Chapter 08 Persuasive Messages

1. Persuasion in today's businesses focuses on _______.

a. manipulating the facts to bolster sales
b. generating and sending messages using only electronic media
c. influencing others
d. writing direct messages

2. Persuasion is necessary when _______.

a. you anticipate that your audience will agree with your position
b. your audience may have resistance about your idea
c. audience attitudes match the objectives of your plan
d. your message is especially attractive to the audience

3. Which statement reflects how businesspeople today are using persuasion?

a. Because the number of persuasive messages Americans receive per day has declined, businesspeople do not
need to use persuasive skills as much as they did in the past.
b. Businesspeople are using persuasion as a means to manipulate others.
c. Because the number of persuasive messages that Americans receive per day has increased, business people
need to use pushy hard sell techniques to persuade effectively.
d. Businesspeople are using persuasive tactics that are more impersonal today than they were many years ago

4. Effective persuasion has the aim of _______ others.

a. manipulating
b. confusing
c. influencing
d. motivating

5. As a persuasive writer, which of the following should you practice?

a. Showing that you are truthful, experienced, and knowledgeable
b. Offering a bribe or kickback to ensure that you win over your audience
c. Emphasizing only the emotional aspect of your message, since emotions are always more powerful in
persuasion than logic
d. Emphasizing only the logical aspect of your message, since logic is always more powerful as a persuasive tool
than emotions

6. Most persuasive requests should be organized _______.

a. directly
b. chronologically
c. quickly
d. indirectly

7. Which one of the following messages requires the indirect strategy to persuade an audience?
a. Informing employees of an upcoming routine all-staff meeting

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 b. Announcing the hiring of a new sales director
c. Asking an employer for clarification about agreed-upon benefits such as vacation time
d. Requesting favors and action from coworkers

8. When using the indirect strategy in a persuasive message, you should place the reasons and explanations _______.
a. in the closing of the message
b. after the main idea
c. before the main idea
d. in an attachment to the message

9. Sammie is planning a persuasive request. What advice should she follow for the opening of her request?
a. Provide her telephone number.
b. Capture the reader's attention and interest.
c. Cite facts, statistics, expert opinions, examples, and specific details to support her request.
d. Identify herself and her company.

10. In which part of a persuasive request message should you motivate action?
a. The subject line
b. The opening
c. The body
d. The closing

11. In the body of a persuasive request, you can reduce resistance by _______.
a. focusing exclusively on benefits to the writer of the request
b. shifting reader attention through praise and compliments
c. avoiding any potential reasons for resistance
d. anticipating objections and offering counterarguments

12. On behalf of your civic organization, you are inviting a motivational speaker to your semiannual meeting. In your
request you guarantee the speaker an enthusiastic audience and a positive impact on the community, both of which
emphasize _______.
a. praise for the reader
b. indirect benefits to the reader
c. the indirect strategy
d. the direct strategy

13. The closing of a persuasive request should _______.

a. establish your credibility and demonstrate your competence
b. meet governmental regulations
c. describe the problem
d. motivate action

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14. In which part of the writing plan for persuasive requests should you focus on capturing the reader’s attention and
interest?
a. The opening
b. The body
c. The closing
d. The subject line

15. Persuasive claim messages are also called _______.

a. inquiries
b. adjustment messages
c. sales messages
d. complaint messages

16. Persuasive claims are often written when _______.

a. products are damaged, wrong shipments are delivered, or mistakes in billing occur
b. problems are encountered with poor customer service
c. sending an adjustment request alerting the business of a billing error on a routine charge
d. a customer is dissatisfied with the quality of products offered

17. Effective persuasive claim messages _______.

a. vent the writer's anger and frustration
b. present a logical case with clear facts
c. help the reader by showing who is to blame for the problem
d. display strong emotion

18. When developing a claim message, you should_______.

a. close the message by clearly specifying what you want done.
b. describe blow-by-blow the full chronology of the details
c. clearly express how upset you are about the issue
d. describe in detail what you will do if the reader does not comply with your request

19. When writing persuasive claim or complaint messages, you should _______.
a. suggest that the receiver intentionally deceived you or intentionally created the problem
b. use a moderate tone
c. inform the reader that you will contact the Better Business Bureau if your claim is not granted
d. use a strong tone with accusatory language to demonstrate your dissatisfaction

20. Mikhail's claim has been denied once. Now, he is writing a second persuasive claim message to his digital media
services company asking for a promised rebate package. Because he expects resistance, what should he do?
a. Appeal to the receiver's sense of responsibility and pride in the company's good name.
b. Begin by presenting his resolution to the problem.
c. Address the message to a department or "To Whom It May Concern."
d. Show specifically how the receiver or the receiver's company caused the problem.
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21. Graciella is making a persuasive complaint at work. Which of these examples illustrate how to convey a complaint
logically, clearly, and unemotionally?
a. If you can't be bothered with maintaining our equipment in good working order, how can I be confident that
you care about your employees? I can't be bothered filing repeated repair requests either.
b. I have put up with a broken fax in Workroom 223 for three weeks, and I am just fed up with this waste of my
time. Repair the fax or else!
c. Did you realize that Bill has still not fixed the fax in Workroom 223 despite the work request I completed two
weeks ago? Make Bill fix it!!
d. For the past two weeks, fax machine No. 223- 51 has been unavailable to complete essential business for 25 of
our employees due to incomplete service. Please ensure our equipment is repaired by Friday.

22. Messages flowing downward refers to messages that are written_______.

a. from subordinates to supervisors
b. from supervisors to subordinates
c. from coworkers to fellow coworkers
d. from managers to customers

23. Which of the following situations would require a persuasive message travelling upward?
a. The HR department outlining company policy on personal use of e-mail.
b. An employee asking their supervisor to approve a pay increase.
c. Senior management asking employees to accept a pay cut to avoid layoffs or plant closings.
d. A supervisor informing employees about the new process for reporting overtime hours.

24. Which of the following messages to subordinates would require use of the indirect strategy?
a. Instructions for operating a new phone system recently installed in all offices.
b. Announcement of an all-employee meeting.
c. Requests to contribute to the organization's United Way campaign goal.
d. Discussion of new carpooling opportunities.

25. Which of the following provides an ethical description of the use of persuasion in business?
a. Honesty is the best policy.
b. The goal is to manipulate employees into accepting a message.
c. Some puffery and skillful misrepresentation make persuasive messages more effective.
d. The key to persuasion is proving the weakness of the receiver's position.

26. As a manager, Corbin must inform his staff that all employees must now contribute more to their health insurance
premiums. What advice should Corbin follow when delivering his message?
a. Avoid telling the employees the reason for the decision.
b. Use a threatening tone so that employees know that this is a serious matter.
c. Be honest and provide the important reasons for the increase in individual contributions.
d. Tell the employees to "Suck it up" and deal with the increased individual costs.

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27. You want to propose a workplace change to your employer. Which of these approaches uses facts, figures, and
evidence for presenting the proposal?
a. Provide anecdotes from several coworkers attesting that the proposed change will increase their productivity.
b. Stress your own needs and how you will benefit from the change because this is your proposal.
c. Avoid words like suggest and recommend because these words make you look weak.
d. Focus on how much money the proposed change will save the company.

28. Which statement about direct-mail messages describes how companies are currently using direct mail?
a. Direct mail is an effective channel for personalized, tangible, three-dimensional messages that are less
invasive than telephone solicitations.
b. Today’s companies no longer send direct-mail messages to market their products or services; they rely
exclusively on electronic media instead.
c. Today’s companies prefer online marketing over direct mail.
d. The only companies that use direct mail are companies that have only a physical and not an online presence.

29. An effective direct-mail sales letter _______.

a. uses only rational appeals
b. uses only emotional appeals
c. presents information completely, using a personalized tone
d. is designed for a general audience

30. Which of the following is true of sales messages sent through direct mail?
a. They are considered less invasive by most consumers than telephone calls or unsolicited e-mail messages.
b. Sales messages sent through e-mail are more effective than those sent through direct mail.
c. Companies should focus on using sales messages sent through direct mail as their sole marketing strategy.
d. Direct mail is considered just as invasive as spam.

31. Your primary goal in writing a sales or marketing message is to _______.

a. demonstrate creativity and marketing skills
b. create a strong personal and professional image for yourself
c. get your audience to devote a few moments of attention to your message
d. become a perceptive consumer of ideas, products, and services

32. AIDA, the indirect strategy for persuasive messages, seeks to gain the attention, interest, ________, and action of the
audience.
a. direction
b. desire
c. devotion
d. discernment

33. When you use the AIDA persuasive approach, your first task is to gain the reader's attention (A). Which of the
following represents your second step, or "I" tasks, of AIDA?
a. Describe the benefits a product or service offers and make rational or emotional appeals.
b. Include details of your company's reliability and reputation.
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 c. Grow more excited about your product and yourself as a salesperson.
d. Identify a proverb or famous quotation.

34. Learning the techniques of sales writing _______.

a. is only relevant for those who specialize in this type of writing
b. can help you recognize sales strategies directed at you
c. is a waste of time because you will probably never have to write a sales message
d. involves learning techniques that are too difficult for the average person to apply

35. You must write a sales message to prospective customers. What should you do in the opening of your sales message?
a. Offer something valuable, promise a benefit to the reader, or use some other technique to gain your reader's
attention.
b. Convince your reader of the superiority of the product or service being sold.
c. Motivate your reader to take action.
d. Promise an incentive for responding by a specific date.

36. You can effectively build interest in a sales message by _______.

a. including your credentials
b. motivating action in the closing
c. emphasizing central selling points identified in the prewriting analysis
d. suggesting the reader lacks good judgment if he or she doesn't buy today

37. Rational appeals focus on making or saving money, increasing efficiency, and _______.
a. soothing the egos of managers
b. making good use of resources
c. identifying status in the workplace or community
d. enjoying sensory input

38. Emotional appeals _______.

a. focus on making or saving money
b. explain how to increase efficiency or protect resources
c. solve workplace problems
d. focus on status, ego, and sensual feelings

39. Use an emotional appeal when the _______.

a. product is expensive; long-lasting; or important to health, security, and financial success
b. product is inexpensive, short-lived, or nonessential
c. reader is comparing similar products from other companies
d. reader has a college education

40. Which of the following is an emotional appeal?

a. For a limited time you will receive our employee discount on any new General Motors vehicle.

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 b. Surround yourself in the uncompromising safety and luxury of a Lincoln because you've earned it.
c. Purchase a Jeep today, and you will receive a $1,500 college savings bond for tomorrow.
d. Save now and save later. With its low sticker price and great gas mileage, this Focus hybrid is a best buy.

41. Marketing messages use testimonials, money-back guarantees, and free samples or trials as techniques to elicit
audience desire and_______.
a. guarantee customer loyalty
b. earn more money
c. overcome resistance
d. improve brand awareness

42. Which of the following illustrates a testimonial?

a. After completing your training, I received job offers from three employers in one week!
b. We are confident that your skills in applying for jobs and interviewing with employers will improve with this
training.
c. Scientifically proven self-actualization techniques will increase your self-confidence and boost your
interviewing skills.
d. Employers respond positively to well-written application letters and résumés, and they offer jobs to candidates
who are confident and well prepared.

43. Which of the following most effectively reduces resistance and builds desire?
a. If you are worried about booking a tour with us, please know that our European walking tours were rated the
safest and best planned in the industry.
b. Join one of our European walking tours this summer for an unbelievable cultural experience.
c. Going on a walking tour of Europe is fun.
d. Our travel company knows Europe and is eager to show it to you.

44. Byron has ended a sales message with the sentence Book your vacation by May 15 to receive our reduced rate. What
technique is he using to motivate action?
a. Offering a gift
b. Limiting the offer
c. Setting a deadline
d. Guaranteeing satisfaction

45. Effective closings for sales messages should take a multi-faceted approach to motivating action: offer a gift, provide
an incentive, set a deadline, and guarantee satisfaction. Which of the following statements illustrate this multi-faceted
approach to motivating action?
a. Making this training choice for your employees today may be the smartest business decision you'll ever make.
Consider the benefits and I am sure that you will agree.
b. Because we are confident that you will choose us for your training needs, we will visit you on Friday to
finalize your contract.
c. Complete the enclosed interest card and mail it to us at your earliest convenience.
d. If your sales don't increase at least 10 percent after your salespeople complete our "Closing the Deal"
training, you get a full refund. Use our toll-free number to call me by August 1 and begin training on
September 1.
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46. The primary channel that consumers use to interact with brands today is _______.
a. e-mail
b. focus groups
c. mall and shopping center surveys and sample booths
d. direct mail

47. Purposes of e-mail marketing include attracting new customers, keeping existing customers, encouraging future sales,
cross-selling, and _______.
a. seeking new employees
b. lobbying local legislators
c. cutting costs
d. importing products from international businesses

48. In crafting e-mail sales messages, the term above the fold refers to_______.
a. all main points following standard business etiquette and online netiquette.
b. adhering to legal standards.
c. your primary points appearing early in the message.
d. placing the main information of your message within the first screen

49. Which of the following will increase the effectiveness of an online sales message?
a. Sending it only to receivers who have given you permission to send them e-mail marketing messages.
b. Eliminating a subject line to mask the purpose of the message.
c. Avoiding the use of testimonials.
d. Making the message formal and extensive in length.

50. Which of the following is true about short persuasive messages submitted online?
a. All four parts of the AIDA strategy must be incorporated.
b. Social media are primarily suited for overt selling.
c. Twitter should be avoided because the 140-character limit prevents messages from being effective.
d. Tweets and other online posts can be used to project a professional, positive image.

51. Persuasion used in today's business environment focuses on manipulating others.

a. True
b. False

52. You will need to use persuasion if you anticipate resistance.

a. True
b. False

53. In helping us understand how persuasion works, Perloff emphasizes that persuasion is most successful when people
are_______.

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 a. forced to comply
b. given free choice in how to respond
c. strongly pressured using emotional appeals
d. strongly pressured using logical appeals

54. Robert Cialdini’s model illustrating persuasion describes six psychological triggers: reciprocation, commitment, social
proof, liking, authority, and _______.
a. scarcity
b. abundance
c. domination
d. antipathy

55. The process of influencing others is usually a(n) _______ process.

a. almost impossible
b. gradual and slow
c. intermittent
d. easy

56. Pushy hard-sell persuasive techniques are waning because today’s consumers are _______.
a. well-informed, have many choices, and can be fickle
b. more influenced by social media and other communication channels
c. tired of being bombarded by persuasive messages and have learned to ignore them
d. easily manipulated by other types of persuasive techniques

57. Citing others' expert opinions and research to support your position is an effective way to establish your credibility for
a persuasive message.
a. True
b. False

58. When creating a persuasive message, you should expect and overcome resistance.
a. True
b. False

59. Both direct claim messages and persuasive requests should begin with the main idea.
a. True
b. False

60. Persuasive requests are generally more effective when they are organized directly.
a. True
b. False

61. The opening of a persuasive request should gain your reader's attention and interest.

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 a. True
b. False

62. To capture the reader's attention and interest in a persuasive request, you can make an unexpected statement, suggest
reader benefits, offer praise or compliments, or ask a stimulating question.
a. True
b. False

63. The body of a persuasive request should motivate action.

a. True
b. False

64. To reduce resistance in a persuasive request, you should offer_______.

a. bribes
b. threats
c. flattery and compliments
d. counterarguments

65. When requesting a favor or action, you should discuss only the direct benefits to the reader because indirect benefits
are not persuasive.
a. True
b. False

66. In the closing of a persuasive request, your goal is to prove the merit of your request.
a. True
b. False

67. Another name for a complaint message is a claim message.

a. True
b. False

68. Persuasive claim or complaint messages may involve damaged products, mistaken billing, inaccurate shipments,
warranty problems, limited return policies, insurance snafus, or faulty merchandise.
a. True
b. False

69. Your claim message will be most effective if you make a reasonable and valid request, present a logical case with
clear facts, and display some anger and emotion.
a. True
b. False

70. Claim messages should include a blow-by-blow chronology of the details of the problem to adequately inform the
reader of the problem.
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 a. True
b. False

71. Lynette received unsatisfactory service at a recent business dinner. In her persuasive claim message to the restaurant
manager, she should enclose a copy of her restaurant receipt.
a. True
b. False

72. In developing a claim message, you should leave the adjustment (or solution) up to the receiver so that you do not
sound too demanding.
a. True
b. False

73. Claim messages should appeal to the receiver's sense of responsibility and pride in the company's good name.
a. True
b. False

74. Directives moving downward from superiors to subordinates usually follow the indirect strategy.
a. True
b. False

75. A manager's goals in writing a persuasive memo to employees using the indirect strategy are to present a strong but
honest argument and to avoid manipulation or trickery.
a. True
b. False

76. As a manager, Mary must inform her production employees that they will need to work extra hours to meet a
customer's order. Mary's message will be most effective if she uses warm words and a conversational tone.
a. True
b. False

77. Michelle needs to sell her idea to remodel their business waiting room to her boss. Michelle is more likely to succeed
if she can base her argument on saving or earning money.
a. True
b. False

78. Messages to management are more persuasive when they include words such as "you must" or "we should."
a. True
b. False

79. A successful persuasive message is typically longer than a direct message.

a. True
b. False
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80. Traditional direct-mail marketing is more effective than online marketing.
a. True
b. False

81. Your primary goal in writing a sales message is to get someone to devote a few moments of attention to it.
a. True
b. False

82. The most effective sales messages follow the AIDA strategy, which seeks to elicit desire in the closing.
a. True
b. False

83. The opening of a sales message is less important than the body.
a. True
b. False

84. You will receive a free one-year subscription to Netflix when you purchase any Sony flat-panel television is an
example of a rational appeal.
a. True
b. False

85. Learning how to write sales messages can help you as both a professional communicator and a consumer.
a. True
b. False

86. Effective sales messages focus on three to five selling points to keep the reader interested.
a. True
b. False

87. One effective strategy for crafting online sales messages is letting receivers know how they may opt out of receiving
future messages.
a. True
b. False

88. Online sales messages are generally shorter than direct-mail messages.
a. True
b. False

89. The most important points in an e-mail sales message should be placed at the end of the message where they will be
remembered the most.
a. True
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 b. False

90. Tweets are effective in persuading others only if they include all four parts of the AIDA strategy.
a. True
b. False

91. You will save 10 percent off and free shipment on purchases greater than $50 is an example of a(n)_______.
a. emotional appeal
b. rational appeal
c. dual appeal
d. ethical appeal

92. According to Richard Perloff, reactance is_______.

a. a defensive strategy of resistance that people experience when they feel pressured to act in a certain way
b. a normal reaction to any type of persuasive request
c. a plan that you make in developing your persuasive strategy
d. the result of implementing a successful persuasive strategy

93. In which part of a persuasive request should you build interest, explain the purpose of the request logically and
concisely, prove its merit, and reduce resistance?
a. The opening
b. The body
c. The closing
d. Between the body and the closing

94. In which part of a persuasive request should you motivate action?

a. The opening
b. The body
c. The closing
d. In all three parts of the message

95. What type of persuasive messages are used to complain about damaged products, mistaken billing, inaccurate
shipments, warranty problems, limited return policies, insurance snafus, faulty merchandise, and other problems?
a. Sales letters
b. Direct mail messages
c. Persuasive claim messages
d. E-mail sales messages

96. Retargeting is a practice whereby marketers_______.

a. identify consumers who have visited their website and follow up by sending them e-mails advertising their
products
b. identify consumers who have visited their stores and follow up by sending them e-mails advertising their
products
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 c. identify consumers who have e-mailed them and follow up with direct mailpieces
d. identify consumers who have visited their website, match their name to a postal address, and follow up with a
direct mailpiece

97. The following techniques––delay mentioning the price until after you have created a desire for the product, show the
price in small units, demonstrate how the reader saves money, and compare the prices with those of a competitor––are all
examples of_______.
a. reducing resistance and building desire
b. motivating action
c. anticipating objections
d. capturing attention

98. Tweets and online posts can be used to influence others and project a professional, positive online presence. In
persuasive tweets and posts, writers generally try to_______.
a. pitch offers or draw attention to interesting events, sales, and media links
b. repeat the same information that is on the website so that the message is driven home to the audience
c. repeat the same information that is in e-mail sales messages in case customers don’t check their e-mails
d. offer personal information about employees in order to create a personal connection with the company

99. A rational appeal focuses on_______.

a. making or saving money, increasing efficiency, or making good use of resources
b. status, ego, and sensual feelings
c. values, morals, and ethics
d. logic and facts

100. What is a dual appeal?

a. An emotional and ethical appeal
b. A rational and ethical appeal
c. A rational and an emotional appeal
d. A feature and a benefit

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