Chapter 5

Persuasive messages Sales correspondence and job applications

#Questions for reflection

In the course of your work in the business/professional world, you will often need to send

persuasive messages, i.e. messages which attempt to influence or change the attitudes, views

or actions of colleagues, clients and customers.

1. List the different persuasive messages that you need to convey at work (both orally and

in writing).

2 What are the challenges you encounter in conveying persuasive messages?

3. Recall your experience of persuading someone.

# Introduction

There are many occasions where we need to persuade and influence. The following list outlines
some of the persuasive tasks we may encounter in the workplace or our daily life:

• Persuade subordinates to take up a job/task;

• Persuade subordinates that the management’s decisions are correct;

• Persuade a speaker to give a talk to your colleagues/students;

• Persuade colleagues to offer help;

• Persuade your boss to support your initiatives or/and adopt your suggestions (e.g. in a

proposal, business report, sales presentation);

• Persuade customers to buy a product/use your services;

• Persuade the public that your organisation is credible;

• Persuade customers in a reply to complaint that the options provided are the best which

could be offered;

• Persuade peers/friends not to give up;

• Persuade companies to compensate (e.g. in claim letters);

• Persuade teenagers not to take drugs in TV broadcasting

This chapter provides a well-grounded understanding of available persuasive techniques that

can be employed and applied to excel in different aspects of the readers’ life.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to

• understand basic principles to persuade and communicate effectively;

• understand how to influence, engage and empower through strategic communication;

• apply persuasive techniques in producing sales correspondence/job application letters;

• protect yourself against manipulation, and learn important tools to facilitate personal

and professional life

Persuasive strategies: Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion

According to Aristotle (1954), there are three modes of persuasion: ethos (character); pathos
(emotion) and logos (reason and logic). These three modes of persuasion can take the audience
from where they are to where you want them to be: “There is persuasion through character
whenever the speech is spoken in such a way as to make the speaker worthy of credence.

Here are some examples of each:

• Logos
1 The benefits and positives are obvious.

2 Like the rest of the world, we are at something of a crossroads, where traditional

advertising methods no longer provide the impact.

3 By 2010 the US workforce will have an increase of 29% in 45–64 year olds, and

14% of those who are 65 years old plus.

• Pathos

1 Our aim is to serve you, the local people, locally.

2 We feel they will have more understanding of your particular needs.

3 It listens to your ideas, your suggestions and your needs.

• Ethos

1 We have extended our opening hours because that has been one of the suggestions

we have been given.

2 I promise we will take very good care of it.

3 I have been carrying out “missions for growth” over the last two years.

Persuasive strategies: Six weapons of influence

Based on his experience, he concluded that there are six weapons of influence: (1)
reciprocation; (2) commitment and consistency; (3) social proof; (4) liking; (5) authority; and (6)
scarcity.
• Reciprocation: People tend to return a favour

e.g. free estimates

free samples

free information (video; leaflets)

• Commitment and consistency

If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honour

that commitment.

e.g. charity organisations calling first asking you to sign a petition (seemingly harmless)

and then calling back asking you to make donations

e.g. receiving a phone call asking if you will vote in the coming election and you tend

to be consistent in voting afterwards (compared with those who did not receive the

phone call)

• Social proof

People will do things that they see other people are doing.

e.g. “Join over 2000 other satisfied customers and experience the power of . . .”

e.g. “Just look at how the 1000 customers have transformed themselves after using our

skin-care products.”

• Liking

People are easily persuaded by other people that they like.

e.g. Girl Guides/elderly people selling cookies

• Authority

People will tend to obey authority figures.

e.g. Dr Chan/professors from Cambridge University

• Scarcity

Perceived scarcity will generate demand.

e.g. Only 1 left; discount until midnight tonight show

Steps to prepare for persuasion

(1) Anticipation

• Analyse the situation (e.g. the purpose you want to achieve)

• Analyse the audience (e.g. demographic and psychographic information)

(2) Persuasive message itself

• Strategies to be used (e.g. appealing to the audience’s logic or emotion)

• Organisation/structure (i.e. how to present the ideas)

Physiological needs level: Basic requirements for survival

Security needs level: The need for shelter and job security

Social needs level: The need to belong, to be with others and to be accepted by them

Esteem/ego needs level: The need for respect from others.

Self-actualisation needs level: The need to realise potential

Examples:

• “You are looking for a purpose to your commitment. So are we. You want to safeguard
the future. So do we.” (Security needs)

• “It’s a great feeling being of a successful team, isn’t it?” (Social needs)

• “Today I am proud to announce the result of our Best Staff of the Year competition”
(Esteem/ego needs)

Sales correspondenc

Sales promotion letter is an unsolicited letter addressed to a selected group of prospective

customers (individuals or companies) in order to persuade them to buy a product or service.

According to Bhatia (2014), a sales promotion letter should:

• be persuasive, in a sense that its writer aims to elicit a specific response from its

reader(s);

• capture the attention of the potential customer, even if s/he has no immediate need for the
product or service being offered;

• be short and effective, but there should be enough details about the product or service
in the letter for those customers who already have some need for or intention to buy the

product or service;

• offer an appraisal of the product or service in terms of the perceived interests or needs
of the potential customer;

• serve as the first link between a potential seller and a prospective customer.

Bhatia (1993) concluded the following seven moves for writing sales letters.
Move 1: Establishing credentials (more or less obligatory)

Move 2: Introducing the offer

Move 3: Offering incentives

Move 4: Enclosing documents

Move 5: Soliciting response

Move 6: Using pressure tactics

Move 7: Ending politely

Job application letters

The communicative purpose of a job application letter is to obtain an interview for a job by
highlighting relevant information in the curriculum vitae that shows one is qualified for the
position.

Strategies of promoting oneself and language use

The obligatory and optional moves were identified and also the strategies used to

achieve each of the moves.

Move 1: Opening

The job applicant invites the reader to read the letter

Move 2: Referring to the job advertisement

The job applicant refers to the job advertisement in which the position was named and

described

Move 3: Offering candidature

The applicant expresses interest in applying for the opening

Move 4: Stating reasons for applying

The applicant gives reasons for applying for the job

Move 5: Stating availability

Indicating when he/she would be able to take up the position

Move 6: Promoting the candidate

Highlighting what makes himself/herself qualified for the position in terms of qualifications,
work experience, personalities, etc.

Move 7: Stipulating terms and conditions of employment

Indicating expected salary, desired working hours and other relevant contractual matters

Move 8: Naming referees

Naming referees who can provide references to support the application

Move 9: Enclosing documents

Outlining documents enclosed .

Move 10: Polite ending

Closing the letter in a conventional manner .

Move 11: Signing

Signature required claiming ownership of the letter

*In promoting oneself, there are dominant strategies adopted by native speakers of English,
including (1) listing relevant skills and abilities; (2) stating how the skills were obtained; (3)
naming present job; (4) listing qualifications; and (5) predicting success.*
The advantages of chapter 5: Chapter 5 has the advantage that the material is explained with
expert definitions and has clear steps and we are taught how to persuade others with our
good communication. Next in this material we also tell what we can after studying this
material.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5 has the disadvantage that the material is less interesting, and a bit
difficult to understand for the reader.

Kelebihan bab 5 : Pada bab 5 memiliki kelebihan yaitu materi yang dijelaskan dengan definisi para ahli
serta memiliki langkah-langkah yang jelas dan kita di ajarin cara agar bisa membujuk orang lain dengan
komunikasi kita yang baik. Selanjutnya di materi ini kita juga beritahu apa saja yang kita dapat setelah
mempelajari materi ini.

Bab 5: Bab 5 memiliki kekurangan yaitu materi kurang menarik, dan agak sulit dipahami bagi pembaca.