Persuasive Messages

© 2010 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 9 - 2

Persuasive Message
• A request for action when you believe the
receiver may be unaware, disinterested, or
unwilling

• Attempt to change an audience’s attitudes,

beliefs, or actions.
Make them choose to agree with you.
• Not about tricking people.

• You let your audience know they have a choice and helps
them choose to agree with you.
Examples
 © 2010 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 9 - 5

• Persuade even if you have the authority to

compel. Why?
 © 2010 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 9 - 6

Planning your Persuasive Strategy

• Know your receiver.

• Identify the receiver’s motivators—his or her goals, values, and
needs.
• Put yourself in their shoes
• Anticipate their likely objections (V)
Align your persuasion with an individual’s motivation/need
Our needs.
• Basic physiological requirements
• Safety and security
• Affiliation and belonging
• Power and Control
• Achievement
• Adventure and distraction
• Knowledge, exploration, and understanding
• Aesthetic appreciation
• Self-actualization
• Helping others

Adapted from Lesikar et al., 2009

Always about the receiver, not the sender
 © 2010 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 9 - 10

Planning your Persuasive Strategy

• Use the you-viewpoint.

• Choose and develop targeted reader benefits
Describes benefits (iPod Nano)

• iPod nano is the perfect workout partner.

It gives you some much-needed musical
motivation and provides real-time
feedback. Since Nike+ support and a
pedometer are built into iPod nano,
there’s no need to connect a receiver or
use a shoe sensor to track your steps,
distance, pace, time, and calories
burned. …..
Panning your Persuasive Strategy
• Problem-Solution message, if appropriate
• Common-ground persuasion technique
• Fund-raising
• To audiences who may not be receptive of a straightforward proposal
Tangible and intangible rewards
• Do not underestimate the power of intangible benefits,
especially when paired with tangible rewards

• Do not imply in your message that your audience is

motivated only by money although…
Intrinsic and extrinsic benefits
• Prefer intrinsic benefits over extrinsic benefits

• Example: Persuading people to attend company’s awards

dinner
Scenario painting
• Saturday morning dawns bright and crisp – perfect for
casual browsing through the “treasure” shops of the
Quarter – where a world of artists, antiques, and
astonishing sights await you….

Lesikar et al. (2008)

3 kinds of appeals: combination and emphasis
techniques

Logos Pathos Ethos

Appeal

Appeal

Appeal
TV ads
Emotional Appeal?

Rational Appeal?

Character-Based Appeal?
Be sensitive
• Understand and respect cultural differences
• Be sensitive to organizational cultures
• General Motors had a perplexing problem when they
introduced the Chevy Nova in South America. Despite
their best efforts, they weren't selling many cars.
Establish your credibility
• Managers often overestimate their credibility.
Persuasive Messages
Persuasive Requests

Recommendations

Special Claims

Sales Messages

Collection Messages
 © 2010 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 9 - 22

Organizational Plans for Requests

• Simple or Routine • Persuasive or

Requests Complex Requests

• Direct Approach • Indirect Approach

 © 2010 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 9 - 23

Elements of the Indirect Plan

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action
 © 2010 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 9 - 24

Attention
• Capture the receiver’s attention in the opening
sentence.
• Using mechanical devices such as color, a photograph
• Using the receiver’s name in the sentence
• Asking a rhetorical question (How would you like to
spend your next vacation relaxing on the beach in
Hawaii?)
• Using a startling fact or statistic
• Using a quotation

Adapted from Lesikar et al., 2009

Strawberry milkshakes contain more than 50 different chemicals

• The strawberry flavoring is what contains the chemicals

— some of which are even used in perfumes.
Source: http://www.sheknows.com/
Fundraising quote
• People will forget what you said. They will forget what you
did. But they will never forget how you made them feel. 
- Maya Angelou
What won’t work?
• Using gimmicks will not work

• Misleading the receiver will not work

• Being unrealistic will not work (“Would you like to earn an

additional Rs. 50,000 a month without moving your
finger?”)
 © 2010 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 9 - 28

Interest
• Build on the attention gained in the opening.

• Present the benefits to the receiver.

• Motivate the receiver to continue reading.

 © 2010 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 9 - 29

Desire
• Build on the receiver’s attention and interest by
providing proof of benefits.

• Emphasize benefits to the receiver.

• De-emphasize negative points or obstacles

without being unethical.
 © 2010 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 9 - 30

Action
• Motivate the receiver to take immediate action.

• Make the request clearly and positively.

• Ensure that taking the necessary action requires

minimal effort by the receiver.
Make the request clearly and positively
• Avoid words that detract from the request

• Avoid words that bring to mind images and ideas that

might work against you.

• Avoid words that bring to mind reasons for refusing

Goodwill Pharmaceuticals
• Samaira Kapoor has been a valued employee in the Human
Resources Department at Goodwill Pharmaceuticals in Gurgaon
for six years.

• During that time, Samaira has taken on many of the day-to-day

operational responsibilities, including the staffing of a new
research facility in Pune. She has also earned the SPHR
certification (Senior Professional in Human Resources).

• The organization will be expanding its operations significantly due

to the development and government approval of several new
drugs and the anticipated opening of a new research facility in
Hyderabad. Goodwill Pharmaceuticals will be hiring 150 new
employees in the area of sales, marketing, and research and
development.
 Goodwill Pharmaceuticals
• To accomplish the hiring goal that has been set by the
management of Goodwill Pharmaceuticals, Gaurav Sharma,
the vice president of human resources, will ask Samaira to
take on the responsibility of interviewing and hiring people to
fill the new positions that will be generated by the opening of
this new facility and the expansion of the product line.

• This new responsibility would require Samaira to spend the

next six months traveling to college campuses to interview
graduating students as well as interviewing candidates at job
fairs in major metros and a few Tier II cities in India. The
company will reimburse Samaira for all expenses, but these
recruiting trips will require her to be away from home and her
two small children for four weeks at a time.
Adapted from Lesikar et al., 2009
Subject: Additional Responsibilities

Because we recently received government approval of several new drugs and acquired
a research facility in Hyderabad, we need to staff approximately 150 new positions in
the next eight months. You should take this temporary reassignment.

I envision the recruiting process will take approximately six months. During these six
months, you will be traveling to college campuses and interviewing graduating
students. After interviewing and traveling for four weeks, you can take a break before
you start on your next four-week recruiting trip.

You have six years with Goodwill Pharmaceuticals so you know the type of employee
we are looking for and the process we go through to recruit, hire, and process new
employees. This reassignment would not be a promotion, but you would have all your
expenses paid.

I know it will be difficult being away from home for long periods of time and not working
with your colleagues in the human resources department on a daily basis, but I think it
would be an excellent opportunity to grow professionally and personally.

Samaira, please send me a letter of acceptance if you would like to do this job. If you
can’t do it, please let me know as soon as possible so I can contact someone else
about the job.
Subject:

Your work in our human resources departments during the past six years has been outstanding.
Specifically, your recruiting and staffing work at the Pune research facility last year was exceptional.

As I mentioned to you in our discussion last week, Goodwill Pharmaceuticals is rapidly expanding its
operations. We urgently need a human resources professional like you who has extensive
experience in all phases of human resources to recruit, hire and process approximately 150 new
employees.

In your new assignment, you would be involved in recruiting prospective employees from colleges
around the country. The opportunities for promotion to a human resources position at our new facility
will be great once it is operational, even though this temporary reassignment would not mean an
immediate promotion.

This reassignment will involve extensive travel, which will be fully reimbursed by Goodwill
Pharmaceuticals. After every four weeks on the road recruiting, you would have one week off (with
pay) before you start the next recruiting trip. And, arrangements will be made to have a virtual
assistant work with you to process the paperwork generated by these recruiting trips.

Samaira, please accept this recruiting position for our newly expanded operations. Your acceptance
will provide an exciting opportunity for you to participate in the staffing of a new site and the
expansion of our sales, marketing, and research and development teams. Your experience will make
a major contribution to the resources of Goodwill Pharmaceuticals.

Please email your response to me by September 25 at gauravsharma@gdwlp.com

Junior Achievement Program
As the chair of the fund-raising committee of Ghaziabad’s
Junior Achievement Program, you head all efforts to get
financial support for the program from local
businesspeople. Write a persuasive message requesting
businessmen in Ghaziabad to donate to Junior
Achievement, which is an organization for high school
youngsters. They work with local business executives to
form small businesses. The program teaches them the
operations of business and the merits of the free enterprise
system.

Adapted from Lesikar et al., 2009

Direct Request
Dear Mr. Williams:

Will you please donate to the local Junior Achievement program? We

have set Rs. 2500 as a fair minimum for businesspeople to give. But
larger amounts would be appreciated.

The organization badly needs your support. Currently, about 900 young
people will not get to participate in Junior Achievement activities unless
more money is raised.

If you do not already know about Junior Achievement, let me explain.

Junior Achievement is an organization for high school youngsters. They
work with local business executives to form small businesses.In the
process, they learn about our economic system. This is a good thing,
and it deserves our help.
Hoping to receive your generous donation.
Skillful persuasion in an indirect order:
• Dear Mr. Williams:

• Right now – right here in our city – 620 teenagers are running 37
corporations. The kids run the whole show, their only audit help being
advice from some of your business associates who work with them.

• You know the value of such realistic experience to the kids – how it
teaches them the operations of business and how it sells them on the
merits of the free enterprise system. You can see, also, that it’s an
exciting and wholesome program to combat economic illiteracy. After
you have considered these points and others you will find at
www.xyz.com, I know you will see that Junior Achievement is a good
thing.
• To continue to succeed, Junior Achievement needs all of us behind it.
That’s why, as a volunteer myself, I request you to help make the
program available to more youngsters by contributing Rs. 2,500 (it’s
deductible). Please make your donation now by completing our
online contribution form at www.juniorachievement.org. You will be
doing a good service for the youth in our community.

• Sincerely.
• XYZ
 © 2010 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 9 - 40

Recommendations
• Recommendations attempt to persuade the
receiver to take the action proposed by the
sender.

• Indirect plan used.

Examples
• A company officer advising the firm to conduct regular
training on gender sensitivity

• A manager creating a new procedure for customer billing

• A civic leader proposing the sale of a city-owned property

• A colleague sending an unsolicited endorsement of an

individual seeking employment.
 © 2010 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 9 - 42

Organizational Plans for Claims

Claim Approach

• Simple or routine • Direct

• Special or non- • Indirect

routine
 © 2010 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 9 - 43

Special Claims

• Special or non-routine claims are those in which

the fault is disputable.

• Use the indirect plan.

Examples of special claims
• A transportation company has purchased a fleet of 25
trucks, 20 of which had their transmissions replaced in the
first 6 months. The company wants the manufacturer to
absorb the cost of the new transmissions.

• A work of art, which was purchased for $24,000, was

found to be a forgery; the buyer demands reimbursement
from the gallery that sold it.
Situation
• Priya Agarwal, owner of the Big Fat Indian Wedding Co.,
contracted with Class Act Video Productions to produce a
DVD of her client, Brij Tripathy’s wedding. After viewing
the finished product, Priya found the quality to be
substandard.
• The faces of the bride and groom are not clearly visible as
there was too much light on them. After the ceremony,
one could barely hear the messages from well wishers
because of background noise.
• Priya is upset and worried about what Brij Tripathy would
say about all this when he gets to see it. She writes to Mr.
Raj Kishore at Class Act Video Productions about this.
Dear Mr. Kishore:

Your firm has provided me with beautiful and professionally produced videography for
many weddings. On September 17, I contracted with your firm to produce the wedding
video of Brij Tripathy. I paid Rs. 50,000, half of the total amount in advance. At the
wedding reception, I gave your videographer a check of Rs. 50,000, the balance on the
contract.

Upon receiving the video from you, I viewed it to be sure it included all the wedding
rituals. It was all there but the quality of the DVD is not what we have come to expect
from your company. The sound was not crisp and clear; it was difficult to see the faces of
the bride and groom clearly during the wedding ceremony.

I am sure that our goals are the same – to provide the highest quality product to our
customer. Therefore, I am requesting that you edit the DVD to clarify the sound
recordings and adjust the background lighting. Doing this would provide the professional-
quality videography we have come to expect from your firm. If you cannot do this, please
issue a refund of Rs. 50,000 to compensate my clients. Please call or email your decision
by September 22, 2014 so that I can notify my clients of the resolution of this situation.

Sincerely,
Priya Agarwal