Effective Business Communications – Herta A Murphy (1)

Its value or benefits to the reader or others in whom the reader is interested. (Some writers call this material “psychological description.”) Of the various features and uses that the project, product, or service has, emphasize the central selling point—that point you think is most likely to make the strongest appeal to the prospect.

For instance, will your proposal bring comfort? entertain¬ ment? health? recognition? security? Show the reader how your proposal gives one or more benefits like the following: Appreciation (by others) Pleasure Approval (by others) Popularity Beauty or attractiveness Position of authority Cleanliness Prestige Comfort Pride Convenience Profits Cooperation Protection for family, business, Customer satisfaction self, or others Distinctiveness Provision for the future Efficiency Recognition Enjoyment Reduced work Entertainment Respect Extra earnings Safety and security Fair treatment Satisfaction of helping others Friendships Savings Good reputation Self-preservation Health Solution to a problem Improvement Success Love of home, family, others Thrift habit Money and other valuables Peace of mind Usefulness 3.

Desire and Conviction (prove; chain) So that your readers will desire to do as you request and be convinced they (or others in whom they are interested) will benefit from your proposal, you usually present proof. Give evidence that your statements are true. Include needed facts, figures, testimonials, tests, samples, guarantees, and any other proof your proposal may call for.

Be aware of your legal responsibilities for truth. A descriptive folder permits you to avoid cluttering your letter with many de¬ tails. However, if you have an enclosure, mention it only after stating most of your selling points and then motivate your reader to read further details in the folder.

Link your reference to the enclosure with a sales point. Don’t depend on the enclo¬ sure to do your selling. Emphasize positive aspects, but be honest about stating costs when pertinent; minimize negative aspects, and write from the reader’s point of view. 4. Action (push; hook) Clearly state what the reader should do to comply with your request and thus to gain the benefits. Make action easy-by including a reply form, envelope, phone number, office hours, location, and so forth. Induce the reader to act now or within a certain time, and end on a reader-benefit plug, which may tie in with your open¬ ing statement.

As a conscientious business or professional person you probably participate actively in various committees and organizations. And you have numerous opportunities to write (as well as to answer) favor requests that seek the recipient’s donation of something- time, knowledge, effort, money, or cooperation. The AIDA plan helps you to ask a favor effectively, as described below.

Answer all questions asked. Give something extra, when desirable. Check for the 5 W’s and any other essentials. Omit trite expressions. Avoid unnecessary repetition and wordy statements. Include only relevant facts . . . with courtesy. Organize effectively. Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.” Show reader benefit or interest in reader. Emphasize the positive, pleasant facts. Apply integrity in your messages. Use specific facts and figures. Put action in your verbs. Choose vivid, image-building words. Choose short, familiar, conversational words. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.

Achieve appropriate readability. Include examples, illustrations, and other visual aids when desirable. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative. Omit expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle. Grant and apologize good-naturedly. Answer your mail promptly. Use the correct level of language. Include only accurate facts, words, and figures. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. Choose nonsexist expressions. Apply all other pertinent C qualities. ‘ Third Edition I < €FF€GTIV© CURflUKOTrOra HERTA A. MURPHY Professor Emeritus of Business Administration University of Washington CHARLES E. PECK Late Professor of Business Administration University of Washington McGraw-Hill Book Company New York St. Louis San Francisco Auckland Bogota Hamburg Johannesburg London Madrid Mexico Montreal New Delhi Panama Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Murphy, Herta A.

Effective business communications. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Commercial correspondence. 2. Communication in management. I. Peck, Charles Edwin, date, joint author. II. Title. HF5721.M85 1980 651.7’4 79-22225 ISBN 0-07-044080-8 EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS Copyright © 1980, 1976, 1972 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

234567890 DODO 89876543210 This book was set in Press Roman by Allen Wayne Technical Corp. The editors were John F. Carleo and David Dunham; the designer was Charles A. Carson; the production supervisor was Richard A. Ausburn. New drawings were done by Allen Wayne Technical Corp. R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company was printer and binder.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Estimated Reading Time: 1494.94 minutes
• Total Words: 298,989
• Total Characters: 1,863,799
• Average Words per Page: 384.8
• Average Characters per Page: 2398.71

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