978-1337116848 Chapter 8 Solutions Manual

REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS

1 List the writing principles that are important in writing an effective persuasive

message.

2 What are the legal and ethical implications of persuasive messages?

Ethically, the writer should guard against becoming overzealous and painting less-than-accurate

1. Define “central selling feature.” Where should it appear in a persuasive message?

A “central selling feature” is the one idea that is stressed throughout the message. It is to the

2. What are the characteristics of a good attention-getter? List five techniques for getting

receivers’ attention.

A good attention-getter (a) is related to the product/service/idea and its virtues, (b) introduces a

3. What types of words and phrases are effective in persuasive messages?

4. In addition to the general guidelines for sales messages, what specific guidelines apply to

sales-oriented email messages?

Sales-oriented email messages should (1) be sent only when solicited (permission based), (2)

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5. How should price be handled in a sales message?

Effective techniques for presenting the price include the following: (a) introduce price after

6. Describe the characteristics of an effective action ending to a persuasive message.

7. What is meant by an “appeal” in a persuasive message?

8. When does one cross the line between being persuasive and being coercive or

overbearing?

9. How might a persuasive approach need to be modified when dealing with persons of

other cultures?

FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS

1Grading Junk Mail: Collect a selection of marketing materials from a variety of companies

and read over them. One way to do this is collect junk mail for a week. Once you have a

significant amount of marketing content, you should analyze a selection of 6 to 10 items and

determine how well each one uses the inductive approach. Assign each piece a grade as to

how persuasive it is and present your most and least persuasive materials to the class.

10. Channel, Medium, and Persuasive Messages: Think about situations you have experienced

for which writing a persuasive message would have been appropriate. Draft a list of

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situations past or present and select one to use as the basis of this writing activity. Write your

message to the appropriate recipient and specify the channel and medium you would use.

11. Persuasive Messages and the Inductive Approach: Identify a situation in which you need to

create a persuasive message. For example, you might be looking for volunteers for a

particular organization, need to persuade an advisor about a paper topic, or want to

convince a friend to share an apartment. Once you identify their situation, craft a persuasive

speech to deliver to the class.

12. Persuasive Request: Company Logo: It’s Time for a Change: In groups of three to four,

read the following scenario and then complete the related exercise: Company logos are often

the centerpiece of advertising and a crucial tool for developing consumer recognition. Do

you recognize the logos of Nike or McDonald’s? Companies sometimes change their logos to

project a new image or to give the logo a contemporary look.

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

1Communication Success Stories: Conduct an electronic search to locate an article that deals

with the successful use of persuasive communication in a company or organization. Prepare

an abstract of the article that includes the following parts: (1) article citation, (2) name of

organization/company, (3) brief description of communication technique/situation, (4) and

outcome(s) of the successful communication. As an alternative to locating an article, write

about a successful communication situation in the organization/company for which you work.

Submit your abstract to your instructor as an email attachment. Be prepared to give a short

presentation in class.

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13. Promoting a Service Message: Music Video. Read the scenario below, then complete the

activity that follows.

Poor Example:

Problems with response:

Revised Example:

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Improvements:

14. Persuasive Message Promoting a Program: (Q) What Happens Every 15 Minutes? (A)

Fatal Alcohol-Related Car Crash: Read the scenario below, then complete activity that

follows.

Educational efforts about the effects of drinking and driving have positively affected high

school students in the last decade. One popular program, tailored to individual high schools,

The high school in your community offered the EFM program three years ago. More

than 70 people from the community spent a year organizing this program. The EFM Steering

Insurance company helps police teach teens about the dangers of drinking

and driving. (2005, December 27). The Auto Channel.

Develop a script for the first meeting of volunteers explaining the importance of the EFM

program.

The script should follow this general pattern:

(1) As chair of this E15M Steering Committee, thank the volunteers for their willingness to plan

the two-day program.

(2) Relate facts about the program. Every 15 Minutes (EFM) was named for a mid-1990s

statistic that alcohol-related traffic collisions claimed a life every 15 minutes. It’s a two-day

(3) Explain that this program was presented three years ago to high school juniors and seniors. It

was very successful and sent a strong message to our students who talked about it for weeks

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(4) Describe the task of this E15M Steering Committee is to coordinate volunteers and plan the

(5) Remind the E15 Steering Committee that the program is challenging and effective with high

15. Persuasive Claim: Your Dilemma: Identify a situation in which you believe an adjustment

is warranted but you doubt the company will comply without persuasion. Perhaps a retailer

has already refused to make an adjustment, but you believe the manufacturer should be

informed of your dissatisfaction. Write the claim letter to the appropriate recipient.

Student responses will vary, but should follow the guidelines of persuasive messages from the

chapter.

16. Persuasive Request Promoting a Service: “Loaned Executives” Raise Funds: Read the

scenario below, then complete activities a through c, which follow.

United Way started in 1887 as an effort to coordinate fund-raising activities among local

charitable organizations. Today, United Way helps many communities raise funds for local

charitable needs. It coordinates fund-raising activities among local health and human service

organizations. United Way contributions help communities provide resources to those in

need; for example, meals to the homebound, women shelters, drug and alcohol rehabilitation,

after-school programs, and counseling. The funds collected locally by United Way

fund-raising efforts positively impact each community that participates.

Local businesses within communities play a significant role in United Way annual

campaigns to raise funds for distribution to local charities. Many companies encourage

employees to make annual pledges or one-time contributions to the local United Way

campaigns. Some companies even provide volunteers for the “loaned executive” program.

In Goldsboro, North Carolina, 26 loaned executives from local businesses worked to

raise more than $1.3 million by soliciting pledges during a recent United Way fall campaign.

The loaned executive volunteered to lead employee coordinators from four or five businesses

to plan the campaign within each company. These coordinators helped organize employee

meetings and rallies, and arranged payroll deductions for donations.

Assume you are the United Way board president for Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Fifteen loaned executives from last year’s campaign have volunteered to help again for this

year’s campaign. You need 11 more executives.

Activities:

a. Develop a 30-second Public Service Announcement for your community’s

United Way campaign.

b. Develop an advertisement to appear in your local newspaper for this year’s

United Way campaign.

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17. Sales Message Promoting a Product: Achieve Financial Goals with State Farm: Read the

scenario below, then complete the activities that follow.

Many banks and insurance companies market a wide selection of customer services. This now

requires bank officers and insurance agents to be well versed in marketing products other than

traditional bank and insurance products. These employees need current, up-to-date

information on all company products so that they can market them to customers. In fact,

performance evaluation and employee income may be based on the number of products sold

for the bank or insurance company.

State Farm Insurance is one of many insurance companies that offer products and

services other than insurance policies. Insurance agents for State Farm may help customers

plan for retirement, save for college, budget, plan their estate, develop savings strategies, and

learn prevention/safety information. The State Farm mission, as noted on its website, is to

“help people manage risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their

dreams.”

State Farm Insurance offers its customers a free personalized Insurance and Financial

Review to help them plan their financial future. Many customers who receive this

personalized review choose State Farm products and services to help them achieve financial

planning goals. Go to the official State Farm website (www.statefarm.com) for additional

information.

Activities:

a. Design an ad for your local newspaper promoting State Farm Insurance

products and services.

b. Develop a telephone script that responds to a customer’s request for

information on financial planning services.

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18. Persuasive Claim for Replacement Product: No One Wants Another Bum Cell Phone:

Read the scenario below, then complete activities that follow.

Many families purchase a “family plan” from cell phone service providers. This plan is

particularly convenient and cost effective for parents with college students. Long-distance

phone charges are eliminated. Family members can easily stay in touch with each other. You

are a college student, and your family recently purchased the family cell phone plan from

Radio Shack before you left for college. The contract is for a two-year period and includes an

upgrade on phones within 18 months. A penalty of $150 is charged for cancellation of the

contract.

The college student recently took the phone to a Radio Shack retail store for repair

because the volume could not be adjusted high enough to hear conversations. Radio Shack

shipped the phone to the service center, and the service center said that it cannot be repaired.

The model is discontinued and not available for new contracts because “there were problems

with the model.” However, the corporate policy states that the defective phone cannot be

replaced with a new model free of charge; the replacement phone must be the old model. The

customer is infuriated, saying “It’s unacceptable that the company would expect me to put up

with another ‘bum’ phone.”

Activities:

a. Develop a script for a phone conversation with (a) Radio Shack asking for a

phone replacement and/or (b) your parents explaining the problem.

Below are possible elements of student voice scripts:

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19. Sales Message: Practicing Sales Pitches: Form groups of two and select a tangible item

from a collection provided by your instructor or one of your own choice (your PDA, purple

stapler, nifty white-out pen, cool backpack, or favorite t-shirt or accessory, etc.). Then,

complete activities a and b below.

Activities:

a. Designate one member of the team as the buyer and one as the seller. The

seller will present a compelling sales pitch for the item to the buyer focusing on an

appropriate central appeal and convincing evidence. Following the sales pitch, the buyer

will give friendly feedback for making the pitch more convincing. Reverse roles except

the buyer will sell himself/herself as a potential employee of the company that makes the

item. Again, share friendly feedback for improving the presentation and discuss

differences you encountered in selling a product versus promoting yourself. Be prepared

to share your experiences with the class.

Evaluating the sales pitch:

Evaluating buyer feedback:

b. Use the experience gained from the previous activity to deliver a one- to

two-minute sales pitch on a pet project or idea you genuinely support. Choose at least

three points that prove your case.

In one-way sales pitch to the class, observe:

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20. Tackling Your Own Persuasion Challenge: Read the scenario then do the activity that

follows.

In small groups, identify a situation in your work, educational experience, or school and

community organizations that requires persuasion. How are you uniquely qualified for a

scholarship, award, internship, admission into graduate school or honorary organization, or

election to an officer position in a student or community organization? Could a fund-raising

event for a student organization or class project benefit from the development of a sales letter

and flyer? What changes could enhance services or operations on your campus (e.g., increase

number of concerts offered each semester, expand campus shuttle routes to locations off

campus, extend hours of operation for computer labs, etc.)? How could a change in a

procedure improve the quality and efficiency of your work? How could a particular software,

training program, or equipment improve your job effectiveness? Why should you be

promoted or your present job reclassified to a level of higher responsibility?

Group Activity:

As a group, write an out line of the persuasive message to the appropriate person, convincing

him or her to accept your idea or take the action you have recommended. Make a brief

presentation to the class.

CASE ASSIGNMENT

HOW TO GET OFF THE LISTS

Summary

The case addresses the problem of annoying and invasive problems caused to consumers by

solicitation calls and junk mail. Suggestions are provided for minimizing the intrusion through

proactive measures and application of legal protection.

Case

The solicitation phone call interrupts dinner once again. The mailbox and the email inbox are

stuffed with the usual array of junk mail. What can consumers do about these unwelcomed

contacts? Nine out of ten households have received at least one telemarketing call, according to

the American Teleservices Association, an industry trade group. By some estimates, telemarketers

make 18 million calls a day, or 12,500 a minute. Additionally, consumer mailboxes are crowded

with catalogs, sweepstakes offers, and credit card solicitations. The U.S. Postal Service reports

that the average household gets 10 pieces of unsolicited third-class mail each week. All that is

necessary to get on solicitation lists is to get a credit card, open a checking account, or complete a

survey. But there are ways to get off the lists:

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Opt out. The first step in preventing unwanted calls and mail is to “opt out” of sales lists

Maintain privacy. Though you might enjoy ordering from home, remember that companies

Be persistent. Laws do not prevent a company from sending you mail, unless it is

Know the law. Even after removing your name from sales lists, you may still get calls from

Follow through. Keep a log near the phone to document calls. Write down the telemarketer’s

name, company, and time of call. If you haven’t done business with them before,

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Protect yourself. Legally speaking, salespeople are not allowed to lie. Under the Federal

Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, callers must disclose the company’s identity,

the purpose of the call, the product or service offered and any requirements for obtaining it. If

a telemarketer won’t do those things, hang up. To determine whether a telemarketer or mail

offer is fraudulent, contact the NFIC at 800-876-7060 or visit them at http://www.fraud.org.

You can also check with your local consumer protection agency or Better Business Bureau.

Activities

1 Prepare a presentation that describes current legal provisions that address the problem of

unsolicited telephone calls, mailings, and email. Make recommendations for enforcement of

existing laws and/or the passage of further legal requirements.

21. Discuss the challenges faced by telemarketers. Prepare a list of suggestions for phone

solicitors to aid them in completing more successful contacts.

22. Prepare a short paper in which you argue for the right of sellers to offer products and

services via telephone, mail, or email.

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