The whole area of sales psychology is beyond our remit here [you might usefully read another book in this series. Selling in a week] However, certain principles can be mentioned here:
One thing that must pervade every aspect of persuasive writing is appropriate language, so do read this. Hang on – simply saying what you want to someone to do is not enough. When I wrote above ‘read this’, you might well have rejected the instruction out of hand – shan’t. But if I say reading it might help you get your next mail shot to bring in a good response, then you are more likely to take interest because that helps you.
This illustrates the first principle. To be persuasive you must offer people reasons to agree or act that reflect their point of view, not just say why you think they should do something. Such an approach demands empathy and must allow people to identify with it and with you. So, some do’s and don’ts:
Make Your Case Understandable
First things first, no will will agree to anything they do not understand. And every time someone thinks : I’m not quite sure what you mean’, they are not just confused by one point, they are adopting a view of some one who is unsure of themselves. Furthermore, making complex issues seem easy always impresses a good, succinct description can get people saying.
‘Seems straightforward so far’, and wanting to read more. Like any communication, a persuasive message needs organizing; You need to go through things in a logical order in a way that, while factual and clear, also projects something of yourself.
If you want to sound friendly, efficient and professional-whatever – make such characteristics show. People agree most readily with those who seem to show that they are so believed, who have the necessary knowledge, expertise or whatever.
Be truly descriptive
I regularly see examples of business writing that are almost wholly without adjectives. Yet surely one of the first purposes of language is to be descriptive. Most writing needs to paint a picture, to some degree at least . Contrast two phrases: smooth as silk and sort of shiny.
The first [used, now I think of it, as a slogan by Thai Airways] conjures up a clear and precise picture, or certainly does for anyone who has seen and touched silk. The second might mean almost anything; dead wet fish are sort of shiny, but they are hardly to be compared with the touch of silk.
Further, and even more descriptive phrase may be required. I once heard someone on the radio describe something as slippery as a freshly buttered ice-rink. Could anyone think this means anything other than really, really slippery?
Description, good description, can make things [even complicated things] effortlessly clear; and when it does, it is appreciated. And if it is both descriptive and makes something easier to understand than readers expect, they are doubly appreciative. Clear description may need working at, but the effort is worth while. Furthermore, while outright description is important, sometimes we want more than that. We want an element of something being descriptive and also memorable.
It seems to me that this is achieved in two ways: first by something that is descriptive and unusual, secondly, when it is descriptive and unexpected. For instance, I once saw a mailshot from a charity raising funds for partially sighted people. One of the enclosures was a cloudy sheet of Perspex, with the instruction to ‘look through this and you will see exactly how these people must view the world’. Definitely memorable and unequivocal description too.
Avoid an introspective tone.
If every thought begins with the word ‘I’ [‘I will….,’I can….’,’I offer…’ and worst of all ‘ I want….'[ditto’ we’ll, it creates a catalogue feeling, listing things from your point of view; it becomes tedious and is unlikely to prompt interest.
This is a common fault – look at any material you receive to find examples of this. Try rephrasing any such sentiment starting with the word ‘You….’ it will sound very different. Thus: ‘I would like to give you…’becomes something that begins ‘You will find something interesting or valuable, better still.
Reference: Direct marketing In a Week: Patrick Forsyth