Sell, sell, sell!
Here's the scenario. You manage the marketing department at your company. Your company has developed a new product or service. Now, the company wants to market this new product or service. To do so, write a sales letter.
In selecting the product or service for your company, choose a topic that interests you. This could be a topic that you're currently involved with at work. It could be a topic related to your major at college. Perhaps you'll want to write about a hobby (dog training, wood working, gardening, parasailing, etc.). Whatever topic you select, have fun and be creative. NOTE: All subsequent assignments in this class (your flier, letter of inquiry, memo, user manual, and report) will ask you to write about the same topic you have chosen for the sales letter. Therefore, pick a good topic for your sales letter--one that you enjoy, one that you can live with for a few months, one that lends itself to a how-to user manual, and one that is mature and appropriate for a college class. Why write about the same topic over and over? I'm asking you to practice a very common skill in technical writing called "single sourcing." In "single sourcing," tech writers use and reuse content in different communication channels.You're not required to stick with the same topic. If you want to change topics from assignment to assignment, go ahead. But, reusing the same topic (and graphics) could save you time throughout the semester. |
Now that you know the objectives for this assignment, follow this sequence:
Read the sales letter's criteria to learn exactly what your letter will include.
Review the sample sales letter.
Prewrite to gather data, to determine your objectives, and to select an audience.
Write a rough draft.
Use the evaluation checklist to critique your rough draft.
Revise your letter.
Submit the completed letter to me for grade.
Sales Letter Criteria
Writing persuasively in the workplace is an important skill. No matter what the topics, you’ll often have to convince readers. This sales letter will help you practice persuasive writing. To learn more about persuasive communication, read page 296 (Ch. 12)—“The Importance of Argument and Persuasion in Technical Communication.”
Your sales letter will include the following:
1. Essential Letter Components
For information about letters, you’ll need to look at pp. 159-162, Ch. 7, “Routine Correspondence—Memos, Letters, E-mail Messages, Instant Messages, and Text Messages.”
In addition, invent a corporate logo for your company. You can do this using existing clip art, drawing a new image in a graphics package, or downloading an image from the Internet. If you use an existing image, you must alter it for ethical and legal reasons—change the color, add a third eye, etc.
2. Introduction
Arouse your reader's interest (page 308, Ch. 12) by highlighting a reader problem or concern. showing that your company's product or service is the solution to this problem.
To learn options for arousing your audience's interest, read pages 300-302 in Ch. 12. After all, if your reader doesn't need your product or service, you can't sell it. Your sales letter topic must fulfill a reader need.
3. Body
Itemize five reasons that your product is the solution (see pages 303 and Table 12.1 on page 304).
4. Conclusion
Urge Action (see page 304-305).
5. Sales Tone
You can create a sales tone in several key ways:
Imply urgency by using words like "now" or "today."
Show ease of use through words like "easy," "simple," or "fast."
6. Personalization
Use pronouns and contractions.
7. Document Design
Use highlighting techniques.
8. Conciseness
Use short sentences, short words, and short paragraphs.
9. Clarity
Make sure your five body points are specific and answer reporter's questions.
10. Accuracy
Check and double check your grammar.
To get a better idea about what this assignment requires, look at the Sample Sales Letter on page 309 in the textbook and the sample provided online for you in Angel.
튪!hSmokey's BBQ House
11135 Metcalf * Kansas City, KS 66616 * (913)555-1212
June 20, 2013
Jan Hunt
Director of Human Resources
Vanguard Architectural/Engineering Co.
98541 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 66112
Subject: BBQ FOR CORPORATE PARTY
Do you have trouble planning a party for a small group of friends? Planning a party for 2000 people is even harder. Why not let Smokey's BBQ House—the professionals—handle the catering for you?
Some of our menu items include the following:
Slab Ribs—Grade A beef, pork, and even free-range buffalo.
Baked Beans—three varieties of spicy beans, with chunks of real, honey-cured ham for flavor.
Cole Slaw—just the right mix of cabbage, peppers, and carrots. Our flavors will burst in your mouth.
Potato Salad—hunks of red potato mixed with bacon and shallots. We make our potato salad to meet your needs—with or without mayonnaise for those of you counting calories.
100 varieties of international beer—on tap or in the bottle. If we don’t have the beer you want, then any beer is FREE.
Give yourself a break. Call us at 522-3478 today to arrange your catering needs. If you call before July 4, you'll receive a 20% discount on your total bill.
Sincerely,
Paul Nunez
Paul Nunez
Sales Letter Writing Process
Chapter 2 of the textbook discusses the writing process:
Prewiting—gather data, determine your audience, discover your objectives, and overcome the "blank page syndrome"
Writing—write a rough draft of your text
Rewriting—revise your draft
Throughout this course, you'll learn various types of prewriting. Our goal is that you discover a prewriting technique that works for you.
For your sales letter, use "Reporter's Questions" as a prewriting tool. Before you write your first draft, answer the following questions about your letter.
What is the topic of your sales letter (the product or the service)?
Who is your audience (see Chapter 4) for this product or service?
High tech peer?
Low tech peer?
Lay reader?
Multiple readers?
Multinational/multicultural?
Why are you writing this letter—that is, what reader problem or need will your product or service solve?
What exactly are the benefits of your product or service (or what exactly do you offer as proof, justifying your product or service's claims)? List 5!
How will you urge action? How can you conclude your letter to make the reader act?
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Sales Letter Evaluation Checklist
Does the letter contain all Letter Essentials from page 159?
Does the Introduction arouse reader interest by addressing a reader need or problem? explain how the writer's product or service solves that problem?
Does the Body itemize five points proving the introduction's assertion?
Does the Conclusion make the reader act?
Does the letter have a Sales Tone, implying urgency? showing ease of use?
Is the letter Personalized using pronouns or the reader’s name?
Are highlighting techniques used effectively for Document Design? Don’t overuse highlighting. A little bit goes a long way.
Is the letter Concise, using short words? short sentences? short paragraphs?
Is the letter Clear, achieving specificity of detail? answering reporter's questions?
Did you avoid Grammatical Errors?
When you're ready to send your assignment, attach it to an e-mail sent in Angel or to sgerson@jccc.edu.
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