Part 1: Interpersonal Communication; Business Communication and the Workplace
One of the first things I must realize if I want to work harmoniously with everyone is that there is rarely one “right answer.” Perhaps one of my ideas will turn out to be the best one for the team, but it is just as likely that someone can come up with a better one. Maybe my idea, when combined with someone else’s will be the best one.
Therefore, in order to adapt to the style of my coworkers who like to brainstorm solutions aloud and share observations with the group, I need to learn to do the same. It will take some practice. For example, if there is a meeting I know of in advance about the introduction campaign of a new kitty litter product, I could brainstorm about the issues on a notepad and bring it along, adding my input to my coworkers’. During the meeting, I should also use another page on the notepad to write down any opinions or ideas I gain while listening to the others. From this, I can offer my opinions on what I think are the better ideas, what knowledge I have from past experience that could help solve a problem, and offer reasons why I think some of the ideas are less useful than others.
Part 2: Business Communication; Letters, Memos, E-Mail and Other Brief Messages
1. What is the concept of persuasion?
The concept of persuasion is to convince and sell a new concept or idea to another person. Understanding how to write a persuasive letter in a business situation is especially important since as the Act Auto Parts manager, I will not be personally presenting my pitch to the vendors. I need to make sure I understand my audience (vendors), know my concept thoroughly (what the parts are for, customers’ needs, benefits for both my business and theirs), and offer an obvious action for the vendor based on my arguments that they will believe benefits both of us.
2. How would you deal with obstacles when writing a persuasive message asking for discount or bulk-order pricing?
As the manager at my Auto Parts store, I will have the best overall view of how products move from our shelves to customers. Obstacles may be that the vendor does not want to lower a price, or may not be used to filling orders of such large quantity. If they do not want to lower a price, I can give them example of our current sales of the product and examples of how much better the product moved when I offered a sale on it. If I could constantly offer a lower price, then our business will be seen as a go-to place for their product and both of us will make better profits. If they are not used to filling orders of such a large quantity, I could offer a similar example of how overall more product can be sold to the benefit of both of us. I can show both types of vendors examples of how bulk sales and discount prices have benefited other companies we work with.
3. How would you motivate action by the vendor in such a request?
Visual graphics like charts of sales, comparing their products’ sales to others’ and offering a chart with future projected sales at a new price point could persuade the vendor that fulfilling my request is the best idea. A letter needs to be succinct and to the point for maximum impact.
