirect messages, the beginning of this type should set up the explanation. But the
beginnings of persuasive messages have an additional goal: to gain attention.
You are writing to someone who probably does not agree with your goal. He or she has little or no interest in
receiving what you have to say. Thus, you need to gain this person’s attention.
Determining how to gain attention requires both imagination and logic; it requires being able to imagine
yourself in the reader’s shoes and to find a logical link between the topic of the message and the reader’s
likely interests.
For example, for the beginning of a message seeking to persuade medical doctors to give you their opinions,
you might write, “What in your opinion as a medical doctor is the future of the private practice of medicine?”
Or to take another example, for a message requesting contributions for orphaned children, you might write,
“While you and I dined heartily last night, 31 orphans at San Pablo Mission had only dried beans to eat.”
However, avoid sounding overly sentimental or dramatic in tone. In general, keep it real.
The Body
Following the attention-gaining opening, you present the reasoning this opening has set up. To do this, you do
more than just list points—you persuade. You use words that convince. You use you-viewpoint. And make
your words travel fast, for slow-moving messages lead the reader to become impatient.
Then, when you have persuaded the reader to accept your proposal, you ask for what you seek. If you have
done the persuading adequately, this part follows naturally. Choose the words that make your request with
care, for the request is the riskiest part of your message. Avoid any wording that detracts from the request.
And avoid words that bring to mind pictures and things that might work against you—such as reminders of
reasons for refusing.
For example, do not write it like this: “I am aware that businesspeople in your position have little free time to
give, but will you please consider accepting an assignment to the board of directors of the Children’s Fund?”
Instead, write something like this: “Because your organizing skills are so desperately needed, will you please
serve on the board of directors of the Children’s Fund?”
The Close
The request can end the message. But sometimes it helps to follow it with additional words of explanation.
This plan is especially effective when a long persuasion effort is needed, and it is not practical to present it all
before stating your goal.
Sometimes you may choose to follow the request with a reminder of an appeal you used in your persuasion—
to emphasize a benefit the reader will receive by complying.
Slides 7-11, 7-12, 7-13, 7-14
The slides contain good illustrations of persuasive requests that follow the previous advice.
As you move through the different parts of the messages, have students discuss what strategies are being used
and how these strategies help or hurt the persuasive request. Talk about what the writer is offering to the
reader, and the kinds of feelings the writer is trying to draw out of the reader. Also discuss how the writer
makes it easy for the reader to give a positive response.
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Sales Messages
Slide 7-15
Your students may never write a professional-quality sales message. But you can tell them that practice in
sales writing can benefit them. It will help them write other types of messages, for in a sense every message
sells something—an idea, a line of reasoning, your company, yourself.
Slide 7-16
Before getting into sales techniques, it is good to help your students think critically about selling. Sales
messages can often be challenged on ethical grounds.
For example, they clog people’s mailboxes and “in” boxes (though a law now requires email sales messages
to allow people to opt out of future messages). Sometimes they use manipulative or even deceptive wording.
Sometimes they use manipulative or even deceptive visuals.
There are many ethically dubious techniques in use out there, some of them downright illegal (for example,
“phishing”—using a website masquerading as a well-known company’s website to get people to submit their
social security numbers and other private information). There are several examples in the book, and you can
invite your students to share others they know about.
Talk with your class about what makes a sales message ethical. Concepts such as truthfulness and enabling
readers to make reasoned decisions should come out, and your discussion may generate others.
Slide 7-17
You begin preparation for writing this kind of message by studying your product or service and your
prospects. You simply cannot sell something you do not know. So learn what you can about the product (or
service)—how it is made, how it works, what it will do, what it will not do.
And learn about your prospects—their needs, economic status, ages, financial status, education, and other
qualities.
In large businesses, much of the information about prospects is gathered by marketing research departments.
Invite your students to discuss market-research techniques that they are familiar with.
Slide 7-18
Next, you should plan the message around the main appeal (or appeals) that you will use.
Logical or rational appeals are appeals to the reason—for example, saving money, saving time, safety,
durability. Some products naturally lend themselves to the use of rational appeals—products like mechanic’s
tools, automobile tires, industrial motors, and farm implements.
Emotional appeals involve the non-thinking mind. They are based on love, fear, taste, desire for acceptance,
the need to feel good about oneself, appreciation of beauty, and the like. Some products lend themselves well
to the use of emotional appeals—perfume, jewelry, high fashions. Aspirational luxury brands usually rely on
emotional appeal.
And character-based appeals invite compliance based on the authority and personality of the spokesperson—
such as a celebrity, professional, or projected image of the company. This appeal is not likely to be used
alone, but it is present in any persuasive message.
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Slide 7-19
A part of your planning is also to determine the makeup of the mailing. So determine what the package will
consist of—what links, attachments, brochures, leaflets, and so forth you will include.
You can also think about special components of the main message. For example, if you are writing a letter,
will it be individually addressed (most sales letters are mass produced), or will it have an impersonal
salutation (Dear Homeowner)? Will you use any kind of attention device, such as color, lines, diagrams,
boxes, and cartoons? A logo? A photograph? A special font or layout for the text?
Slide 7-20
With your preliminary thinking done, you are ready to write. Various patterns may be used, but there is a
conventional order.
The Opening
The opening has one basic requirement—to gain attention. If it does not, the message has failed. If it is a
letter, it goes into a wastebasket. If an email, it is deleted.
How you gain attention is a part of your creative effort. So use your imagination.
Whatever you decide on, it must also assist in your sales plan. It should lead smoothly into the sales
presentation that follows.
One often-used plan is to begin with a statement or question that introduces a need that the product will
satisfy. Examples:
“Here is a proven best-seller—and with a 12 percent greater markup!” or
“Can you use an employee who not only works free of charge but also pays you for the privilege of serving
your clientele 24 hours a day?”
An emotional appeal might well begin with words that describe an emotional reward the product or service
will provide. For example:
Your line hums as it whirs through the air. Your lure splashes and dances across the smooth surface of the
clear water as you reel. From the depth you see the silver streak of a striking bass. You feel a sharp tug. And
the battle is on. (from a letter selling a trip to a fishing resort)
Story beginnings sometimes are used:

A knock at the door, a swirl of snow over the threshold—and standing in the warm glow of the hall light was
little Joe. His thin jacket was drawn tightly around his small body. “I’m here, Father. I’m here for an
education,” he blurted out. (from a letter selling sponsor memberships to Boy’s Town)
One currently popular technique for email selling is to begin with the main benefit or result.
Content
The sales message follows.
The structure of this part will vary with your imagination. But it will present your product or service using the
reader-based appeals you have selected.
Remember that the you-viewpoint is extremely important in sales writing and use it throughout. Compare
these examples:
“Star mixers will be advertised in People for the next three issues.” vs.
“Your customers will read about the new Star mixer in the next three issues of People.”
“We make Aristocrat hosiery in three shades.” vs.
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“You may choose from three lovely shades: . . .”
“Lime-Fizz tastes fresh and exciting.” vs.

“You’ll like the fresh, exciting taste of Lime Fizz.”
Make certain you present enough information to complete the sale. This means answering all the questions the
reader might ask. And it means presenting enough information to convince the reader.
Much of this information can be supplied by other enclosures. But be careful that you do not shift too much of
the sales presentation to the enclosures. As a general rule, the letter should carry your basic sales message.
The enclosures present the supporting details.
The Close (drive for action)

After you have convinced the reader, you drive for the sale. How you do this depends on your chosen
strategy.
Sometimes a strong urge to act is a part of the plan: “Order your copy today—while it’s on your mind.”
And some sales writers suggest tying the urge to act with a reason for acting fast: “. . . so that you can be
ready for the Christmas rush.”
A milder drive may fit your plan better: “Won’t you make a generous donation today?”
For good results, you may choose to take the reader through the motions: “Just check your preferences on the
enclosed stamped and addressed order form. Then drop it in the mail today.”
A good closing technique is to recall the basic appeal, associating it with the benefits the reader gains by
having the product or service. Example (from the emotional appeal letter selling a fishing vacation): “It’s
your reservation for a week of battle with the fightingest bass in the Southland.”
Postscripts (P.S. messages) sometimes are a planned part of the sales letter. They can be used effectively to
urge action, to reemphasize a major appeal, to invite attention to enclosures, or serve any other purpose that
will add a persuasive touch. Examples: “P.S. Don’t forget! If you decide Action is not for you, we’ll give you
every cent of your money back. We are that confident that Action will become one of your favorite
magazines”; “P.S. Hurry! Save while this special money-saving offer lasts.”
Slides 7-21, 7-22, 7-23, 7-24, 7-25, 7-26, 7-27, 7-28, 7-29
The slides present three sample sales messages that follow the advice in this chapter. Help students see how.
Discuss the effectiveness of the openings, bodies, and closings of each of the different messages. Have
students identify which methods and kinds of appeals are being used and why the writer might have chosen
them.
Teaching ideas
A fun homework assignment for this section is to ask students to write a sales letter selling themselves as if
they were products, helpful brainstorming for the job search. Ask them to use all three types of appeals,
benefits, and strong calls to action. You could also ask them to write dating profiles using these techniques.
Both are lively introductions to sales writing. The final assignment could be a sales letter selling a favorite
product or service. Students often enjoy these assignments because of their familiarity with advertising and
their love of particular products and brands.
One entertaining way to introduce persuasive strategies is to use old commercials or vintage print ads.
Students are usually amused by dated advertising and quickly learn the difference between successful and
unsuccessful persuasive strategies. You can also use vintage ads to discuss the importance of staying current
with the culture in order to effectively persuade. That culture may be popular culture, current business culture,
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or a particular organization's culture. Magazines such as Fast Company are excellent ways to help students
catch up with business culture. Consider assigning reading as part of the course.
Proposals
Slide 7-30
Like reports, proposals are based on research and can range widely in format, length, and formality. They can
also be directly or indirectly organized. But unlike reports, proposals are overtly persuasive.
Slide 7-31
Proposals may be internal or external. Internal proposals will be a major means by which you will get what
you need in order to do or enhance your job (such as more/better equipment, more personnel, and so forth).
External proposals are written mainly to acquire business for a company or money from a grant-awarding
organization.
They may be solicited or unsolicited: A solicited proposal is invited (usually through an RFP—Request for
Proposals). An unsolicited proposal is uninvited (it therefore needs to resemble a sales message).
Slide 7-32
The following proposal elements have become common because they answer proposal readers’ likely
questions. Still, variations on and combinations of these abound, so be sure to adapt this list of possible topics
to your particular situation.
Writer’s purpose (shows understanding of reader’s need)
Background (contextualizes the problem and proposed solution)
Need (elaborates on why the proposed solution is needed)
Description of plan (presents what the writer intends to do)
Benefits of the proposed plan (convinces readers of proposal’s worth)
Particulars (covers any costs, delivery information, etc.)
Evidence of ability to deliver (establishes writer’s ability to carry out what is proposed)
Concluding comments (stresses taking action on the proposal)
When creating any proposal—long or short, formal or informal, internal or external, solicited or unsolicited—
consider the three main criteria that readers of business proposals bring to the evaluation process:
Desirability of the solution (Do we need this? Will it solve our problem?)
Qualifications of the proposer (Can the author or his/her company really deliver?)
Return on investment (Will the benefits of adopting the proposal outweigh the costs?)
Slides 7-33, 7-34, 7-35, 7-36
Here is a sample solicited proposal. As the slide notes say, you might point out that the writer of this proposal
chose economy (saving money) as the primary appeal. Other writers might have chosen having a more
harmonious workplace or some other goal as the primary reader benefit. It’s up to the writer to choose the
appeal that will enable him/her to create the best argument—and then to follow through with the details that
will support that argument.
Slides 7-37, 7-38
These slides show the more indirect approach taken by an unsolicited proposal. After analyzing how the
writer grabs and maintains the readers’ interest in the introduction, see if students can anticipate a logical
structure for the rest of this proposal. The next slide provides one logical plan.
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Slide 7-39
This slide enables you to do an exercise that will help prepare students to do the first proposal-writing case/
Slide 7-40
This final quote points to the need for creativity in persuasive writing. That, combined with careful analysis of
topic and reader, can yield powerful results.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Explain why a persuasive-request message is usually written in the indirect order. Could the
direct order ever be used for such messages? Discuss. (LO2)
Persuasive requests are written when we assume the reader is likely to oppose the request. If we
were to assume otherwise, we would use the direct approach. The indirect approach has developed
over time as the best to use in such cases. It has been tested by experience (primarily in sales) and
has the support of logic. A direct approach would produce negative reactions which would have to
be overcome. An indirect approach permits one to justify and explain and thereby condition the
reader to receive the negative message. Of course, one could use the direct approach for persuasion,
but it would be hard to support the choice with reasoning.
2. What does it mean to use the you-viewpoint in persuasive requests? (LO2)
Most people react favorably to words that emphasize them and their interests. You-viewpoint
writing does this. Thus it is a vital part of the persuasion that must be used in these messages.
3. Compare persuasive requests and sales messages. What traits do they share? How are they
different? (LO2, LO5)
Both messages have the goal of persuading the reader to do something the writer wants done. The
sales message attempts to persuade the reader to buy a product or service. The persuasive request
attempts to persuade the reader to comply with the writer’s request.
Sales messages tend to be much flashier, in terms of both wording and visual elements. People
have probably come to expect the degree of impersonality that this quality imparts to the message
(even to ones that seem “personal”). They expect persuasive requests, generally, to be less glitzy,
more genuinely personal.
4. Consider ads that you have seen on television. Which ones rely heavily on emotional
appeals? Which on logical appeals? Which on character-based appeals? Do the chosen
appeals seem appropriate given the product, service, or cause that is being promoted? (LO1,
LO5)
Emotional: Perfume, make-up, clothing, humanitarian causes
Logical: Investment services (though these more and more rely on emotion), toothpaste, medicine
(though these often use emotion, too), Internet service providers, cell-phone plans
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Character-based: toothpaste (usually features a “dentist”), pet-care products (often feature a

“veterinarian”), any commercial relying heavily on a spokesperson, any commercial in which the
company projects a striking personality (ea. Geico, 7-Up, Gap, Macintosh).
5. Think of a television, radio, print, email, or Internet sales message or persuasive request that
you regard as especially effective. Explain why you think it was well designed. (LO2, LO5)
Evaluate each student’s analysis based on the concepts and advice in this chapter.
6. What appeals would be appropriate for the following products when they are being sold to
consumers? (LO1, LO4)
The answers will vary somewhat, and any answer that can be defended logically is acceptable.
Following are some logical suggestions of specific appeals (rather than the broad categories of
emotional and rational):
a. shaving cream—smoothness of shave, aroma, invigorating effect

b. home repair tools—durability, quality of craftsmanship
c. frozen vegetables—freshness, quality, flavor, price
d. software—performance, work saving, ease of use, price
e. lubricating oil—quality, protection of equipment, price
7. Assume that you’re preparing a sales mailing that won’t use the reader’s name. Would you
still use a salutation (e.g., “Dear Occupant”)? If so, what would you use? If not how would the
message begin? (LO5)
This is a thought question. Although widely criticized, the use of “occupant” in sales letter
addresses is widespread. It is most easily justified when the market consists of all households in an
area and when the readers’ mailing addresses are not known. It is a mass market technique—a
means of thoroughly covering an area. Personal addresses are more effective, but they cost more to
use. They should be used whenever the potential market consists of a part of the total population
and when you have a list of names of people in this market. It is a specialized technique—a means
of selecting a specific market.
8. “Any fundraising or sales message that is longer than a page will just bore the reader.”
Discuss this statement. (LO5)
Most of the sales letters written today are longer than a page. Many are four pages and longer. The
feeling among professional writers appears to be that an interested reader will read the whole
message. Thus the emphasis should be on conviction and completeness rather than length.
9. If you were helping to design an email message to sell solar panels, would you include visual
elements? If so, what kind? If not, why not? (LO5)
This is a tough question. Evaluate each student’s answer based on the concepts and advice in this
chapter. Students should recall the comment from Charles A. Hill, who identifies vividness as a key
element in persuasive messages (see Communication Matters on page 247). If research has shown
that one vivid picture or story can sway a reader more than statistics, how would that shape the
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content choices for the solar panel email message? The writer might wish to use a testimony of a
solar panel user in the email, for instance, alongside a picture of a family standing next to their
solar-heated house. Students could also talk about reasons for limiting the images used in an email
or allowing for readers to see text only messages. Ethical considerations or technology preferences
could be taken into account.
10. Discuss the relationship between the sales message and its accompanying support information
in an example you’ve seen. What was the purpose of each piece? (LO4, LO5)
All the parts should be coordinated to produce a comprehensive sales effort. The sales message
typically highlights the major sales points. The support material repeats these points and includes
supporting details.
See if someone can bring in a sales message with several parts so that the whole class can analyze
the purpose and coordination of the pieces.
11. Examine the call for action in a sales message you’ve received. Do you think it is effective?
Why or why not? (LO2, LO5)
This is a tough question. The strength of the drive for action varies with the sales strategy used. But
the authorities do not agree on how to use strategy. Some feel that mild drives are appropriate for
sophisticated readers and that strong drives are appropriate for the less sophisticated readers. Some
feel that strength of the strategy should vary by product, by price, by economic level of prospects,
and by other factors. At the least, the question should get students thinking about this part of any
sales message.
12. Think of a sample persuasive request or sales message that you regard as ethically
questionable. Discuss the nature of the ethical problems. (LO3)
Evaluate each student’s analysis based on the book and class discussion of this topic.
13. How does the need to be persuasive make a proposal different from a report? (LO6)
The discussion should acknowledge the truth of the statement, for all proposals have a goal of
persuading. The discussion should also note that ethical behavior requires that the persuasion be
sincere and truthful.
14. Discuss the differences between solicited and unsolicited proposals. (LO6)
Solicited proposals are invited via RFPs or notices of available grant money. They can therefore
begin directly, and they should follow the specific contents and format guidelines in the solicitation.
Unsolicited ones need to be more creative. Like sales messages, they need to gain attention up
front and then hold the readers’ interest throughout. The writer thus has more latitude about what
to say, when, and how.
15. For what kind of situations might you select email format for your proposal? Letter format?
A longer, report-like format? (LO6)
Certainly, short internal proposals can use email format. Longer internal proposals for high-ranking
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staff, however, may need to be written up in report format and then either physically delivered or
emailed as an attachment. Letter format would be most appropriate for relatively short proposals to
external audiences. Longer reports to these audiences would be more appropriately put in report
form, with a letter of transmittal at the front.
16. “I don’t need to discuss my readers’ needs in my proposal. They know what their needs are
and don’t want to waste time reading about them.” Discuss. (LO6)
As the chapter says, it can be very effective to describe the readers’ needs in a proposal. First, these
can be worded so that the readers’ understanding of them is shaped in such a way that the solution
you are offering will seem like the best answer to the problem. In other words, you can state the
needs so that they lead logically to what you are offering. But clearly stating the readers’ needs
also shows that you understand them. This gives you credibility.
Skills Building Exercises
1. Assume that, as a volunteer for a nonprofit organization in your town, you have been asked
to write the next fundraising letter for the organization. In what ways might you gather
enough information about the intended readers to write a successful message? (LO1)
Students can offer a variety of answers here. They could interview the organization’s key
employees, study any documents that profile the organization’s supporters (such as annual
reports and grant proposals), study previous fundraising strategies that the organization has used,
talk with some of the organization’s current supporters, talk with and read about people in the
target audience, conduct a focus group or survey, etc.
2. List the tangible and intangible benefits that you might describe when promoting the
following items or services: (LO1)
a. Membership in a health club
b. High-speed Internet service or digital cable service
c. A certain line of clothing
d. Car insurance
a. Membership in a health club:
Tangible: get a good workout for your money, can use the most up-to-date and effective
equipment, will be assisted by knowledgeable staff people who can help you create a personal
training plan, and other benefits related to physical fitness and money.
Intangible: get to work out in a pleasant environment, can save time, will become more
attractive to others, can socialize, can gain prestige by joining an exclusive club, etc.
b. High-speed Internet service or digital cable service:
Tangible: any appeal based on saving time and saving money.

Intangible: prestige gained from having the fastest Internet service or most advanced cable
service, entertainment or educational value, friendliness of customer support staff, etc.
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c. A certain line of clothing:
Tangible: appeals based on clothing quality and durability, practicality, price

Intangible: appeals based on style, fun, etc.
d. Car insurance:
Tangible: saving money, fulfilling legal requirements, coverage for car repairs
Intangible: feeling of security, peace of mind, value for money, civic duty
3. List some extrinsic benefits you might use as an extra push if you were promoting the items
in exercise 2. (LO1)
Extrinsic benefits for health-club membership: free towel or water bottle with club’s logo,
discount coupon for massage or personal training session, etc.
Extrinsic benefits for Internet service or digital cable service: free 90-day trial of a special
Internet service, free channel guide, etc.
Extrinsic benefits for a line of clothing: free tote, coupon with a certain minimum purchase, etc.
Extrinsic benefits for car insurance: free roadside assistance, free apps for insurance quotes,
travel, weather alerts, etc.
4. For each item in exercise 2, list two likely product features and then turn them into reader
benefits. (LO1)
Membership in a health club:
Feature: state-of-the-art equipment

Benefit: effective workout, saving time and increasing fitness
Feature: 7 locations
Benefit: convenient, saving effort and time and increasing the likelihood of your going
High-speed Internet service or digital cable service:
Feature: Internet service is fast and powerful

Benefit: saves time, enables you to enjoy memory-heavy websites, enables quick posting and
receiving of blog entries and other interactivity, etc.
Feature: Offer over 100 channels

Benefit: get to enjoy all your favorite channels
Feature: Free roadside assistance

Benefit: feel safer driving
7-12
Hill Education.
5. Choose one of the items in number 2 and write a paragraph that uses scenario painting to
promote the item. (LO1)
Sample scenario painting for health-club sales message:
Only an hour for lunch? No problem. With our seven convenient locations, you can pop into
the club for a quick work-out, grab a shower, pick up some healthy goodies from our snack bar,
and be back on the job refreshed and alert.
6. Criticize the persuasive request message below. It was written by the membership
chairperson of a chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), a service
organization consisting of retired executives who donate their managerial talents to small
businesses in the area. The recipients of the message are recently retired executives. (LO2)
Dear Ms. Petersen:
As membership chair it is my privilege to invite you to join the Bay City chapter of the Service
Corps of Retired Executives. We need you, and you need us.
We are a volunteer, not-for-profit organization. We are retired business executives who give
free advice and assistance to struggling small businesses. There is a great demand for our
services in the Bay City area, which is why we are conducting this special membership drive. As
I said before, we need you. The work is hard and the hours can be long, but it is satisfying.
Please find enclosed a self-addressed envelope and a membership card. Fill out the card and
return it to me in the envelope. We meet the first Monday of every month (8:30 at the
Chamber of Commerce office). This is the fun part – strictly social. A lot of nice people belong.
I’ll see you there Monday!
Sincerely yours,
The direct approach rarely is effective when persuasion is needed.
Even so, the opening is courteous and has an appeal to the reader’s self-esteem (he or she is
needed).
The “We need you and you need us” strategy has some merit, although some may question
whether it deserves beginning emphasis.
The matter-of-fact presentation of information about the organization is bland. There is little
reader viewpoint in it—little persuasion. It is primarily a description of what the organization is
and does. The membership benefits could be developed much more.
“Please find enclosed…”—old style wording.
The drive for action is somewhat blunt—a command.
The close brings up a social benefit, which has some merit. But it appears abruptly and could be
developed more.
“I’ll see you this Monday!”—may be a bit presumptuous, especially in view of the weak
persuasive effort.
Even so, the close does suggest a benefit from making a positive response.
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Hill Education.
7. Evaluate the following sales message. It was written to people on a mailing list of fishing
enthusiasts. The writer, a professional game fisher, is selling his book by direct mail. (LO5)
Have you ever wondered why the pros catch fish and you can’t?
They have secrets. I am a pro, and I know these secrets. I have written them and published them
in my book, The Bible of Fishing.
This 240-page book sells for only $29.95, including shipping costs, and it is worth ever penny of
the price. It tells where to fish in all kinds of weather and how the seasons affect fishing. It tells
about which lures to use under every condition. I describe how to improve casting and how to
set the hook and reel them in. There is even a chapter on night fishing.
I have personally fished just about every lake and stream in this area for over forty years and I
tell the secrets of each. I have one chapter on how to find fish without expensive fish-finding
equipment. In the book I also explain how to determine how deep to fish and how water
temperature affects where the fish are. I also have a chapter on selecting the contents of your
tackle box.
The book also has an extensive appendix. Included in it is a description of all the game fish in the
area – with color photographs. Also in the appendix is a glossary that covers the most common
lures, rods, reels, and other fishing equipment.
The book lives up to its name. It is a bible for fishing. You must have it! Fill out the enclosed card
and sent it to me in the enclosed stamped and addressed envelope. Include your check for
$29.95 (no cash or credit cards, please). Do it today!
Sincerely yours,
The opening has attention value. It asks a question that is likely to trigger interest among the
readers, and it is a question the product being sold answers.
The tie-in between opening and presentation of product information is smooth.
The order in which the product information is presented is somewhat jumbled and illogical. For
example, price would be covered better after other information has justified it.
The presentation of product information has some good content. But it is matter-of-fact. There is
little use of selling language—just bland product description.
Scant you-viewpoint. Too much “I”, “it tells,” “there is,” and such.
The drive for action is somewhat blunt. “You must have it!” followed by a command and an urge
to act now. This technique may be effective, but it does not appear to follow logically the weak
selling done in preceding paragraphs.
Repetition of price. It is more appropriate at the end than at the beginning.
8. Critique each of the following parts of sales messages. (LO5)
7-14
Hill Education.
Email Subject Line

a. Earn BIG profits NOW!!!
b. Reduce expenses with an experienced consultant’s help.
c. Free trial offer ends this week!
d. Your coupons are about to expire.
e. This week’s travel deals
f. Tell us about your experience with us.
g. Evaluate our service.
h. The best electric razor on the market!
i. Your opinion needed.
j. Your account needs to be updated now.
k. Inquiry
No one “correct” set of criticisms can be made of these sentences, for opinions vary on such
matters. The following comments represent the views of one competent group of critics.
a. screams out message

concisely tells main message
emphasizes reader benefit
urges action now
b. somewhat bland
tells main sales message
too long
c. vague as to nature of product or service

has incentive for taking action now
creates curiosity
d. vague
benefit unclear
e. vague
benefit unclear
f. vague
benefit unclear
requires work on reader's part—why bother?
g. vague
benefit unclear
h. vague—generic adjectives such as "best" don't always work.

what makes it the best?
no reason to believe
benefit unclear
i. vague
benefit unclear
7-15
Hill Education.
j. vague
what needs updated and why bother?
k. vague
no reason to respond
Openings
Product or Service: A Credit Card That Gives Bonus Points toward Multiple Airlines
a. Where would you like to go? How would you like to get there?
asking a question is a good technique to gain attention
questions are a little vague
b. With a Blue Horizons credit card, you’ll get 5,000 sky points just for opening an
account.
confusing as an opening
tells too much before establishing need in reader
c. How does “no annual fee” sound?
not a unique offer
could be off-putting
Product or Service: A Financial Consulting Service

a. Would you hire yourself to manage your portfolio?
Good use of attention-getting question
Original approach
Personal
Could be potentially offensive
b. Are you satisfied with the income your portfolio earned last year?
Thought-provoking question
A little vague
Benefit unclear
c. Dimmitt-Hawes Financial Services has helped its clients make money for over half a
century.
Generic
Not attention-getting
Establishes credibility
Parts of Sales Presentations

Product or Service: A Pest-Control Company
a. If your home gets hit by termites while you’re covered by our plan, you won’t pay a
dime for any future treatments or repairs—guaranteed.
presents a negative idea first, not good
good use of you-viewpoint
benefit clear
"guaranteed" gets attention and emphasizes a positive
b. Our guarantee covers all future treatments and any needed repairs.
benefit clear
could quantify amount to make benefit even clearer, such as "worth $10, 000 in future
treatments" or "saving you up to $30, 000 in future treatments."
7-16
Hill Education.
c. Once you purchase our guarantee, all treatments and repairs will be covered for as long
as your plan is active.
not as appealing as previous claim
leading with the negatives, purchase, instead of the positives, coverage
Product or Service: A Mail-Order Food Company

a. Our pasta assortment makes a great gift for your family, friends, and colleagues.
bland statement—"pasta assortment" is not exciting
would be better to lead with you-viewpoint
no "reason to believe" why it makes a great gift
b. Treat your friends and business associates to a true taste of Italy with this elegant and
affordable gift.
better you-viewpoint
a taste of Italy is too vague to be a real benefit
elegant and affordable are good benefits
c. The aroma will remind you of walking into a neighborhood ristorante in Milano or
Rome.
good sensory detail
brings benefit and product to life
aroma could use an adjective or brief description
Product or Service: Vermont Smoked Ham

a. You won’t find a better-tasting ham than the old-fashioned Corncob Smoked Ham we
make here on our Vermont farm.
good you-viewpoint
a folksy and believable style
makes its point sincerely and convincingly
needs reason to believe in follow-up sentence, why is it "better-tasting"?
b. Our Corncob Smoked Ham is tender and delicious.
bland, generic statement
no reason to believe
no you-viewpoint
c. You’ll love this smoky-delicious Corncob Smoked Ham.
too vague
assumption
no reason to believe the reader will love it
no benefit
Product or Service: A Unique Mattress

a. Control Comfort’s unique air support system lets you control the feel and firmness of
your bed simply by pushing a button.
great benefits, feel and firmness
shows ease of use
good you-viewpoint
b. The button control adjusts the feel and firmness of Control Comfort’s air support
system.
no you-viewpoint
bland statement
c. Just by pushing a button you can get your choice of feel and firmness in Control
Comfort’s air support system.
7-17
Hill Education.
good to show reader interacting with product

good you-viewpoint
needs more follow-up detail, including sensory description
Action Endings
Product or Service: An Alumni Directory
a. To receive your personal copy, just sign and return the enclosed order form along with
your check, money order, or credit card information.
weak drive for action
no association with reader benefit
good use of you-viewpoint
"guaranteed" gets attention and emphasizes a positive
b. To find out what your classmates are doing now, just fill out and return the enclosed
card along with your payment.
emphasizes a benefit with the action
weak action words, more a hint or suggestion than a request
c. Don’t put it off! Now, while it’s on your mind, sign and return the enclosed card.
strong action—perhaps too strong
doesn't mention a benefit to be had from taking the action and taking it now, what will
happen if the reader delays?
Product or Service: A News Magazine

a. To begin receiving your copies of Today’s World, simply fill out and return the enclosed
card.
emphasizes a benefit with the action
weak action language
could be clearer about the benefit of receiving Todays' World, how is it going to
positively impact the reader's life or career?
b. For your convenience, a subscription card is enclosed. It is your ticket to receiving
Today’s World.
"your ticket"—strong action language
"for your convenience"—shows ease of action
c. If you agree that Today’s World is the best of the news magazines, just sign and return
the enclosed card.
strong call to action
may be off-putting
Postscripts
a. You can also monogram items you order before November 1.
you-viewpoint benefit tied to action
a matter-of-fact statement
b. If you order before November 1, you can have your items monogrammed.
lacking you-viewpoint
indirectly addressed to the reader
provides information for action, but not a strong drive
c. All orders placed before November 1 are eligible for monogramming.
you-viewpoint benefit tied to action
stronger construction than "a"
lacks enthusiasm
7-18
Hill Education.
9. Find and study the online RFP for an Entrepreneurial Student-Community Partnership
Stipend Award, sponsored by the Prima Civitas Foundation. What are the criteria (both
explicit and implied) for a successful proposal? When reviewing a set of proposals that all
meet these criteria, what kinds of facts might lead the selection committee to fund certain
projects and not others? (LO6)
Evaluate student responses to the first question by their accuracy and thoroughness in supplying the
list of relevant criteria.
For the second question, all other things being equal, the selection committee will probably favor
proposals that do the best job of meeting each of these criteria. For example, the stronger and more
relevant the skills of the proposed participants, the stronger the proposal. Likewise for the
significance of the community’s need, the strength of the community’s support, the creativity of the
project, the carefulness of the plan, the likelihood of the plan’s working, the efficiency/economy of
the plan, and so forth. A student who had accomplished other entrepreneurial projects would be
wise to include this information as part of his or her proposal as well.
10. Pretend you are writing an unsolicited internal proposal requesting funding for traveling to a
major professional meeting in your area of expertise. What kinds of information will you
need to include? What arguments might your supervisors or management find convincing?
What kinds of objections might you need to overcome? (LO6)
Ideas for writing a persuasive proposal in this case might include the following:
Show that the hosts of/presenters at the meeting are experts in the field.
Show that this is the best resource for what you want to learn.
Show that what you’re likely to learn can be put to ready and profitable use in the company.
Show that there’s no cheaper (i.e. local or online) substitute.
Show that the trip will be a bargain (in terms of knowledge shared with others, likelihood of making lasting
improvements in the company, access to additional materials online, etc.).
Show that you’ve found the most economical means to attend (i.e. driving instead of flying, not using a rental
car).
Show that you have a track record of being frugal with company resources.
Show that you are the best person to go.
The objections that might need to be overcome are implied in the above list.
Solutions to Sample Problem-Solving Cases
Persuasive Requests, Case #1
Persuasion involves convincing – getting someone else to see things the way you do or to take an action you
want them to take. The key to success is to know and understand your readers well so that you can think
about the subject from their point of view—and then to generate appealing details that will be stronger than
the readers’ reasons for not complying.
Accordingly, students need to think first about 1) why school employees might want to bring their kids to
work one day and 2) what might keep these employees from doing so.
Among the possible answer for #1 above:

Sharing a fun day with your kid
Increasing your kid’s knowledge of, and pride in, the work you do
7-19
Hill Education.
Teaching your kid something valuable

Enabling your kid to participate in fun activities for the day
Getting to meet some neat people (ea. the school mascot)
Introducing your kids to university life
Sharing some good food at lunch
Among the possible answers for #2 above:

Too much of a hassle to arrange
Kid will be bored
Kid will be distracting
Kid will be disappointed
Kid will learn more in his/her own school that day
Putting these two lists together, students should be able to generate appealing material to include in the email
message.
Have them work particularly hard on their attention-getting opening. It should call to readers’ minds, in a
fresh and interesting way, one of the main benefits of this event. For example, since readers work for an
educational institution, an opening based on the event’s educational value could work well. On the other hand,
one could take the approach of treating the event as a nice break from work. Have students try writing several
openings and then discuss some of them as a class. Students will probably be surprised at how many different
good openings are possible.
As for the rest of the message, emphasize the importance of appealing details (which the original message
almost completely lacked). Some scenario painting could work well in this message.
Sales, Case #16
This problem can give students excellent practice turning product features into reader benefits.
The first step is to visit swim and tennis club websites and thoroughly study all their features. Here’s a partial
list:
Exclusive access to high-quality facilities
Equipment provided
Year-round access
Free parking
Towels and lockers and changing rooms provided
Group and individual exercise and sports instruction classes available
Social activities and clubs (such as card games, hobbies, etc.)
Members-only access to event rooms
Convenient hours
Ability to reserve facilities for private events
Restricted access and regulations keep club atmosphere clean and courteous
Then have students turn these features into benefits that would appeal to the target audience. They should
come up with those like the following:
Can invest in your health and wellness
Can enjoy the company of peers
Can escape the routine and learn new activities
Can find a time that works for you
Can enjoy the club benefits year-round
Can have easy access to party facilities
Can support a well-run and positive community organization
Can easily entertain children and grandchildren
7-20
Hill Education.
The first paragraph should build on a central selling point, such as the high-quality and private facilities
provided to members: “Looking for an oasis of wellness in your busy week?” or “Want to stay active without
fighting the crowds?”
In the body of the message, students should continue to build on the activities and benefits offered by the club
by using the list created above. By the time the actual drive for the sale comes, readers should be convinced
that the club isn’t just for those with young children.
The class can work together on generating possible “act now” strategies. For example, is a new class about to
be offered at the club, or has a facility or particular equipment just been updated? Or is a special social event
just around the corner?
Of course, the message should end with a reminder of the benefits–and perhaps include a fetching P.S.
Related Research/Exercises:
Have students propose ways to incorporate visuals effectively into this persuasive message. Will the letter
itself contain visuals? Will there be supporting pieces that do? What kinds of visuals should be included to
support different types of persuasive appeals?
Have the class watch the Manager’s Hot Seat videos “Ethics: Let’s Make a Fourth Quarter Deal,”
“Whistleblowing: Code Red or Red Ink?,” and/or “Negotiation: Thawing the Salary Freeze” and then discuss
how one or both parties in these situations might have been more persuasive.
7-21
Hill Education.

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Part II: Chapter-by-Chapter Lecture Notes & Exercises

Text Summary, Lecture Outline

Slides 7-1, 7-2, 7-3

General Advice About Persuasion

Slides 7-4, 7-5, 7-6, 7-7, 7-8

Slides 7-9, 7-10

Slides 7-11, 7-12, 7-13, 7-14

Story beginnings sometimes are used:

“We make Aristocrat hosiery in three shades.” vs.

“You may choose from three lovely shades: . . .”

“Lime-Fizz tastes fresh and exciting.” vs.

The Close (drive for action)

Slides 7-33, 7-34, 7-35, 7-36

Slides 7-37, 7-38

Critical Thinking Questions

2. What does it mean to use the you-viewpoint in persuasive requests? (LO2)

Emotional: Perfume, make-up, clothing, humanitarian causes

Character-based: toothpaste (usually features a “dentist”), pet-care products (often feature a

a. shaving cream—smoothness of shave, aroma, invigorating effect

Skills Building Exercises

a. Membership in a health club:

b. High-speed Internet service or digital cable service:

Tangible: any appeal based on saving time and saving money.

c. A certain line of clothing:

Tangible: appeals based on clothing quality and durability, practicality, price

Membership in a health club:

Feature: state-of-the-art equipment

High-speed Internet service or digital cable service:

Feature: Internet service is fast and powerful

Feature: Offer over 100 channels

Feature: Free roadside assistance

Sample scenario painting for health-club sales message:

Dear Ms. Petersen:

The direct approach rarely is effective when persuasion is needed.

The tie-in between opening and presentation of product information is smooth.

8. Critique each of the following parts of sales messages. (LO5)

Email Subject Line

a. screams out message

c. vague as to nature of product or service

h. vague—generic adjectives such as "best" don't always work.

requires work on reader's part—why bother?

Product or Service: A Financial Consulting Service

Parts of Sales Presentations

Product or Service: A Mail-Order Food Company

Product or Service: Vermont Smoked Ham

Product or Service: A Unique Mattress

good to show reader interacting with product

Product or Service: A News Magazine

Solutions to Sample Problem-Solving Cases

Persuasive Requests, Case #1

Among the possible answer for #1 above:

Teaching your kid something valuable

Among the possible answers for #2 above:

Sales, Case #16

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