Business Writing

Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages The coffee shop across the street from your tiny apartment is your haven away from home-great beverages, healthy snacks, an atmosphere that is convivial but not so lively that you can't focus on your homework, and free wireless. It lacks only one thing: some way to print out your homework and other files when you need hardcopies. Your college's libraries and computer labs provide printers, but you live three miles from campus, and it's a long walk or an inconvenient bus ride.

Your task: Write a letter to the owner of the coffee shop, encouraging her to set up a printing service to complement the free wireless access. Propose that the service run at break-even prices, just enough to pay for paper, ink cartridges, and the cost of the printer itself. Th e benefit to the shop would be enticing patrons to spend more time-and therefore more of their coff ee and tea money-in the shop. You might also mention that you had to take the bus to campus in order to print this letter, so you bought your aft ernoon latté somewhere else.