Composition: NEXT ASSIGNMENT: SELLING!!!!

Students,
FOR YOUR NEXT assignment, which you can start working on now, though the first draft will be due the week after next Wednesday (that is, 8 October 2008), we'll develop the letter idea. Only this time you will be a salesperson who writes a brief letter to a potential client (buyer), trying to sell the product.
From the point of view of the Communication Triangle you must:
1. Define your purpose. This is simple enough in this case: to sell the product.
2. Analyze the product (your text). You will use all means available, based on your knowledge of the product, to argue the strength or use of your product. You can invent your product or use a known brand. Definition: What is the product? What does it do? Comparison: How is the product different from a similar product? Testimony (quoted authority; of course you can make it up; I don't want to give you hints here). Division: Divide the product into several benefits. Contradiction: What this product will not do: it will not scratch your skin like other products. Degree ("More or less"): one value is preferred over aother value: "True, this product costs more than similar brands, but it will last much longer than those other brands."
3. You will make up your client. It could be a religious person; housewife; teacher; college student; immigrant, etc. Then you will develop your text (2) based on your specific or intended audience (reader).
Example:
1. To sell.
2. An illustrated Bible.
3. A member of the local Catholic Church.

Molly Chen
10 Union Street
West New York, N.J.

Dear Ms. Chen,

As a member of our local Holy Family Church, we thought you might be interested in our new publication, The Illustrated Bible. The Bible is produced by the well-known New York Catholic Publishing House, and intended for use by Catholics in their homes.
Unlike other Bibles now on the market, this edition makes use of the most advanced scholarship on the key issues of the faith, while using a translation that is aimed for both children and adults.
Now there's no need to consult cumbersome dictionaries trying to find out the meaning of a word. All important words and persons are explained in the margins of the text in clear red ink.
For the younger people, there are plenty of pictures to keep them entertained. There's no need to imagine what Moses or King David may have looked like, since the text is copiously illustrated with pictures of the Bible's most famous heroes and heroines, such as King David and Ruth.
At US$55, this Bible may seem a little more expensive than similar Bibles currently on the market. But it's well worth the extra cost; not only for the pictures, but for the special leather cover in which the book is bound.
This Bible will not only delight and instruct the entire family. Since it's made to last, it will also delight and instruct entire generations. In fact, it's been recommended by the United States Bible Association as the ideal Bible for family use.
So why don't you join thousands of other Catholic families and make The Illustrated Bible a part of your devotional collection.
To order The Illustrated Bible now, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and send payment either by money order or credit card to The Illustrated Bible
The Association of Catholic Booksellers
10 Madison Avenue,
New York, N.Y.

First, I kept my reader in mind. I assume she's Catholic since I got her name from her local parish (church). I immediately "defined" her as a member of that church, linking her with other members; thus putting her in the same class as people who have bought the same book. I referred to the publishers, since they are "well known" (hence, Cause-Effect: we expect good thing from well-known businesses). I also used Definition in defining the use of this Bible (for the home). Next I compare and contrast ("unlike other Bibles"); again I use Definition to further define ("what") this Bible is. I use Cause-Effect in insuring the buyer that there's no need to consult "cumbersome dictionaries." (Note the use of the word "cumbersome," to remind the buyer how difficult it is to use those dictionaries.) I use Division in dividing up the advantages of the book purchase (for children as well as adults). Cause-Effect explains how it will benefit children. I give examples of the illustrations (David, Ruth), then I follow with Comparison (other Bibles) and Degree (it costs more but has more value too). Cause-Effect follows (instruct and delight, and the Bible will last, thus pleasing many generations). Definition follows (join other families; in other words, put yourself in the same class as other families of your faith). Then I conclude with instructions on how to order (What, Where, How, etc.). Vocabulary mattered too. I made sure I referred repeatedly to Bible, rather than show disrespect to the book by referring to it as any "book." I mentioned the word "cumbersome" earlier. I used the phrase, "advanced scholarship" (people like what's "new" and up to date). I avoided big words or big ideas. The average family doesn't want a fancy analysis but a plain sell ("plenty of pictures").