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You have something to offer: friendship, partnership, a service, a product, information, even an experience. There are two considerations involved in the process of every selection. 1. The mental process: this consists of evaluating the logic and facts in order to make an informed decision. Assessing and evaluating information available and researching choices and alternatives. 2. The emotional process: when considering something, we ask ourselves various questions. Do we want it, do we trust it, do we need it, do we love it? Just a few of the questions we may ask ourselves.

So with 50 percent of our decision process consisting of the mental process of the facts and logic and the other 50 percent based on emotion, what puts us over the edge in making the decision?

I have to admit, I love Sony. When researching electronic equipment that I considered to purchase, I looked at the various choices out there: the price, options, consumer rating. Along the way I got emotionally involved. Which brand made me feel like it I would enjoy it the most? Which brand did I feel was dependable? Which brand did I feel the company presented itself in establishing a reputation of excellence? Once I made my decision and purchased a Sony I was hooked. I loved it. From then on, and because they showed their brand to be everything I expected, I make Sony my first choice in selecting electronic products. I still look a great deal and sales, but I will pay that little bit more for something that believe in.

So here’s your cheat sheet to Persuasive Writing.

1. Assess your readers’ needs and objectives.
2. Define your own role and objectives relating to those of your readers.
3. Collaborate with your readers to generate persuasive solutions and benefits.
4. Design a message that speaks clearly, effectively, and persuasively to your readers.
5. Maintain a credible position so the reader has reasons for agreeing with you and your ideas.

You can switch “readers” to “customers” or “clients” works too.

In assessing your readers’ needs and objectives, determine who they are. Profile your readers with the following questions:

1. Who are they, their jobs, their profession, responsibilities?
2. What level and type of decisions do they make?
3. Whom do they work for and whom do they supervise?
4. What problems are they trying to solve and what are they working on now?
5. What do they already know about you and what you have to offer?

Define your own role and objectives relating to those of your readers. Your role and objectives involve your ethics and where you stand, your honesty, dedication, and integrity. The easiest way to lose your persuasive credibility is to hesitate on an ethical question. Know what yours are and make sure your actions speak as loud as your words. Ultimately, they are going to believe what they see and forget what you said. Or, in the alternative, they will remember what you said and believe you to be dishonest and a liar.

Collaborate with your readers to generate persuasive solutions and benefits. Continue working with your readers, clients, or customers. Ask questions. Be available. Make them feel special. You never want your readers, clients, or customers to feel neglected.

Design a message that speaks clearly, effectively, and persuasively to your readers. Your message should clearly focus on your reader, client, or customer. You and your interests should be in the background. Use more you’s and less I’s. Here are some principles to follow in focusing on your reader, client, or customer:

1. Be as clear as possible. This involves the visual presentation of the material with the use of formatting and style, as well as writing that defines technical terms and assumptions. Your message should convey as unambiguous and as effectively as possible.
2. Organize your information with your readers, customers, and clients needs. You have organized the information of your logic of the points and arrangement of your points for maximum effectiveness to your readers, client, and customers.
3. Choose effective and forceful examples. Determine your readers’ background. Is your reader limited in their technical background, choose non-technical terms? What generation do they relate to? Use terminology and examples they can understand and identify with.

Maintain a credible position so the reader has reasons for agreeing with you and your ideas. Are you seen as honest? Knowledgeable? Professional? A good listener? How and what you write, as well as the presentation forms an impression of the details you pay attention to. Is your writing free of misspellings and punctuation errors? Is the document presented with formatting that is visually appealing with appropriate bolding, italics, separations, white space? Is the message clear and effective?

In covering what I have written, I will ask myself the following questions to see if I have covered everything I think my reader would want to know:

1. Who. Who am I trying to reach? Who am I writing to? Who is my demographic? Who is my target market?
2. What. What I am talking about? What is the message I want to convey? What do they need or want that I offer? What makes my service better, easier, more fun, more dependable, or whatever you are offering, than someone else?
3. When. When is the service or product available? When can the reader get what I’m offering?
4. Where. Where can they get the service or product? Where is the information?
5. How. How can they use my product or service? How can I help them that distinguishes me from the rest? How can I make a difference? How can they get my service or product?
6. Why? Why should they want to choose me over another? Why would they want my service or product?

Your questions would identify your niche and who you are trying to reach.

Let me know what you think. What processes do you use to put together the message you want to covey? What techniques do you have that makes your communication stronger, clearer, and more persuasive? Do you find that writing is a skill that gets better with practice? Do you find that you are better at providing a strong clear message, but not quite as good at putting the information together so that is visually appealing and attractive? Would love to hear your feedback on what you think about writing.

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