Persuasive Memo: Customer Service Seminar

The context:

You are the manager of Sports Solutions, a major sporting store in Phoenix. Since excellent customer service skills are essential to the profitability of your store, you are seeking funding from headquarters for a two-day customer service seminar for two of your assistant managers. The seminar you are envisioning is entitled "Customer Service Excellence: How to Win and Keep Customers" and is offered by the American Management Association. It takes place in Chicago, IL from May 8-9, 2017.

For more information, see

http://www.amanet.org/training/seminars/Customer-Service-Excellence-How-to-Win-and-Keep-Customers.aspx.

The assignment: Write a memo addressed to the Director of the Development and Training Department of Sports Solutions asking for funding for the seminar.

Your memo has the following components:

1. An opening paragraph starting with a buffer that attracts your reader's attention and leads into the purpose of your memo, i.e. your request for funding a customer service seminar for two of your assistant managers.

2. A section that creates interest in supporting your request by providing information about
a) the curriculum of the customer service seminar. Refer to the website indicated above. Do not forget to also include the citation in correct APA format in your list of References.
b) the cost of the seminar as well as related travel and hotel costs.

3. A section that stimulates the director's desire to fund the seminar. Present at least two reasons why your two assistant managers should attend the seminar. Include research on the importance of excellent customer service skills (Be tactful and avoid negative language). Use APA format for source documentation. At least two sources are required.

4. A conclusion persuasively restating your request, thus stimulating the desired action on the part of the Director of the Development and Training Department.

You want to pay special attention to creating a "you attitude" so that your reader will be motivated to provide funding for the seminar. It is also of vital importance to create a visually appealing document that allows the reader to easily skim the document for essential information. Do not hesitate to experiment with different fonts, type sizes, columns, bulleted lists, etc.

Please follow the hints for formatting effective memos that we discussed in class. See the syllabus for the in-class workshop (bring hard copy of your draft, with a number, not your name) and the due date of the final assignment.