healthy snack
3. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
[LO-3] Th e coff ee shop across the street from your tiny
apartment is your haven away from home—great beverages,
healthy snacks, an atmosphere that is convivial but not so
lively that you can’t focus on your homework, and free wireless. It lacks only one thing: some way to print out your homework and other files when you need hardcopies. Your college’s
libraries and computer labs provide printers, but you live three
miles from campus, and it’s a long walk or an inconvenient
bus ride.
Your task: Write a letter to the owner of the coff ee shop, encouraging her to set up a printing service to complement the free
wireless access. Propose that the service run at break-even prices,
just enough to pay for paper, ink cartridges, and the cost of the
printer itself. Th e benefit to the shop would be enticing patrons
to spend more time—and therefore more of their coff ee and tea
money—in the shop. You might also mention that you had to
take the bus to campus in order to print this letter, so you bought
your aft ernoon latté somewhere else.
template below:
Your name
Your address
Your City, State
Date
Recipient’s name
Recipient’s address
Recipient’s City, State
Salutation: Dear, To, Etc,
First paragraph should engage your audience and get their attention so that they want to read the rest of the letter. You should attempt to create a positive connection with your audience by establishing common ground.
Next, you should build interest in your message. Provide more details related to your opening statements or claims. You can provide any background and reasons for your claim. Create desire for your idea/claim by discussing the benefits for the audience. Try to anticipate any questions or concerns your audience may have, and answer them here. Finally, state the action you want your audience to take, and provide any information that would help your audience to implement your idea/claim.
Last paragraph is your closing thoughts. This should include a reiteration of the action and main benefits to the audience. You should provide contact information for any follow-ups.
Closing: Sincerely,
Your name handwritten
Your name typed
