|
Newsletter for the Week of April 11, 2000
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
Administrators and managers have many opportunities to use persuasive
communication. They can be persuasive when writing sales letters,
promotional materials, labels for product packaging, advertisements, public
relations articles for newspapers and other media, customer service reply
letters, and dictation for correspondence.
They use persuasive communication when giving speeches, when exhorting
employees, when speaking at association meetings, when addressing
the media, when rallying support for a cause, when closing a sale, when
talking
on the telephone, and when preparing radio or TV advertisements.
When using persuasive communication strategies, managers and administrators
take into consideration the following:
1. Channels that fit the message
2. Source factors appropriate to the cause
3. Credibility of worthy testimonials
4. Power in their statements
5. Appeal to action
6. Discussion and analysis of the facts,
not speculation
7. Organization of their material so that
their readers understand
8. Sensory modality (written word or spoken
word)
9. Media
10. Physical contact |
Using Persuasive Communication When Constructing
Sales Letters
The relationship of sales to profits makes the sales letter standout
above all other business letters. Its success is measured by results.
A sales letter either sells or it does not sell.
When sending out a bulk mailing of sales letters, a pull of two
to five percent can be considered good in the average instance. One-half
of one percent to two percent is average. Anything more than that is a
bonus.
In order to construct an effective sales letter, a manager will
want to give special attention to the five steps for planning a sales letter.
Five Steps for Planning A Sales Letter
The five steps for planning a sales letter are:
1. Determine the purpose you want to accomplish.
Write this down on paper.
2. Gather all the facts pertinent to your
sales message. List these on paper.
3. Visualize your reader.
4. Select the facts that would most likely
appeal to your reader, or in the case of a group of readers, what
would appeal to the group as a whole.
5. Arrange the facts in a logical order
that would lead the reader through the four psychological reactions.
|
Psychological Reactions of the Reader
For a sales letter to be effective, it must carefully lead the
reader through these four steps:
| 1. Get the reader's attention.
Win a little favor, nothing more. At this point the reader's
mind is controlled by reason and is on the defensive. Do not try
to motivate or create desire. It will only trigger a defense
mechanism that frightens or irritates the reader. This will most
probably cause the reader to stop reading this letter.
2. Arouse interest in your service or
product. Gently lead the reader from point to point in order
to build desire. Don't try to make the sale yet.
3. Create desire for you product or service.
Help the reader see himself enjoying the benefits, so he wants what you
have to offer.
4. Impel the reader to action.
Ask for action and make it easy for the reader to take action.
Be positive and courteous. Avoid negative words such as "if," "hope,"
and "may." These words betray a lack of confidence and can easily
creep into your sales message. Naturally, these words can be used
in an appropriate context, and in particular when you are avoiding making
any false claims or promises you can't keep, but when motivating your prospects
to use your services or products they are better left out.
|
To help you recall the four steps, think of the words "AID Action."
"A" stands for attention—catch their attention; "I" for interest--arouse
interest; "D" for desire— stimulate desire; and "Action" stands for
itself--motivate to action. Each of the four steps needs balance,
which means you will want to spend sufficient time and attention to each.
Often the weakest part of a sales letter is step four: impelling the reader
to action. To overcome this tendency, let the reader know what he
is expected to do about it. Ask for action. But what about
the type of letter you mail your prospects? Does it matter whether
it is a form letter or a personalized computer print-out? To answer
that, let's briefly consider the form letter.
Form Letters
The average reader cares little whether or not he is the only
one to get your letter. A form letter can eliminate the need of a
perfect fill-in, or the need for the reader's name in each letter.
An attention-pulling caption can be used as an effective substitute.
And what about the content of your letter? Should you emphasize price
or something else?
Overcoming Price Objections
Companies that sell products or services of the highest quality
can overcome the objection "Your price is too high" by convincing the prospect
that he is getting more for his dollar. Buying "quality" shows wisdom.
It enhances the prospect's image in the eyes of others. Buying "cheap"
reveals just the opposite about the buyer. Therefore, emphasize quality
in your sales message, because it is in the best interest of the buyer
to purchase quality.
In review, persuasive communication is an administrator or manager's
ally when writing, giving speeches, and speaking one on one. Effective
written communication in sales letters, adverisements, and public relations
is a powerful tool for increasing sales and promoting an organization's
public image.
_____________________________________________________________
Forrest L. Farmer
Publisher and Consultant
CPI Business Development Corp.
Division of Clean-Pro Industries, Inc.
For comments on this article or suggestions for future newsletter topics,
e-mail us at: newsletter@cpibusiness.com
_______________________________________________________________
websites: cpibusiness.com
and clean-pro-industries.com
Tel: (503) 289-0063
Fax: (503) 289-0055
CPI Products and Services
Sales and Marketing Course
Business Development Program
Janitorial Books
Janitorial Software
Janitorial Consulting
Newsletter Main Page
Home Page
Back to Top of this Page
copyright 2000 Clean-Pro Industries, Inc.
All rights reserved
|