Sales messages use persuasion to promote specific products or services. Although you may not have to write sales letters in your career, you can use the techniques of effective sales letters to help you promote your ideas, your organization, and even yourself. Professionals follow the AIDA pattern (attention, interest, desire, and action) for persuasion, which works well for written messages. Messages following the AIDA pattern open with an attention-getter. Read the following attention-getter, and answer the following question. Register at MyBirdWatch.com now and receive a limited lifetime supply of suet for your backyard friends! Which hook does this attention-getter use?

Testimonial Open-ended suggestive question Offer Fill in the blank with the most appropriate answer. The interest section of your sales message should . What techniques overcome resistance and improve the credibility of a product? Check all that apply.

Listing names of satisfied users Using a celebrity name without authorization Sending unwanted merchandise Including performance tests, polls, or awards What should the closing of your sales message include? Check all that apply.

A puffery claim A punch line A misleading statement A postscript If you carefully follow the AIDA pattern, your persuasive message will be more effective. Read the following persuasive sales message, and answer the following questions. June 10, 2012 Ms. Hannah King 1383 16th Avenue New York, NY 76567 Dear Ms. King: [1] When you are thinking about eco-friendly products, dont be bamboozled by bamboo! Bamboo grows up to three or four feet a day and offers an affordable, beautiful, eco-friendly source for furniture. [2] We are the Panda Furniture Company. For the last ten years, we have created beautiful bamboo furniture products for homes and gardens in the Philadelphia area. Our ten-year tradition of excellencesupported by two Go Green Awards and three Certificates of Excellence from World Sustainhas made Panda an industry leader. Anderson Research Inc. found that Panda has the best quality bamboo furniture and uses the most eco-friendly production process. [3] Due to popular demand for our eco-friendly products, we are opening a showroom in New York where customers just like you will be able to visit and experience our comfortable and beautifully designed products. Mayor Darby notes that his Panda couch is easily the most responsible and elegant investment hes made this year. So, be our guest at the sneak preview of our New York Panda store. We will have exclusive products from our new lines for sale. [4] On June 15th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. our store is yours for an exclusive sneak preview. The first 25 guests will receive a complimentary Panda Eco-Friend end table. Refreshments will be provided by BluePointe Bakery. So, take the Parkway to Exit 12 and join us for this momentous occasion! Together, we look forward to a sustainable future. Sincerely yours, Bonnie Weisz What is effective about the opening (paragraph 1) of the previous message? Check all that apply.

Uses an interesting fact Uses a direct pattern Sounds preachy or parental Gains attention In paragraph 2, which statement establishes credibility?

We are the Panda Furniture Company. For the last ten years, we have created beautiful bamboo furniture products for homes and gardens in the Philadelphia area. Anderson Research, Inc., found that Panda has the best quality bamboo furniture and uses the most eco-friendly production process. E-mail and Internet marketing campaigns allow you to make the most of limited advertising dollars while reaching a great number of potential customers. Like traditional direct mail, persuasive messages online can help you attract new customers, keep existing ones, and promote future sales. The persuasive techniques used for print messages also work with electronic messages; there are, however, a few key differences. Identify the guidelines for creating effective e-mail sales messages. Check all that apply.

Make the message short, conversational, and focused. Do not include color graphics. Keep the main information above the fold. Provide a means of opting out. Craft a catchy subject line. Fill in the blank with the most appropriate answer. Online forums like blogs and Twitter can be powerful marketing tools used to generate . Identify an element of a successful persuasive tweet.

Target tweets at notable public figures in the hopes that they will retweet. To fit in all the AIDA elements, break a longer message into a multi-part tweet. Include a call to action to click a link, sign a petition, or follow a related company outlet