Q&A Hero

Q: Most persuasive business messages involve requests for action.

Q: If you anticipate objections to your persuasive message, it is best not to bring them up.

Q: If you are trying to persuade a hostile audience to take action, you should meet their hostility with your own belligerence to show that you are as tough as they are.

Q: In developing persuasive messages, you should avoid the use of metaphors, as they will only confuse the reader.

Q: An example of faulty logic is to assume that one event caused another just because the two seem to coincide in time or place.

Q: Induction refers to reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Q: Deductive reasoning moves from specific evidence to a general conclusion.

Q: When writing persuasive messages, one should be careful not to mix emotional and logical appeals.

Q: Most persuasive messages combine logical and emotional appeals.

Q: The AIDA model for persuasive messages works only with audiences who are receptive to your message.

Q: The primary purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to get the audience to keep reading (or listening) to your message.

Q: The AIDA model can be used with both the direct and indirect approaches for persuasive messages.

Q: The interest section of a persuasive message emphasizes the relevance of your product or idea to your audience.

Q: In the attention phase of a persuasive message, your goal is to make the audience want to hear about your idea.

Q: The term AIDA refers to computer software used to compose persuasive products.

Q: When it comes to persuasive messages, an up-front hard-sell approach is usually the most successful.

Q: One of the best ways to gain credibility for your message is to support it with objective evidence.

Q: Using simple language in persuasive messages usually increases your credibility with a skeptical audience.

Q: When preparing persuasive messages for audiences in high-context cultures, you will be most successful if you use an aggressive, hard-sell approach.

Q: Using polite language in business-related persuasive messages weakens your argument and reduces your chance of success.

Q: If you possess little authority in your organization, the direct approach will generally be best for the persuasive messages you send to colleagues.

Q: Most persuasive messages take the direct approach.

Q: Regardless of the audience's specific needs, if your product is good and your message is clear, you will likely persuade them to make a purchase.

Q: Demographic information includes people's psychological characteristics, such as personality, attitudes, and lifestyle.

Q: To devise an effective persuasive message, you need to analyze audience members and then appeal to their desires and interests.

Q: Successful professionals understand that persuasion is the attempt to get your audience to make the choices you want them to makeeven if those choices are not in their best interest.

Q: An ethical persuasive argument A) is a contradiction in terms. B) focuses on how the audience's actions will benefit the sender. C) includes any evidence the sender can come up with, whether or not it's relevant. D) focuses on being both truthful and nondeceptive.

Q: Unlike more traditional promotional messages, those written for social media A) are less interactive. B) enable companies to engage in conversations about their products and services. C) allow for less transparency and openness with customers. D) save money by allowing companies to rely on the news media to distribute important messages.

Q: In a marketing or sales message, product claims are supported A) primarily by testimonials from satisfied customers. B) by testimonials from paid reviewers. C) information from rival products. D) by solid evidence from a credible source.

Q: Which of the following would be the best wording in a marketing or sales message? A) The Never-Off whole-house generator requires professional installation. B) The Never-Off whole-house generator provides either 110 volts for standard use or 220 volts for washers and driers. C) The Never-Off whole-house generator automatically provides the 110 volt power your family needs during electrical outages. D) The Never-Off whole-house generator smashes all your doubts about generators and tosses them in the trash.

Q: The interest phase of a sales message should A) begin with a "hard sell" that makes audiences want to hear more. B) help the audience understand how your idea will benefit them. C) emphasize attractive features and important details. D) avoid any attempts at answering potential objections.

Q: Which of the following would not be an effective technique for gaining audience attention in sales messages? A) Stating your product's strongest benefit B) Emphasizing how badly you need some sales to remain open C) Explaining how your product offers a solution to a problem D) Promising savings

Q: If price is one of your strong selling points, you should A) mention special offers, such as volume discounts, before actually stating the price. B) compare the price to the cost of some other product or activity ("This exercise equipment costs less than a health club membership"). C) break the total price into smaller units ("Just six easy payments of $19.95 each will bring you this lovely collector's item"). D) give it a position of prominence, such as in the headline or as the last item in a paragraph.

Q: In marketing and sales messages, you can deemphasize the price of your product by A) mentioning it in the middle of a paragraph. B) stating it right at the beginning. C) commenting on how wealthy your readers probably are. D) doing all of the above.

Q: In marketing and sales messages, the best way to handle potential objections is to A) avoid mentioning them. B) identify them up front and try to address as many as you can. C) explain why the objections aren't really important. D) suggest that anyone who has them simply needs to do more research.

Q: If the audience for your marketing or sales message promoting a new security system is made up of wealthy professionals, the consumer benefit you would most want to emphasize is A) protection of the consumer's property. B) the low cost of the system. C) the low monthly payments for the service. D) easy, do-it-yourself installation.

Q: A common effective approach to presenting the benefits of a product is to A) describe them with highly complex terms. B) show them in a list or a table. C) list the features, and challenge the audience to figure out the benefits. D) choose one direct benefit and one indirect benefit.

Q: In marketing and sales messages, what is the primary difference between selling points and benefits? A) Selling points are positive whereas benefits are not. B) Selling points focus on the user rather than the product. C) Selling points focus on the product rather than the user. D) None of the above is correct.

Q: When writing a persuasive claim letter, you should A) assume that the other person has no interest in helping you. B) use a confident and positive tone. C) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company. D) say you have already contacted an attorney (even if you really haven't).

Q: When writing a persuasive request for action, you should A) use the hard-sell approach. B) demonstrate that helping you will solve a significant problem. C) ask for more than you actually want so that you'll have a cushion for negotiation. D) avoid flattery.

Q: When preparing a persuasive request for action, it is vital to A) show that you understand and respect the audience's concerns. B) emphasize how you will benefit if the request is fulfilled. C) emphasize the negative consequences of not complying with the request. D) make yourself look good in the reader's eyes.

Q: One way to overcome audience resistance to your message is to A) use the hard-sell approach. B) address all possible concerns that your audience has. C) emphasize the positive. D) do all of the above.

Q: When writing persuasive messages, one way to avoid faulty logic is to A) avoid induction. B) avoid deduction. C) avoid praising your opponent. D) avoid hasty generalizations.

Q: Which of the following uses a deductive approach to persuasion? A) Because the stock market has been falling lately, share prices of our company stock will probably also decline. B) Because the stock price of our company fell, the entire market will probably also decline. C) Our stock price is like a marathon runner, slowly making progress towards our goal. D) None of the above.

Q: An analogy lets you A) reason from one specific piece of evidence to another specific piece of evidence. B) reason from one specific piece of evidence to a general conclusion. C) reason from a generalization to a specific conclusion. D) do all of the above.

Q: An advertisement stating that a new resort offers "freedom and comfort along with $20 savings per month" is using A) an emotional appeal. B) an analogy. C) an inductive appeal. D) both logical and emotional appeals.

Q: Using the AIDA approach with social media A) requires the same steps as the AIDA approach with conventional media. B) does not work at all. C) requires a different, more interactive approach. D) requires a more rigid approach.

Q: The AIDA approach for persuasive messages should be used with A) the direct approach only. B) the indirect approach only. C) either the direct or the indirect approach. D) neither the direct nor the indirect approach.

Q: The key to a successful action phase in the AIDA model is A) getting readers to change their minds. B) increasing the audience's awareness of your product or service. C) making the action you propose simple and easy. D) creating a win-lose situation, with you as the winner.

Q: An effective ending for a persuasive message would be: A) Simply take the enclosed coupon to any of our service centers by June 15 for your free oil and filter change. B) Please respond as soon as possible because this offer is not likely to last very long. C) Wouldn't you like to save some money? D) Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.

Q: When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, the closing should A) urge the audience to take the action you are requesting. B) provide additional evidence and detail not covered in the desire section. C) explain the steps needed to implement your ideas. D) do all of the above.

Q: The purpose of the interest section of a persuasive message is to A) capture attention. B) show that your product is well-suited to your audience. C) increase the audience's desire to take the action recommended in the message. D) get the reader to act immediately.

Q: When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, which of the following would be the best opening to your message? A) How are you today? B) I know you've heard this all before, but ... C) Are you spending way too much on prescription drugs? D) This is an important message.

Q: AIDA stands for A) appeal, indirect, direct, action. B) anticipate inquiry in doing adjustments. C) assume, insist, describe, act. D) attention, interest, desire, action.

Q: When it comes to persuasive messages, the direct approach A) is rarely used. B) is often preferable with a receptive audience. C) is used only by top management. D) does not require inclusion of justifications or explanations.

Q: Most persuasive messages combine A) truth and falsehood. B) current and very old evidence. C) logical and emotional factors. D) many major points all at once.

Q: If a supervisor tells a worker who consistently arrives late, "I know you don't want to have your pay docked," the supervisor is addressing the worker's need for A) safety and security. B) acceptance. C) status and esteem. D) self-actualization.

Q: If you can't be sure which medium will be best to convey your persuasive message to a diverse audience, you should A) choose the one that is most economical. B) select the one that is easiest to use (such as email). C) use two or more media at the same time. D) choose one at random and see how well it works.

Q: Personality, lifestyle, and attitudes are assessed through A) demographic surveys. B) psychographic studies. C) inkblot tests. D) examinations of census data.

Q: Which of the following is not an example of demographic information? A) Age B) Occupation C) Lifestyle D) Income

Q: In general, the best persuasive messages ________ the audience's motivations. A) avoid mentioning B) downplay C) openly address D) dismiss

Q: Briefly explain several guidelines for adapting marketing and sales messages for social media.

Q: Describe several ways you can de-emphasize price in sales messages.

Q: Explain how to balance emotional appeals and logical appeals to persuade an audience.

Q: Describe each of the four phases of the AIDA model for persuasive messages.

Q: Describe at least five strategies for establishing credibility when preparing persuasive messages.

Q: Why is it especially important in marketing and sales messages to avoid implying offers or promises you cannot fulfill?

Q: Briefly explain the difference between conversation marketing and social commerce.

Q: Briefly explain the difference between selling points and benefits, and then give an example of each.

Q: List three categories of common persuasive business messages.

Q: What are three methods of reasoning you can use when making a logical appeal?

Q: Rewrite the following email subject line to make it more interesting without revealing the main idea: "The case for switching to new medical insurance provider."

Q: When your AIDA message uses an indirect approach and is delivered by email, what are two goals to keep in mind as you write the subject line?

Q: What does AIDA stand for?

Q: When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?

Q: In preparing to write persuasive messages, what two types of information are vital to assess the needs of your audience?

Q: In marketing, ________ are enthusiastic fans of your company and its products.

Q: Social ________ refers to any aspect of buying and selling products and services or supporting customers through the use of social media.

Q: The fact that the new hybrid car gets 56 miles per gallon in highway driving is a(n) ________ point for the car.

Q: ________ are the particular advantages that readers will realize from the features of a product or idea.