Subject: Persuasive Message

Read your case CAREFULLY. Imagine the situation fully, and think about the attitudes of both the sender and the receiver, as well as about their relationship to one another.

Remember that a case may include irrelevant information and that it may also LACK important information that you need to add. Decide what is important and what is not.

Consider the following aspects of the assignment. (Don't just answer the questions one by one-though that is how we will begin.)

· What does the recipient already know about the situation? What does she or he need to know?

· What PRECISELY is the request?

· What tone is appropriate-not too formal and stiff, not too informal and "buddy-buddy"? How can that tone be achieved? (Colorful verbs, shorter sentences-but do not treat the request as a sales appeal!!

· How can you get the reader's attention without sounding pushy or cheesey?

· What motivates the reader?

· What are the benefits of complying with your request? How will the recipient be better off if he or she answers "yes"?

· How soon is an answer needed? What form should the answer take? (In most cases, you will be initiating contact.)

1. Telecommuting to Ciuni & Panichi: Sapphires and Diamonds

http://cp-advisors.com/.

You are an "second-level" accountant employed by this Beachwood firm. Last year, you moved from an apartment in Beachwood to a beautiful home in Medina, Ohio. Your spouse is employed in Medina. You like your neighbors and have family in the community. Your son does not want to change schools. In short, you want to stay in Medina and do not want to move.

You like your job, too. Although you have been at C & P for only three years, you have been promoted and given generous raises-and the firm pays for you to take classes at CSU. Your colleagues are affable, and the present VP has mentioned that, in the long term, you are a good candidate for his job. You want to stay employed.

The solution seems to be telecommuting, at least telecommuting a couple of days per week. You have a quiet home office and no family are at home during the day. You know that your time can be tracked through your "work computer," and you think that you might even get more done if you were not chatting with co-workers part of every day.

Your bosses, though, do not like the idea of telecommuting at all. They have been asked several times in the past to consider telecommuting, and they have always refused. They have listed concerns about client security and about employee productivity. More than once, they've insisted that "family who live in the same house are closer" and given lack of interaction with other employees as a worry. Your own supervisor, when you talked with her, urged you not to bring up the subject again.

Thinking about the long drive, though, has emboldened you. You decide to write to the Head of the Auditing Department and persuade her to give you a chance to try telecommuting, at least for a few months. You think that if she had a way to measure productivity at the end of that time, she would be convinced to amend the policy.

Check www.telcoa.org and other reputable sources for inspiration. Then write a carefully worded memo-formal and respectful and you-oriented--to Rhonda C. Hall, Partner and Head of Auditing.