The document provides guidance on crafting persuasive messages and communications. It begins by explaining how persuasion has changed in the digital age, with messages spreading more rapidly and organizations relying more on subtle persuasion. It then outlines techniques for effective persuasion, including establishing credibility, making reasonable requests, addressing potential objections, and focusing on benefits. The document provides a framework for writing persuasive requests, complaints, and sales messages, with guidance on capturing attention, building interest, developing desire, and motivating action. It emphasizes the importance of tone and developing messages logically with evidence to support requests and claims.

1. 8
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Instructor PowerPoint
1

2. Learning Objective
1
Copyright ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 2
Explain digital-age persuasion
and identify time-proven
persuasive techniques.

3. Many managers try
to influence others
instead of issuing
commands.
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 3
Understanding Persuasion
in the Digital Age
• Leaner corporate
hierarchies
• Blurring lines of authority
• Reliance on teams
• Savvy, well-informed
consumers
Persuasive skills are
ever more important:

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Ch. 8 / Slide 4
How Has Persuasion Changed
in the Digital Age?
 The volume and reach of persuasive
messages have exploded.
 Persuasive messages spread
at warp speed.
 Organizations of all types are in
the persuasion business.
 Persuasive techniques are more
subtle and misleading.
 Persuasion is more complex
and impersonal.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 5
Effective Persuasion Techniques
Establish
credibility
Make a
reasonable,
specific request
Tie facts to
benefits
Recognize the
power of loss
Expect and
overcome
resistance
Share solutions
and
compromise

6. Learning Objective
2
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 8 / Slide 6
Craft persuasive messages
that request actions.

7. Opening – Capture attention.
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 7
Writing Plan for
Persuasive Requests
• Ask a thought-provoking
question.
• Describe a problem.
• Make an unexpected
statement.
• Suggest reader benefits.
• Offer praise or compliments.

8. Body – Build interest.
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 8
Writing Plan for
Persuasive Requests
• Anticipate objections, offer
counterarguments.
• Explain purpose of the request.
• Prove its merit.
• Use facts, statistics, expert
opinion, examples, details.
• Focus on direct and indirect
benefits.

9. Closing – Motivate action.
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 9
Writing Plan for
Persuasive Requests
• Ask for a specific
action.
• Make the action
easy to take.
• Show courtesy,
respect, gratitude.

10. Learning Objective
3
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 8 / Slide 10
Write compelling claims
and deliver successful
complaints.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 11
Writing Effective Persuasive
Claims and Complaints
Develop a claim message logically.
Perhaps open with praise or a point
of agreement.
Review what you have done to
resolve the problem.
Explain precisely what happened
or why your claim is valid.
Enclose copies of relevant documents.
Close with a clear action statement.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 12
Writing Effective Persuasive
Claims and Complaints
Develop a claim message logically.
Adopt a moderate tone.
Calmly express your disappointment.
Appeal to receiver’s sense of responsibility.
Avoid rancor.

13. Learning Objective
4
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 8 / Slide 13
Understand interpersonal
persuasion at work, and compose
persuasive messages within
organizations.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 14
Crafting Persuasive Messages
in Digital-Age Organizations
Managers no longer serve as primary
information providers.
Many supervisors view themselves as
collaborators and mentors.
Executives increasingly rely on persuasion
to achieve buy-in from subordinates.
Shift in authority is affecting the strategies
and tone of workplace persuasive messages.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 15
Persuading Employees:
Messages Flowing Downward
Participating in volunteer projects
Joining programs to stop smoking,
lose weight, or start exercising
Persuasive requests may
include the following:

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Ch. 8 / Slide 16
Persuading Employees:
Messages Flowing Downward
Instructions or directives moving
downward from supervisors usually
require little persuasion.
Paying attention to
tone is necessary.BUT:

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Ch. 8 / Slide 17
Persuading the Boss:
Messages Flowing Upward
Focus on evidence such as facts
and figures.
If possible, quantify the benefits
of your idea in dollar terms.
Be confident and appear competent
when pitching your idea.
Be sensitive to tone; use words
such as suggest and recommend,
not you must or we should.
BUT:

18. Learning Objective
5
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 8 / Slide 18
Create effective and ethical direct-mail
and e-mail sales messages employing
the AIDA strategy: gaining attention,
building interest, developing desire,
and motivating action.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 19
Writing Plan for Sales Messages
• Offer something valuable or
promise a benefit.
• Ask a question.
• Provide a quotation, fact, or
product feature.
• Start with a testimonial or
startling statement.
Opening – Gain attention

20. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 20
Writing Plan for Sales Messages
Body – Build interest.
• Describe central selling points.
• Make rational and
emotional appeals.
• Elicit desire; reduce resistance.
• Consider money-back
guarantees, free samples,
performance tests.

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Ch. 8 / Slide 21
Writing Plan for Sales Messages
Closing – Motivate action.
• Offer a gift.
• Promise an incentive.
• Limit the offer;
set a deadline.
• Guarantee satisfaction.

22. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 8 / Slide 22
The AIDA Strategy for Sales Messages
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
Capture attention, create awareness,
make a sales proposition, prompt audience
to read on.
Describe central selling points; focus not
on features of product/service but on
benefits relevant to the reader’s needs.
Reduce resistance, reassure the reader,
elicit the desire for ownership, motivate
action.
Offer an incentive or a gift, limit the
offer, set a deadline, make it easy for
the reader to respond, close the sale.
Opening
Body
Body
Closing
STRATEGY CONTENT SECTION

23. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 23
Anatomy of a Sales Message
Applying AIDA
Attention
Sure, times are tough, but does that mean you
have to give up your vacation altogether?
If taking a cruise this year involves penny
pinching, why not consider a cruise on a line
known more for value than for the latest splashy
features? BahamaBound offers remarkable value
plus fabulous food in four restaurants, live
entertainment, movie screens, a spa, a
swimming pool, and even a dance club.
Asks personalized question.
Interest
Builds interest with rational appeals plus
emotional appeals about the cruise features.

24. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
© Neokryuger / fotolia
Ch. 8 / Slide 24
Anatomy of a Sales Message
Applying AIDA
You don’t have to skimp on amenities with
our two-night cruise embarking from
Miami with base rates as low as $99 a
person. One first-time cruiser said, “It was
a blast! We were treated like royalty,
spoiled almost rotten.”
Includes a testimonial and
highlights one outstanding
feature to generate desire.Desire

25. Action
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
© Neokryuger / fotolia
Ch. 8 / Slide 25
Anatomy of a Sales Message
Applying AIDA
You can enjoy the vacation of a lifetime,
feast on fabulous cuisine, and be pampered
at a spa–all on a budget with
BahamaBound. If you are among the first
25 to respond, your reservation will be
upgraded to an ocean-view stateroom with
a balcony. For more information on
surprisingly affordable cruise vacations,
visit our website at BahamaBound.com.
Motivates action by repeating
key benefits plus offering an
incentive to act quickly.

26. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 26
Writing Successful
E-Mail Sales Messages
Craft a catchy subject line.1
Keep the main information
“above the fold.”
2
Make the message
short, conversational,
and focused.
3

27. Convey urgency.4
Sprinkle testimonials
throughout the copy.
5
Provide a means for
opting out.
6
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
© leremy/Fotolia
Ch. 8 / Slide 27
Writing Successful
E-Mail Sales Messages

28. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Ch. 8 / Slide 28
Writing Short
Persuasive Messages Online
Business communicators use
social media to promote their
businesses, further their causes,
and build their online personas—
not primarily for overt selling.
1
Many of the principles of
persuasion also apply to
micromessages (online posts or
tweets) although only parts of
the AIDA strategy may be used.
2

29. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
© denis_pc/Fotolia
Ch. 8 / Slide 29
Types of Persuasive Posts
and Tweets
Updates of events, experiences,
thoughts, and exploits
Promotional offers such as an
invitation to participate in games
Announcements of interesting
events, publications, and media links

30. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©denphumi/ThinkStock
Ch. 8 / Slide 30