Explain your position with examples. How to argue and prove the correctness of your opinion to any person? Basic argumentation methods

Argumentation is the bringing of evidence, explanations, examples to justify any thought in front of listeners (readers) or an interlocutor.

Arguments are evidence given in support of the thesis: facts, examples, statements, explanations - in a word, everything that can confirm the thesis.

There are different kinds of arguments (logical, psychological, illustrative).

Logical arguments are arguments that appeal to human reason, to reason. These include:

Scientific axioms;

Provisions of laws and official documents;

Laws of nature, conclusions confirmed experimentally;

eyewitness testimony;

Statistical data;

Examples from life or fiction.

Psychological Arguments - these are arguments that evoke certain feelings, emotions in the addressee and form a certain attitude towards the described person, object, phenomenon. These include:

The emotional conviction of the writer;

Examples that cause an emotional response of the addressee;

An indication of the positive or negative consequences of accepting the author's thesis;

An appeal to universal moral values ​​(compassion, conscience, honor, duty, etc.).

illustrative arguments. An important element of the argument are illustrations, i.e. examples that support the argument.

Argument 1 Illustrations for argument 1 Argument 2 Illustrations for the argument 2

A person's speech is an indicator of his intellectual and moral development. Indeed, sometimes speech “tells” more about a person than a face, clothes, and much more. For example, among my close friends there are none whose speech would be interspersed with rude words. I am convinced that every such word carries a "negative charge". And who would like to hear from a loved one something that offends the ear? Let us recall at least Porfiry Golovlev - the hero of the novel by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin "Lord Golovlev". Judas (such is his nickname!) does not speak foul language at all, on the contrary, at every step he pours out “affectionate”, diminutive words (cabbage, lampadka, oil, mother). However, throughout his speech, the hypocritical soul of a person is manifested, for whom there is nothing more precious than money and property. Thus, nothing characterizes a person better than his speech.

With rebuttal arguments two options are possible:

1) you select two arguments that refute the truth of the author’s position, and in the conclusion you formulate a counterthesis (a thought opposite to the author’s);

2) formulating his own position on the problem, the writer puts forward a counterthesis and proves its truth with two arguments.

In this part of the work, you must strictly follow the rules for constructing a reasoning text.

The purpose of argumentation is to convince, strengthen or change an opinion. For this, a logically coherent system of proofs is used.

A typical (complete) reasoning is built according to a scheme in which three parts are distinguished:

Thesis (position to be proved);

Argumentation (evidence, arguments);

Conclusion (general total).

However, it should be remembered that you are required not only to formulate the position of the author, but to show his opinion on the problem you have highlighted and commented on.

The thesis is the main idea of ​​the author of the text, which must be substantiated, proved or refuted. Arguments are evidence given in support of the thesis: facts, examples, statements, explanations - in a word, everything that can confirm the thesis. From the thesis to the arguments, you can ask the question "Why?", And the arguments answer: "Because ...". Distinguish between arguments "for" (one's own thesis) and arguments "against" someone else's thesis. Thus, if you agree with the position of the author, then his and your thesis are the same. Please note that you should try not to repeat the author's arguments used in the text, but bring your own.

A typical mistake of all essay writers is that if you support the position of the author, then there is no point in analyzing his arguments. Such work is not provided for by the condition of the task, which means that you do not need to spend precious time on it. Arguments "for" should be:

Accessible, simple, understandable;

Reflecting objective reality, corresponding to common sense.

Criterion 4 reads: The examinee expressed his opinion on the problem formulated by him, posed by the author of the text (agreeing or disagreeing with the position of the author), argued it (led at least 2 arguments, one of which is taken from fiction, journalistic or scientific literature)

Citing arguments from the lives of others, you can write:

I remember once my mother (father, grandmother, friend, acquaintance, etc.) told how ...

It seems to me that this case convinces us that (remember what author's position you indicated, show that this example is its proof).

If you cite your own conclusions and observations as an argument. You can use these phrases:

Of course, my life experience is still very small, but nevertheless, something similar happened in my life:

OR: Despite my rather modest life experience, I remember a similar situation when I (my friend, classmate, acquaintance) ...

Traditional historical experience allows you to refer to the authoritative opinion of some prominent person, which will make your argument quite strong.

Links to authority. It is often beneficial for a persuader to turn to a "third party" - to refer to the opinion of an authoritative public figure, scientist, specialist in any field, to mention a proverb, saying, appealing to folk wisdom. The strength of such arguments lies in the fact that by using them we are accessing a collective stock of knowledge that is always greater than that of individuals.

A "Third Party" may be a specific or generic person, or a group of persons. The name of a person is usually accompanied by additional characteristics: famous Russian writer, outstanding scientist, philosopher etc. For example: The eminent civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. taught that...; The brilliant Russian scientist D. I. Mendeleev once said that ...; Even Peter 1 said that ...; Any historian will tell you that...; Most doctors believe that ...; As established by Japanese scientists...etc.

Now for the reader experience.

Appeal to the reader's experience is the strongest argument of the essay. But you need to refer to it if you remember well both the author of the book and the work itself in order to avoid factual errors.

For example: What does it mean to be a highly moral person? It seems to me that a moral person is one who strives to become better, not to hurt other people. There are a lot of examples of the desire to “be quite good” in Russian classical literature. Recall the heroes of the novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova... All of them strove to become better, kinder, cleaner...

When will you apply to Russian classical literature, remember this rule: do not allow expressions like Alexander Pushkin, or, say, say, about

M. I. Tsvetaeva, you can’t call her Marina; speaking of the heroes of a literary work, name them as the author does (Evgeny Bazarov, but not Zhenya, Tatyana Larina, but not Tanya, Katerina (from Thunderstorm), but not Ekaterina. Correctness and accuracy must be observed, otherwise you will lose scores according to criteria K 11, K 12.

When working with the part of the essay in which you will give the argument for your opinion, you can use the following scheme:

Indeed, every ___________________________________________________________

Since, firstly, _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Secondly, ___________________________________________________________________.

And finally, ___________________________________________________________________.

In this way, ________________________________________________________________

Use introductory words and sentences in your essay that reflect your point of view: n and my opinion, I am convinced, it seems to me, in my opinion, undoubtedly, no doubt; perhaps I am mistaken, but I will allow myself to express my own vision of the problem, etc.

You can also use the following expressions:

NNopened for me a new look at the problem ..., helped me to take a fresh look at ....

As if he repeated my thoughts about ..., expressed feelings close to me about ..., etc.

Having finished that part of the essay in which you gave your own argument, expressing agreement or disagreement with the position of the author, DO NOT FORGET TO MAKE A CONCLUSION, WRITE A CONCLUSION TO THE ESSAY.

Various composition options are possible. However, it is best to build the work in accordance with the criteria by which it will be checked:

1. Introduction.

2. Formulation of the problem.

5. Your opinion (agreement/disagreement with the position of the author).

6. First argument.

7. Second argument.

All parts of the work should be interconnected, flow smoothly one into another. To do this, it is necessary to determine the course of the development of thought, to think over the logical transitions between the parts. Each part should start on a new line. The absence of links between paragraphs is a typical shortcoming in essays, for which points are removed according to the K5 criterion. In addition, typical errors include deviations from the topic, disproportion of parts, violation of the sequence of presentation of thoughts, lack of connection between sentences.

Working on the intro

It is important to remember that the main purpose of the introduction is to lead to the formulation of the problem. This can be done in various ways.

What (book). To prove (to prove), to give (to give) arguments, arguments to prove something. This part of the report will have to be argued separately.

Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935-1940.

See what "ARGUMENT" is in other dictionaries:

- (this see the previous next). Present evidence, arguments, draw conclusions. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ARGUMENT lat. argumentari. To prove with arguments, draw a conclusion. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Cm … Synonym dictionary

ARGUMENT, roar, rue; this; sovereign and inconsistent, that. Give (lead) evidence, arguments (in 1 value). | noun argumentation, i, cf. and argumentation, and, wives. Persuasive argument. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu.… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

argue- argumenter, German. argumentative. Justify something, give arguments. BAS 2. Despite the guns that the soldiers argued with, I began to persistently defend my right to the cabbies I brought in, whose numbers I had in ... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

argue- what than. Argument the provisions of the report with digital data ... Control Dictionary

argue- ARGUMENT, nesov. and owls., that. Convincing someone. in what l., give (give) evidence, arguments confirming the truth, fairness of judgments; Synonym: prove, substantiate. Explanatory Dictionary of Ephraim. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Efremova

argue- argue, rue, rue ... Russian spelling dictionary

argue- (I), argue / roar, roar, roar ... Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language

Books

• Global World - Global English International Organizations: Pros and Cons, . The textbook is a thematic collection of texts of a socio-political orientation related to the modern administrative-territorial, cultural, etc. division ...
• Fear, Greed and Panic in the Stock Market by David Cohen. In this book, the author tries to argue the point of view that in order to understand the market mechanism and get the most out of the opportunities that we have in the financial markets, ... electronic book

Every argument has two parts. The first is the basis with which it is impossible to argue. The second is an obvious link to this foundation of a provable thought. When a mother tells her daughter not to put her fingers in the socket, the daughter obeys because a) mother is an authority (this is the basis of the argument) and b) because mother personally says not to do this (this is an obvious link).

There are many arguments, but the grounds for the arguments are much less. It is they who allow you to build your speech so that it is convincing. Below is a golden dozen of these reasons, twelve types of arguments known TOPIC: ESCALATING CLAIMS since the time of Aristotle.

1. Convincing is what can be verified

To consider something true, a person does not have to check the truth himself, it will be enough for him to have the opportunity to check. When there is a clear, accessible and real way to check, this is already enough. Then laziness (and trust in the speaker) will connect, no one will check anything, but the conviction will work.

2. Convincing is what is unique

Uniqueness is so valuable to us that we automatically consider anything that carries unique qualities or confirms uniqueness to be convincing.

So, since there are few resources similar to Lifehacker in Russia, it is the uniqueness argument that can be used to explain the need to visit it every day.

However, here it is necessary to make a reservation that it is only the West that is delighted with uniqueness, and for Eastern cultures it is inferior to authenticity. Therefore, for the representatives of the East, the following argument is better suited.

We don't question the familiar, so when something new or controversial is similar to the familiar, that's a strong enough argument that it's true.

When a guy meets a girl and tries to make a good impression on her, he thinks he is using uniqueness arguments (“I am such and such, I have such and such, I am the best”). But the girl perceives this as an argument for compatibility: it is important for her to understand how similar this person is to the best examples of male behavior imprinted in her memory.

4. Convincing is what indicates regression

Everything gets worse and worse. Well, maybe not all, but a lot. Even if not much, then certainly something. The idea of ​​regression is hardwired into our brains: you must admit that earlier not only the trees were greener, but also the dogs were kinder, the dawns were quieter, and the products were without food. So it is very convenient to rely on the idea of ​​regression in your proofs.

For example, the need to introduce the death penalty is easily justified by the increase in the number of crimes and/or their increased cruelty.

5. Convincing is what shows progress

Ideas of progress are even more ingrained in us than ideas of regression. We will readily accept as truth that which will confirm our faith in progress.

That is why it is convenient for a politician to rely on progress to explain the need for his re-election to some post. Although the connection of his activity with progress is not obvious, but the progress itself is not subject to doubt: it means that it is necessary to re-elect. "You have begun to live better - vote for me."

6. Persuasive follows logically from persuasive

This argument is called the causal argument. Briefly, it can be represented as a logical link "if - then". Of course, in each argument there is a logical link, but only in this it is the main supporting structure, all the emphasis is placed on it.

Example: "If we consider ourselves reasonable people, then we cannot ignore arguments based on". Or like this: "If we consider ourselves reasonable people, then we should not believe everything we read on the Internet." And also like this: "If we consider ourselves reasonable people, then we should not tolerate such bullying with three identical examples, when everything was clear without that."

7. The fact is convincing

The most common and understandable argument is the data argument. It is used most often, but not because it is the strongest, but because it is the easiest. When applying it, remember that there are no facts - only interpretations. The strength of a fact lies not in its truthfulness, but in its vividness. And in frequent repetition, but it is unlikely that you have the resources to launch propaganda, so you have to make do with brightness.

For example: "Russia is the most peaceful country, because it has never attacked anyone, has not waged offensive wars." This fact has nothing to do with historical reality, but how the argument works.

8. Persuasive is what is useful

The most honest argument - at least he tries to look like it. In the end, we really do consider everything from the point of view of usefulness. What is useful is true; what is beneficial is good. A pragmatic argument will never fail you if you can link the thesis you are proving to the real benefit of your listeners.

“Pay your taxes and sleep well,” the Federal Tax Service advises us. It may seem that this is a call to our conscience. But do not be deceived, this type of argument does not appeal to conscience, it appeals to our own, that's why it is so effective.

9. Convincing is what is based on norms

Norms should be understood as a fairly wide set of rules that exist in society. Laws, customs, traditions, prescriptions - it is convenient for truth to rely on them. Norms can be different, from social to sanitary, from linguistic to sexual, as long as they are relevant and generally recognized.

The argument, which is used to force statesmen to respond to complaints faster, is based on the norms: “According to the federal law of 02.05. case, I will be forced to apply to the prosecutor's office to attract those responsible for the failure to meet deadlines under Art. 5.59 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “Violation of the procedure for considering citizens' appeals.”

10. Convincing is what is confirmed by authority

A more than understandable argument. Even young people who love to overthrow authorities are usually engaged in this business at the invitation of some of their authority.

Such an argument can be rude when the boss is talking to a subordinate, or it can be soft when Leonardo DiCaprio advertises watches from a billboard.

Well, it could be like this:

"Beware of morally indignant people: they have a sting of cowardly malice, hidden even from themselves."

Friedrich Nietzsche

11. Convincing is what witnesses say

The witness differs from the authority in that his opinion is interesting not because of his personality, but because of the experience that he has. Continuing the theme of advertising: luxury goods are promoted by authorities, that is, stars, and general consumer products are advertised by "witnesses" - no-names with unique experience in dealing with stains on clothes.

Example: “works because my neighbor in the stairwell was cured by homeopathy!” The strength of this argument cannot be underestimated; it is no weaker than a reference to authority.

12. Convincing is what can be presented as true

Since our brain has never been in the real world - that is, outside the cranium - it has to operate only with ideas about how everything works. Therefore, if you force the brain to imagine something, it will be almost a real fact for it. And not only for people with a developed imagination, but in general for everyone.

The argument of a real estate agent when meeting with a client in the office: “Just imagine how in the morning you admire this lake from your balcony, breathing in the fresh smells of the forest…”

Denis Kaplunov Chapter from the book “Effective commercial offer. Comprehensive guide»
Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"

Working with the price is a very important element of the commercial offer, because the price is measured in money, which at the time of reading is in the client's pocket. He decides whether he should say goodbye to them. Regardless of which offer you use, you should clearly understand that any price needs to be argued.

When you leave a reader with a face-to-face price, there is a big risk that you will lose him. Because with such a step you make him think out on his own - is this thing worth that kind of money? Any person prefers not to make unnecessary purchases, because everyone has a limited budget.

If we buy something, then we have to give up something. Price argumentation is important because you yourself suggest why the purchase is profitable and attractive. Your direct task is to explain to the client why this thing costs so much. Often the argument is also called the "sale" of the price.

Do I need a price in a commercial offer?

Price is one of the key elements of the offer. It shows how profitable the deal is, gives food for thought. And I asked this question because I often came across commercial offers that completely lacked information about the price. Then what is the offer? This is a kind of Effective Sales Proposal, a noble intention that can be presented in the form of the following humorous structure:

1. Hello!
2. We are serious guys, we have many clients, and we have the most highly qualified workers.
3. We have a cool product and we want to offer mutually beneficial cooperation.
4. Because we have pleasant prices and discounts for regular customers.
5. If you are interested in our offer - call us.

Businessmen prefer specifics. Without a price, they cannot make a decision, but call you and clarify - what did you do to deserve it? Your "pleasant prices" for the client are air, because, sorry, it's not up to you to decide how pleasant they actually are.

People don't list prices because they're afraid. It is fear, and fear is always felt. So the reader thinks - if they did not indicate the price, then something is wrong here. What fears am I talking about? First of all, the fear that customers will find the price too heavy. That is why it should be justified.

The second fear is that quoting a price in a commercial offer can lead to the fact that competitors sniff out about it. Funny. If a competitor wants to know the price, he will find a way to do it. The easiest and most common option is to call you and introduce yourself as a potential client.

Such authors believe that a commercial offer needs to interest the client so that he calls himself, and already in the process of negotiations he will be made happy with the price. Why call him if he hasn't read anything specific? If he calls for every such offer, it will take half his working day. Don't be afraid of your prices. It is a myth that people prefer to buy cheap goods. Think about how to effectively and convincingly present the price so that the customer is satisfied with the purchase.

The lack of a fixed price is a problem

Sometimes I come across companies that like to veil the price behind the phrase "it depends...". And how then to make a commercial offer? And write to the client? Remember car dealerships in which we are given a price list, where several prices are affixed to the same car model, depending on the configuration. The buyer immediately sees what is included in this or that version - he has food for thought.

The most illustrative example is the repair crews. They have a fixed fee for a specific job. But the cost of the entire repair is affected by construction and consumables. Someone wants an expensive tile, and someone is satisfied with a cheaper option. But this does not affect the cost of repairs.

If you have a complex tariff scale, where the price depends on many parameters, simplify as much as possible, otherwise you will someday get confused and lose revenue. Remember this expression - "transparent prices"? This is when everything is extremely accessible and understandable. Somehow I was offered to consider one version of the office. When I arrived, I noticed that the layout of the premises is the same as in my office. Even linoleum is almost the same.

And when they called the price, I was surprised. Twice what I paid for rent. The buildings are a kilometer apart. At the same time, the word "exclusivity" was uttered: they say, the building is new. If I were offered a room on a high floor with a beautiful panoramic view of the river and a small balcony, I would understand, and then the "exclusivity" would not hurt the ear so much.

But back to fixed prices. If you have floating tags, develop multiple versions of the product or multiple types of rates for your services. And explain what the difference is. It will be extremely clean, understandable, transparent.

And if you also indicate which of the options is most in demand, increase sales. People like to make choices by majority rule. Some tricksters generally develop additional versions for the "dummy" in order to sell a more expensive (or cheaper) version.

Don't be afraid to quote fixed prices. On the contrary, their absence will cause suspicion in the client. He will think that you want to get more money from him than from another buyer.

Everyone has their own $100

Someone earns them in a month, someone in a day, and someone in a couple of hours. Someone has a car of time to search for goods at a lower price, but someone does not. Reasonable people understand that an hour of searching for a product a couple of dollars cheaper deprives them of an hour of work during which they could earn ten dollars. Economic efficiency is out of the question here. Therefore, it is easier and more profitable to pay here and now.

Selling practices will confirm that the buyer makes the decision about the objectivity of the price based on how you argue and present it. Initially, it might seem overpriced to him, but after talking with you, the client understands that in fact the price is pleasant and you need to buy this product today, otherwise it will suddenly become more expensive tomorrow.

Remember - the concepts of "price" and "value" are side by side. The price is just numbers, and the value is already your skill as a seller. Returning to the theme of the office offered to me: the sellers could tell that it is constantly quiet there, the entrance is guarded, there is convenient parking, the building is put on an alarm at night, office traders are not allowed on the floors and a lot of other useful things to show the value. If you offer a product that others have, then the client may already have an opinion on how much it should cost. The main guideline is the price of competitors. A simple example - in all restaurants of the city the cost of a cup of Americano coffee is in the range of $ 1–1.5. And here you are offering for $10. The first question of the client: “Why is it so expensive?”

Note that he does not turn around and leave, but only asks. And his "expensive" means "more expensive than others." This suggests that he is ready to buy coffee if you prove to him the value of your offer.

The cheaper the better?

Many people believe: the cheaper, the worse the quality. The opposite point of view - the cheaper, the better. Let's take Chinese cars as an example. Yes, their price is lower compared to European, American, Japanese and even Korean cars.

If we follow the logic “the cheaper the better”, then every second car on the roads would be Chinese. But if you look closely, they are no more than 10-15%. Are you still not rich enough to buy cheap things? How often do you see expensive cars on the roads? Much more common than Chinese cars, right? A low price results in an equally low value. Yes, there are always people for whom a low price is the main criterion for buying. But does such an audience attract you? The main landmark is different: affordable price - good quality.

The only way is to offer a lower price than competitors. Then your price has attractive value.

What if the price is the same?

This is an interesting question. It is much more difficult to successfully sell products at the same price as competitors. Even steeper - more expensive. This is where good copywriting is important.

A simple example is fixed-route taxis. The fare is the same, but people prefer to get into a brand new bus with comfortable seats, and not rumble in a collapsing GAZelle with a smoky interior and a two hundred decibel chanson. Passengers are ready to wait at the stop for several minutes, just not to get into such an “armored personnel carrier”, which may break down somewhere along the way. What if the price is the same? Let's return to our "hot spots". If you remember, the price is only one of the criteria for making a decision. There are others. For example, you can offer:

• a little more product;
• faster service;
• shorter service life;
• additional service;
• more convenient form of payment.

And if you offer all this together, your offer will become mega-attractive. Try it and you will immediately see the result. I somehow came across a commercial offer of a taxi service for corporate clients.

Read:

1. Only comfortable foreign cars up to 5 years old.
2. Delivery of the car within 15 minutes.
3. Professional drivers with a minimum of 7 years of experience.
4. Any music to choose from - rock, chanson, jazz, disco and even classical.
5. Silent drivers who don't ask too many questions.
6. Navigators are installed in the cars to take you to the desired point as quickly as possible.
7. Drivers drive carefully, without violating the rules of the road.
8. Smoking or non-smoking salon - your choice.
9. Cashless payment is possible.

And that's all. Here is the finished commercial offer for you. Add a title, develop a lead, introduce our taxi service, insert a specified numbered list, enter a price. For the effect, you can use an additional offer: "Every tenth kilometer is free." Or: "Each passenger - a bottle of mineral water." And your commercial offer already has a special value.

How to justify the high price?

Many marketers and copywriters often cite David Ogilvy as an example: “The higher the price, the more desirable the product becomes in the eyes of the buyer.” Who said that people don't buy expensive goods? Expensive is a confirmation of the level and status. We have expensive things in our wardrobe. We like to visit expensive establishments at least once every few weeks.

It is in this segment that an indestructible stereotype has settled: expensive means high quality. We buy expensive shoes so that they will last us as long as possible, and not fall apart in a month. But here is one nuance - we do not buy the most expensive in principle, but the most expensive of what we can afford. The concept of adequacy has not yet been canceled.

A high price attracts attention, makes you want to buy. A person can even save money for several months to afford such a purchase. An expensive product is not a household necessity, it is a goal. And in order to achieve it, the buyer is ready to go to great lengths. But he must make sure that his sacrifices will be worth it. Many entrepreneurs are stopped by the idea of ​​selling expensive goods, they prefer selling small things. What for? In the market of expensive goods there is always a client, there are fewer competitors - it is easier to stand out among them, and your status as a seller will be strengthened.

Beginning copywriters often turn to me with the question of how to earn more. They fail to raise prices for their services, they think that such a step will scare away customers. Now, when I work in a high price range, I can say that the phrase “there is a buyer for every product” is not in vain said. Only here the question is already in desire - how much more do you want to earn? And what are you willing to do about it?

When I asked novice copywriters a counter question: “Why are you ready to work for N rubles?”, They answered me: “Almost everyone works at this price.” That is, instead of thinking about how to stand out and how to confirm their price, they had only a desire. Yes, not everyone is strong in marketing and personal branding, but if we didn’t know how to tie shoelaces in childhood, then we learned how to do it. Why don't we want to learn the art of price justification? Imagine a customer who asks the authors a similar question. What intelligible answer will they give - with the rationale for the price? Especially if the price is above average. You can’t go far on one desire, you need to look for arguments.

Here are a few factors that allow you to justify the high prices of a copywriter:

1. Rich work experience.
2. Rich experience in a particular genre or topic.
3. Specialized knowledge and experience in a particular field of activity.
4. Great examples of work.
5. High positions in the rating of authors.
6. Winning competitions.
7. The result that his texts brought to clients.
8. Work in tandem with a professional editor.
9. Money back guarantee if the customer finds a bug.
10. Consent to the revision of the text, if the customer considers that it is necessary to make adjustments.
11. Special bonuses - for example, recommendations for the design of the text on its carrier, an audit of other texts, or several texts for contextual advertising ads as a gift.
12. A detailed breakdown of what is included in the work - for example, studying the product, competitors, finding differences, creating an offer.
13. Offering several versions of the same text for the client to test them and choose the most effective one.

Even from this list, you can see how you can work on the justification and argumentation of the price. Imagine a customer who asks you: “Why such a price?” And make a rationale in advance, without waiting for questions. Write down all possible arguments, and then systematize them, and then your arguments will look mature.

Joke:

A man walks into a toy store to look for a gift for his daughter. Having carefully studied the assortment, he asks the consultant:

And why does a simple Barbie doll cost 300 rubles, and a divorced one - 900 rubles?

This is understandable: a divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house and Ken's car!

I noticed one feature - when you start arguing your price by pressing the right "levers", customers and clients begin to treat you more respectfully. It used to happen that when a client mentioned the name of a competitor, some poured mud at him, thereby proving that they are better. Is it professional? This behavior is repulsive.

And now we will consider specific tactics for justifying the price in order to form the value of your offer in the client.

Show cost effectiveness

For many people, the buying process is associated with costs. Your task is to change their mind from "cost" to "investment". Costs are losses, investments are gains in the future. Did you buy this book with a cost or investment in mind? You expect that the investment will help you hone your skills, create more effective commercial proposals that will bring you money. Purchasing this book is a one-time investment to gain access to knowledge that will be useful to you in your work.

A businessman understands that you can earn money if you invest money. Therefore, look for an opportunity to present the purchase of your product or service as an investment in the future. Go beyond simple assurances, show a picture of a bright tomorrow in clear colors.

Businessmen who attended my seminars and master classes wrote letters of thanks to me. So their investment paid off. They no longer hire a copywriter, they themselves learn the intricacies of preparing sales texts. As they say, whoever wanted, he took. Consider such a service as accounting support for private entrepreneurs. Representatives of medium and small businesses An effective commercial offer does not always need the services of a full-time accountant.

But if you deal with accounting on your own, then we will encounter, for example, this is what:

• filling out and submitting reports;
• tracking the latest innovations in accounting;
• visiting all kinds of funds and waiting in lines (sometimes you can spend a whole day on this);
• payment of fees and taxes in banks;
• replacement of old-style documents with new ones.

I also did all this on my own, and then I decided that it couldn’t go on like this anymore. Today I am delegating the entire amount of work to a specialist: I have a remote accountant working for a nominal fee, and I am sure that everything is filled out correctly, paid on time, changed in accordance with the new rules. And I devote time to direct work. And I earn much more than I pay for accounting services. Why did I make this intro? To lead you to a text box that justifies the price.

$30 per month.

1. Your accounting documents are drawn up according to all the necessary rules.
2. We promptly respond to all changes and innovations, adapting your documents to the new rules. Recently, many entrepreneurs paid a $55 fine for forgetting to file a small return that was introduced by the tax authorities. A number of documents were not accepted only because they were drawn up in violation of the rules. And it's all a waste of time and money. With us, you will never have such troubles. Just calculate how much time and money you will save if you delegate this work to us. For only $30, that is for $1 per day.

The phrase “The cost of our services is $30” is much more effective. The price argument is more convincing if you are talking about savings. It is enough to show the effectiveness of investments in figures and calculate the payback period. And then the price will appear before the client in a more attractive light.

Break the price to the minimum

People like it when the price is minimal. Your task is to split the main figure in such a way as to reach its minimum mark. Let's repeat the text block for the commercial proposal of an accounting firm: We will never have such troubles. Just count how much time and money. You will save if you delegate this work to us. For only $30, that is, for $1 per day.

Now the client is thinking not over thirty dollars, but over one. And as practice shows, it is easier to convince a client to part with one dollar than with thirty. Consider another example - a commercial offer for lingerie stores to advertise in a women's magazine:

From 5,000 rubles we dropped to 1 ruble or less. Ultimately, our store does not need advertising, it wants to attract new customers. We are talking about the advertising effect: less than 1 ruble for one potential buyer, and we have 7,000 of them. Such a commercial offer can be safely started with the phrase: Are you willing to pay Rs. per new customer?

Explain the price in detail

Remember the car wash where we leave the car and don't know exactly what the procedure involves? We see the end result and pay for it. But this is a household necessity - and it costs ridiculous money. When it comes to large sums, parting with money is not so fast.

You know situations when a client, after voicing a price, asks: “What does it include?” The client wants to understand what he pays for. He does not know what is included in the service. Or he knows from the words of your competitors and wants to clarify. He needs to weigh and decide whether the price is adequate.

For example, the service "registration of a private entrepreneur" includes:

1. Initial consultation.
2. Preparation of the necessary package of documents.
3. Obtaining a certificate of registration of a private entrepreneur.
4. Registration with the tax authorities.
5. Registration in funds.
6. Print making.
7. Assistance in opening a bank account.

A completely different effect is when you accompany the general phrase “The cost of registration will be _______” with a transcript of the entire scope of work.

By the way, in this case, you can still show how important it is to arrange everything correctly, that you can force the registration procedure. The client understands that if he does the registration on his own, he will lose a lot of time. It is much easier to pay and get everything turnkey in a few days.

Somehow I got an interesting example of detail. A document of the Ladisten private clinic, which (in principle) can be called a commercial offer. The program "Newborn" for the care of babies. It involves monitoring the health of the child during the first year of his life. The price of the service is 12,000 hryvnias per year, which is approximately $1,500, that is, $125 per month. A detailed breakdown of all procedures for each month is given.

See what is included in the observation during the third month.

1. Examination and consultation of an orthopedist.
2. X-ray of the hip joints.
3. Examination and consultation of a neurologist.
4. Examination and consultation of the surgeon.
5. General blood analysis.
6. 6. General analysis of urine.
7. General analysis of feces.
8. Examination, consultation and conclusion of the pediatrician based on the results of the examination and laboratory diagnostics, recommendations.

Isn't that a great example? For young parents, this document remains in their hands and turns into a kind of checklist, where they will tick off the passage of a specific procedure so as not to forget anything and do everything in the correct sequence. If a client wants to create an online store, then the price, say, $2,000 may surprise him (especially if he is not oriented in these matters). And you decipher what is included in the creation of an online store.

1. Website home page design.
2. Catalog interior page design.
3. Product description page design.
4. Layout.
5. Development of a horizontal menu.
6. Creation of a catalog and rubricator of goods.
7. Option to sort products according to the desired criteria.
8. Create a registration option.
9. Creation of the "Cart" module.
10. Development of an order management system in the administrative panel.
11. Creating a module for quick purchase of goods without the need for registration...

When you specify the amount of work, the opinion about the price of $2000 becomes different. I will give an example from the book “Copywriting of Mass Destruction”: detailing the work of the Deaction design studio. The cost of creating a site by them is 30,000 rubles. They valued each individual part at a specific amount. For example, the development of a logo - 3000 rubles, filling the site with information - 2000 rubles. and so on. They painted 30,000 points, and the customer understands why the creation of the site costs "so much money."

Connect Indirect Comparisons

Comparison is a powerful persuasion technique. He is especially loved by NLP representatives. When a potential client decides on the degree of profitability of your offer, he always compares something with something:

• price with its capabilities;
• price with the price of competitors;
• in the system "investment - profit";
• to save time.

The client has countless similar comparisons, because everyone is used to thinking in their own way. Our task is not to wait until the client thinks about something not in our favor. I have often met sales managers who immediately compare themselves to competitors by naming specific names. You don't have to do this: it's at least unethical, at most - unprofessional. Try to approach differently.

The first option - compare the cost of your product or service with an alternative offer and show that your option is more acceptable:

The cost of the "mystery shopper" service is 7000 rubles.

This is even less than the wages of workers whose results you are dissatisfied with. They don't earn their wages. One month.

Second... How long will you wait?

On the other hand, a mystery shopper will give you a clear idea of ​​how customers see you from the outside. What is holding them back from making a purchase? Why are they visitors but not buyers?

The example is simple, but very revealing. On the one hand, the employer may continue to support employees who do not produce results. On the other hand, he can find out once and for all what is preventing them from providing quality customer service and increasing sales figures.

Show the client a hero

I transferred this technique to copywriting from direct sales, from the experience of working with a client face-to-face. I tested it several times in selling texts and commercial offers and I can say that such tactics when justifying the price give a result. Have you watched the Hollywood film "Enemy at the Gates" about the fate of the Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev? His role was played by famous actor Jude Law. I memorized a phrase that instantly lit a light bulb in my imagination: "The people need a hero." I don't remember it verbatim, but I got the gist of it. What am I leading to? We often need an object to follow. Nobody wants to take the risk first. It's easier to let someone else do it and see from the side that he succeeds. If it works out - you can do it, if not - it's good that they didn't burn out. That's the way man is. It can (and should) be used in sales.

Do not limit yourself to describing a product or service - tell a potential buyer a story of how another person solved his difficulties and achieved success with the help of this product or service.

Show the buyer the same simple client, with similar tasks and difficulties. The client must see himself in this hero and want to repeat his successful fate. Let's go back to the example of remote accounting services:

The cost of accounting services for private entrepreneurs - $30 per month.

1. Your accounting documents are always drawn up according to all the necessary rules.
2. Reporting is submitted on time (and you do not need to go anywhere, as well as stand in lines).
3. We pay fees and taxes for you out of the money you allocate.
4. We promptly respond to all changes and innovations, adapting your documents to the new rules. Recently, many entrepreneurs paid a $55 fine for forgetting to file a small return that was introduced by the tax authorities. A number of documents were not accepted only because they were drawn up in violation of the rules. And it's all a waste of time and money. With us, there will never be such troubles. Just calculate how much time and money you will save if you delegate this work to us. For only $30, that is for $1 per day.

And now let's talk about the same, only with the use of "hero" tactics:

Is it worth $30?

Let us cite as an example one of our clients - PE Ivanov I.I., who at first refused to use this service. A few weeks later he returned, concluded an agreement with us, and this is how he justified his decision:

1. The queue at the tax office is 3.5 hours.
2. When the queue came up, his documents were not accepted, citing an error in filling out, they ordered to redo it and bring it tomorrow (again, the queue) + they asked me to take a pack of clean paper with me as voluntary assistance.
3. He didn't turn in the new report form (didn't know it was in effect) and paid a $55 fine. And again a stack of paper as a voluntary aid.
4. Running around the banks with money to pay all payments and dues.

It lasted several weeks, which the client will never forget. Now imagine that a check came to you and found inaccuracies in accounting. Here already a pack of paper will not save. On the other hand, only $30 per month, and you forget about these troubles, knowing that everything is fine with bookkeeping.

Naturally, the justification turned out to be cumbersome. I wanted you to feel the power of this technique. Well, you yourself can reduce the text to the optimal volume, because you have this book in your hands.

And think about what the impression will be if we give our reception another mass effect: “Ivanov I.I. is just one example. Now 374 entrepreneurs have realized the benefits of this form of service.” Again - not "more than 350" or not "more than 370", but "374" - such a number specifically, inspires confidence. And if you really have a round number, it is better to reduce it by one or two units: not "400", but "398".

The client learns that he is not the first (the first is a risk), but the 375th. So, the proposal really deserves attention. You can try at least one reporting quarter and decide for yourself how profitable and convenient it is.

Play with the client in the "constructor"

All of us in childhood loved to collect designers. I remember mine, Soviet-made - with metal parts from which cranes, towers, airplanes were made ... Yes, and parents get no less pleasure when they build new compositions together with their kids.

In my blog "Copywriting from A to Z" I wrote a selling text for such a constructor:

New children's construction set from the past 181 parts and more than 70 assembly options - for only $15!
Tank, crane, helicopter, fire truck, harvester, etc.
Each design is two hours of exciting and useful pastime for your child!
At least 140 hours of entertainment for only $15.
Are you ready to give your child one happy and developmental hour for just 10 cents?

It was an impromptu workout. It is very useful to indulge in such exercises to hone your skills. By the way, have you noticed that in this short text I split the price from $15 to 10 cents? And he deciphered what is included in this constructor, showed what can be assembled, and highlighted its value for the child. What does the tactic I call "constructor" include? When we have an expensive item in front of us, we want to understand why it is so expensive. Alternatively, it may consist of expensive details (for example, a gold watch case, sapphire glass, etc.).

All this justifies the price. Why is Rolls-Royce so expensive? Do you know that, for example, only a figurine on a radiator grill costs around $5,000? For that kind of money you can buy a used car.

When my clients who provide cleaning services were asked why their prices are about 20-30% higher than those of competitors, they said that they clean better.

Clients did not succumb to this, because they heard “air”. We thought - and customers began to tell customers that they use branded cleaning products in cleaning, which increase the "cleanliness effect" for a longer period than conventional products. They talked about the equipment, due to the technological power of which absolutely all the dust and dirt that was within its radius of action was removed. In fact, they dismantled their service as a “constructor in reverse”, and justified a higher price.

If you offer a higher price for a similar product or service, you should understand why. and show the client. On one desire to earn more, you will not go far.

Warranty is everything

Now we will talk about one of the most effective and ... less popular way of justifying the price with our sellers - this is a guarantee that gives confidence in the quality of the product. And not “airy” confidence, but a specific attribute of your offer. The guarantee shows the buyer that he does not risk anything. Everyone knows the "rule of 14 days" - the rule of consumer protection. If the buyer does not like or like your product, he can return it or exchange it for a similar product within 14 days. But many sellers forget about it, and the sign "The goods are not subject to exchange and return" scares off buyers. They did not even think about a return, but they do not like it when they are immediately taken aback by bans, because "the client is always right."

Some of my customers have offered their customers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of 14. They sold cosmetics from the Israeli brand Sea of ​​Spa. The stronger the guarantee, the more attractive the purchase. For example, we just talked about 30 days. But what if such a guarantee extended for 60 days? Naturally, then the buyer would be more inclined to buy.

In 1872, Aaron Montgomery Ward founded a company that was originally a mail-order business. This man made marketing and sales history by being the first to offer customers a 100% money-back guarantee if they were disappointed with a product. Over time, this company has grown into the most powerful retail chain Montgomery Ward, with about 60,000 employees.

I had an interesting case - I bought a non-wrist watch at an online auction. Paid, received quickly and used for several days. I don’t know what happened, but the clock began to fall behind, and then stopped altogether.

I wrote to the support service, explained the situation and sent the product back. The money was returned to me without question. I understand that everything happens, marriage is also found among expensive goods. And such responsiveness adds confidence to the seller. Warranty is everything.

Conditional and unconditional guarantee

The domestic market is more familiar with the conditional warranty - we can return the product during the warranty period, if it is not damaged and has not lost its presentation. There is also an unconditional guarantee. It implies a return within the specified period without any explanation and conditions.

Naturally, an unconditional guarantee is more attractive to the buyer. The seller, on the other hand, believes that she will untie the hands of unscrupulous buyers and they will begin to return everything in a row.

For example, a girl was invited to a wedding, she does not know what to wear. She buys a beautiful dress in the nearest store. She took a walk in it, came to the store, says that she changed her mind, and the money is returned to her. Yes, this happens, no one is immune from this. Let me tell you a story from my practice. My client didn't talk about the existence of a guarantee. As soon as, at my request, for the sake of testing, he began to tell that he guarantees a refund if the product is returned in proper condition, his sales figures increased. Therefore, if he offers an unconditional guarantee, sales will increase even more.

Now, remember an interesting fact: the highest warranty return rate that I have seen is 5%. That is, only 5 people out of 100 resorted to this tool. Ainur Safin in his book "111 Ways to Increase Sales" (St. Petersburg: Piter, 2012) gives even more optimistic figures: "According to statistics, only 1-2% of people use the opportunity to return money under a guarantee."

In the sale of intellectual services and information products, an unconditional guarantee is more common. There are no production costs for the manufacture of goods - this is intellectual labor. However, from time to time you can see the following wording:

If something does not suit you in ______, or you do not see the result, or you do not like something at all, we will return the money without any questions or objections within ______ days in any way convenient for you. The only thing is that in this case we will no longer be able to work with you. Neither paid nor free, so as not to waste time - neither ours nor yours.

Again, the seller's concern is understandable. I had some doubts about the effectiveness of this approach, because I myself did not resort to it. He expressed his doubts in the article “100% money back guarantee - a scam in Russian”, which was published on the blog. And here are the comments:

Natalia Khorobrikh:“And until recently (when I moved from the category of just users of Internet services to the format of promotion via the Internet), such statements frightened and alarmed me. Even thinking about making a purchase, she refused several times, seeing such a "round seal" with a guarantee. Explain why - I can not. Maybe a moment of frivolity?

Elena Merz:“Many times I met a guarantee: we will return the money and exclude it from the list. To be honest, after such words, I don’t want to buy anything. ”

Margarita:“Prohibit any purchases after the refund: what’s the point then to attract customers in order to exclude them later?”

These are the opinions of buyers, that is, those who pay money. Some things you can agree on, some things you can disagree with. My misunderstanding is explained by the following: let's say the author has five educational products. I buy the first one - I like it, I buy the second one - I like it too, and the third product helped me. But the fourth frankly disappointed. Does this mean that I am not ready to buy the fifth, and in the future the sixth and seventh? Why does the author not take into account that I will recommend the first three products to my friends and acquaintances, and he will receive additional sales from my recommendations? But after such a conditional guarantee, I will lose the desire to recommend him - he loses not only one real client, but also many potential ones.

You enter a restaurant... Your previous visits left only positive impressions. And this time you are unhappy - either the dish was salted, or more water was poured into the fresh juice than necessary. You refuse to pay and have every right to do so (if the institution’s fault is obvious and not far-fetched), they return the money to you and ask you to forgive. Does this mean you will never go back there again? Imagine: the next time you enter this institution, they show you the door - they say that you are no longer a welcome guest here.

Somehow, in the McDonald's network, instead of the ordered cheeseburger, they gave me a hamburger in a package of cheese. Not only did the employees apologize to me, they handed me a voucher as compensation, allowing me to exchange it in any McDonald's network restaurant for a serving of ice cream "cone" or the same glass of drink (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta).

Service? What more.

And when in another city I exchanged this coupon for a portion of the "horn", I was served there according to the highest level. Surely the presence of this "magic card" says that the employees are in front of the client, who was previously offended a little.

When I conducted my first seminar "Selling text - BESTSELLER" in Kyiv, I also applied an unconditional money back guarantee if the attendees did not like this event. Nobody asked for a refund. What do we do when we face such a dilemma? Everyone decides for himself how to build his marketing policy. The only point is that when entering the market, you need to be sure of the quality of your product, otherwise the market will reject it, no matter what prices and guarantees you offer.

The presence of a guarantee increases the response of any selling text, including a commercial offer. So as an option, start small. The first step is to offer a guarantee. If you have a physical product, you can minimize the return condition in a salable condition. During a certain test period, see what the response will be. If you provide services, you can test the unconditional guarantee. And look at the result. In conclusion, I will please you with an interesting note - abroad, I met unconditional guarantees for educational products, in which the authors were ready to return 200% of the amount paid by the buyers.

Impressive? And how.

Guaranteed real pleasure

No need to think that a person is only interested in a material guarantee as an opportunity to return the money. When you eat, do you enjoy? On the one hand, we can eat just healthy foods, and on the other hand, they can also be delicious. Before you is a useful book, but printed in very small print. It's difficult to read, and the fun is lost, even if the quality of the information itself is on top. You ask yourself: “Couldn’t the font be larger?”

Even in ancient Rome, the law of good treatment of citizens was based on two postulates, the authorship of which belongs to Juvenal: "Bread and circuses." Similarly, we can talk about readers - not only let us benefit, but also entertain. Give your reader a great mood. Because it is the mood that forms emotions, and how the right emotions affect sales, you know this well without me.

1. If you're selling children's toys, make sure your child has real fun while playing (and explain why).
2. If you're bringing people in for a consultation, make sure they enjoy the experience and bring some valuable ideas with them to address their concerns.
3. If you carry out cargo transportation - guarantee the pleasure of cooperation, show that the client will be satisfied with the timely fulfillment of obligations, the level of professionalism of drivers, etc.
4. If you are selling tickets to concerts, ensure the great mood that customers will get at the concert itself.

It is desirable to decipher and substantiate the guarantee of pleasure. If we promise a good mood to the buyer of a ticket to a concert, ask yourself the question: “Why?” And feel free to answer it.

For example: the performance is only live, high-quality modern equipment is used, a large screen is installed, special effects are used, and so on. When you describe this, the reader is mentally transported to the hall and presents this picture, by the way, with his participation.

It is very important for the consumer that your product will give him pleasure, give him a good mood. After all, he still does not know what awaits him ahead, he only hopes. Many companies write like this: If you are dissatisfied with our product for any reason, you can return it. And we will send you the spent money in 100% volume.

Sometimes the phrase “And we will send you the money spent in 100% volume” can be replaced with a more emotional counterpart: “And we will return every penny you paid.” As you can see, sensible sellers are ready to extend the money-back guarantee even for pleasure. It's powerful. I remember how during one basketball game after a bad performance of the team, the audience shouted in the hall: “Return the money for the ticket!” Moreover, the fans were angry not because of the defeat of their favorite team, but because of the terrifying quality of the game. I also met similar public dissatisfaction in cinemas while watching films - the advertising trailer embellished everything that was possible, but the film itself was disastrously disliked. People have been deceived.

Ensure high quality

People are tired of fakes, they are tired of buying goods of dubious quality, they have already understood that you have to pay for quality. Therefore, they want appropriate guarantees and evidence. Everyone understands that high quality products are a serious competitive advantage.

Remember how on TV, during an advertisement for a product, the presenter demonstrated how the declared quality corresponded to reality. For example, if they offer unbreakable dishes, they throw them on the floor, hit them with a hammer, but they still remain safe and sound.

A well-known expert in the field of guerrilla marketing Alexander Levitas in his book “More money from your business” (M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2012) cites the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 laptop presentation as an example: “The presenter poured a glass of water on the keyboard, brushed the computer off table on the floor, stood with both feet on the lid ... The computer worked as if nothing had happened.

Such a demonstration speaks to the client more than words. He sees the product in action. He already wants to repeat these tests himself to make sure. And how will he show his friends how to praise his purchase! Remember how the hero of Alexander Abdulov in the film "Genius" wrote a confession with a pen with disappearing ink? And everyone urgently wanted such a pen! Imagine ourselves as sellers and write the text of the guarantee:

We guarantee that the words written with this pen will disappear from plain paper within 10 minutes. If in some mysterious way this does not happen, we will fully refund your money.

Here, however, we can use a little trick - deliberately overestimate the test period. For example, you know that the ink will disappear within 5 minutes. And by indicating the “10-minute time limit”, you are simply reinsuring yourself. By and large, you are not deceiving anyone, the ink disappears, it’s just that surprises (especially inexplicable ones) occur periodically in our life. You can connect creativity (if the selected target audience allows it):

We're willing to bet a case of Chivas Regal whiskey that the words written with this pen will disappear from plain paper within 10 minutes. If by some mysterious means this does not happen, we will refund your money and solemnly hand over a case of excellent Chivas Regal whiskey.

By offering a warranty like this, you need to be confident in the quality of the product. Otherwise, drive yourself into a trap. Promise only what you can deliver. This advice, which was given to us by our parents as children, is very relevant in business.

By the way, this magic pen is on sale today, you can buy it. That's why I wanted to make a commercial offer for its sale - as a training session.

Ensure timeliness

If the benefits of your offer are associated with some kind of time frame, guarantee them too, which will also justify your stated price. The unique selling proposition of the Domino's Pizza pizzeria chain in the form: “You will get a fresh, hot pizza in less than 30 minutes, we won’t have time - it’s free for you” has revolutionized the world of guarantees. This formulation has become a workpiece for many types of businesses.

Where else can it be applied?

We will wash your car in 30 minutes or refund your money.
We will repair the printer in 1 day or refund your money.
Install new tires in 20 minutes or get your money back.
We will submit the order within 15 minutes, or it is free for you.

In Yalta, not far from the city embankment, there is a coffee shop "Kofein". After ordering, they put an hourglass on our table: “If the order is submitted later than the time expires, you may not pay for it.” Not the cheapest coffee here, but very tasty. Such a guarantee confirms the quality and confidence. We left the coffee shop in a great mood.

If you declare a specific period for which you are ready to perform work or provide a service, and you are sure of this period, do not be afraid to give a guarantee. This will prove your professional approach. Just the case when the stamp “we are a team of professionals” is replaced by a specific act that clearly characterizes professional qualities.

Each fresh issue of the newspaper "______" you will receive on Tuesdays until 11:00. If we are late with delivery, you will receive a subscription for the next year free of charge.

As you can see, you can guarantee not only a refund.

Guaranteed result

The result guarantee is one of the most powerful. Therefore, it is very rare - few dare to offer it. But do not condemn, since the achievement of a result does not always depend on the product or service itself. There may be other circumstances that affect it, such as inaccurate adherence to instructions. When buying a mobile phone, the seller often asks the first three times to completely discharge the battery and put the phone on charge for ten hours. How many people strictly follow the instructions? Doctors do not recommend taking headache pills if you have previously consumed alcohol. However, this does not stop many.

It is advisable to give a guarantee of the result when you are at least 95% sure that it depends only on your product or service. Nevertheless, for the sake of interest, this technique can be tested in other cases. To do this, it is desirable to introduce additional conditions - as a disciplinary motivator:

The course "Conversational English for Beginners" is designed for 30 lessons - 10 lessons per month.
We guarantee that if you attend every class and do all your homework, then after 3 months you will be able to easily communicate with Americans and British. Otherwise, we will refund the money spent on training.

The trick is that you have three months to charm your audience, get on good terms with them and teach conversational English. And then I won’t be surprised if, in the event of a “guarantee case”, the client does not demand money, but “purely as a human being” asks to conduct several additional classes with him. I think it's more profitable than a refund for a 3-month tuition, isn't it?

Another example I met with companies specializing in professional website promotion:

We guarantee that according to the ten main keywords agreed with you, your site will be in the top search results of Yandex and Google in four months. If at least one word your site is not in the top list, we will refund the money for the entire amount of work.

This is a very strong guarantee. On the sidelines of several conferences, I talked to various website promotion specialists and asked for their opinion. The answers were about the same: “This is stupid, because no one can predict the behavior of search engines. For example, tomorrow they will change the algorithm, and all the work will be in vain.” There is logic, however, this guarantee seems even more attractive. I will give you advice: when you meet a guarantee of results, pay attention to the company itself, take a closer look at it, ask around - you don’t want such a guarantee to turn into a fraud.

When a company is serious, with experience and a name, there are no questions. For example, if in the future the Klitschko brothers open a boxing school and guarantee that they will make real masters out of their students, the potential audience will believe, because there is a name and achievements in the world sports arena.

Guarantee low prices

This type of guarantee is applied in cases where you are sure that your price is the most affordable. Abroad, they like to attract attention with a small sticker on a product with the inscription Best price guarantee - a guarantee of the best price.

Its essence is that you actually declare to customers that you are confident that your price is by far the most attractive. Note that I'm not talking about the "low" price, but about the attractiveness. This is a kind of maneuver for action, when you can justify the price with additional amplifiers that are not used by competitors.

Each of you has met the following wording of the guarantee: If you find a product at a lower price, we will refund the difference.

There are also more sophisticated options: If you find the same product at a lower price within 15 days, we will refund 150% of the difference.

It seems to be a very strong guarantee, which proves that the price is the best for today. Only a counter question arises: what percentage of buyers will scour other places in search of a cheaper product? Did you do it?

Remember we talked about average return statistics? Maximum - 5%, average - 1-2%. And what is the "price difference"? A small amount.

You can go for one more trick. It works especially successfully when you sell goods on an exclusive basis, that is, only you sell them in your region. Then you can safely guarantee at least 300% return of the difference, because the client does not even know that you are a monopolist. And it looks very impressive.

Offer Multiple Guarantees

Remember the good old saying: “One head is good, but two is better”? By analogy, I can say: one guarantee is good, but two (three, four ...) is even better. Each individual guarantee shows how confident you are in the quality of your offer. A little earlier, we discussed several types of guarantees. Each of them has its own advantages. Then the question arises: why not offer the client several at once?

Let's move on to an example.

If for any reason you are dissatisfied with this pen - we will fully refund your money.
If you do not receive this pen within three days, we will return every penny spent and send another pen as a gift.
If the words written with this pen do not disappear from plain paper within 10 minutes, we will also fully refund the money.
If within 30 days after the purchase you find a more attractive price for this pen somewhere, we will refund 200% of the difference.

Tell me, is such a collection of guarantees disarming? Each destroys a certain doubt, and the less doubt, the closer the client is to making a purchase. Such a move will increase the value of the offer and justify the high price.

In order to use multiple guarantees, make sure that you are willing to sign almost in blood under each of them. Otherwise, you will have to keep your promises. And if the returns become massive?

In my example, there are four guarantees. This does not mean that you need to use everything. If you are confident in only two positions - offer them. But do not stop and keep working to offer customers even more guarantees. With such courage and confidence, you will seriously stand out from the competition.

How to draw attention to the guarantee?

As we have seen, a guarantee is an important attribute of a commercial offer. We also noted the benefits of high-quality business writing. Nevertheless, we should talk separately about how to draw attention to the guarantee. Why is this even needed? The guarantee is designed to fight the doubts of potential customers, as well as to justify the price. Therefore, if we focus our efforts on visually highlighting the block with a guarantee, we will increase the chances that the client will know about it even with a cursory reading.

The first and easiest way is to make a short and focused subhead containing the word "Warranty". It can be highlighted either in capital letters or in bold. In this case, the text of the guarantee itself can be written in italics.

The next element is to place the guaranteed text block in the graphic frame. The warranty can be presented as a text block that has small indents on the right and left compared to the rest of the text of the offer. You can highlight the guarantee with a soft color fill that won't hurt the reader's eyes. If your guarantee is one of the key parameters of the entire offer, you can use it several times in the text - in the title and introductory part, briefly and attractively (like the Domino's Pizza pizzeria chain). And in the main part of the commercial offer, all that remains is to decipher it and highlight using various graphic elements.

In this part of the work, you must strictly follow the rules for constructing a reasoning text. The purpose of this type of speech is to convince the addressee of something, to strengthen or change his opinion. For this, a logically coherent system of proofs is used.

A typical (complete) reasoning is built according to a scheme in which three parts are distinguished:

thesis (position to be proved);

argumentation (evidence, arguments);

conclusion (grand total).

For example: There are still people who treat art, especially music, as entertainment. What a huge delusion!

“I would regret it if my music only entertained the listeners. I strove to make them better,” wrote Handel, the remarkable German composer of the 18th century.

“To strike fire from the hearts of people” - that is what the great Beethoven aspired to.

The genius of Russian music, Tchaikovsky dreamed of "bringing comfort to people."

How these words resonate with Pushkin’s amazingly simple and clear words: “And for a long time I will be so kind to the people that I awakened good feelings with my lyre! ..”

How accurately the poet defined the highest purpose of art - to awaken feelings in people! And this applies to all kinds of art, including music, the most emotional art.

Music is a big and serious part of life, a powerful means of spiritual enrichment.

(According to D. Kabalevsky)

Thesis- this is the main idea (of a text or speech), expressed in words, the main statement of the speaker, which he tries to justify. Most often, the thesis is deployed in stages, so it may seem that the author puts forward several theses. In fact, separate parts (sides) of the main idea are considered.

In order to isolate a thesis from a statement of a large volume, you can use the following algorithm:

focusing on the strong positions of the text (subheadings, paragraphs), write out from each part of the sentence expressing the main judgment (part of the thesis), separate them from the evidence;

connect the selected parts of the thesis with semantic unions (if, to, etc.) and formulate it in its entirety.

The thesis is subject to the following rules:

is formulated clearly and unambiguously;

throughout the proof remains the same;

its truth must be proved irrefutably;

proofs cannot proceed from the thesis (otherwise a vicious circle in the proof is formed).

In our case, the thesis is the main idea of ​​the author of the text, which you are trying to substantiate, prove or disprove.

Argumentation- this is bringing evidence, explanations, examples to justify any thought in front of the listeners (readers) or the interlocutor.

Arguments- this is evidence given in support of the thesis: facts, examples, statements, explanations - in a word, everything that can confirm the thesis.

From the thesis to the arguments, you can ask the question "Why?", And the arguments answer: "Because ...".

For example, the text we read by D. Kabalevsky is built according to the following scheme:

Thesis: Treating music as entertainment is a huge misconception. Why?

Arguments(because):

music makes people better;

music awakens emotions; music brings comfort to people;

music gives rise to good feelings in a person.

Conclusion: Music is a powerful means of spiritual enrichment

Argument types

Distinguish arguments for"(your thesis) and arguments against"(someone else's thesis). Thus, if you agree with the position of the author, then his and your thesis are the same. Please note that you should try not to repeat the author's arguments used in the text, but bring your own.

Attention! Typical mistake! If you support the position of the author, you should not specifically analyze his arguments: To support his position, the author uses such arguments as ... Do not waste precious exam time on work that is not provided for by the assignment!

Arguments for" must be:

accessible, simple, understandable;

reflecting objective reality, corresponding to common sense.

Arguments against" should convince you that the arguments given in support of the thesis you are criticizing are weak and do not stand up to criticism. in the evaluation criteria of Part C). Consider the following example:

Nowadays, for some reason, professionalism has been identified with high qualification and high quality of work performed and services provided. And this is not true. All doctors are professionals, but we know perfectly well that there are both bad and good among them. All locksmiths are professionals, but they are also different. In short, professional is not necessarily a guarantee of high quality, but it necessarily expresses a certain relationship between the producer and the consumer, between the performer and the customer. A professional is an employee who, for a pay that gives him a livelihood, undertakes to fulfill the order of any client who has contacted him. That is why I look with sadness at people who call themselves professional politicians.

“Eh! - I think, - What are you proud of? The fact that he is ready to fulfill the political order of any client who has applied to you for money? But is it a virtue? (According to G. Smirnov).

Fragment of the essay: I do not fully agree with the position of the author: I believe that professionalism is not only belonging to a certain profession, but also professional skill. For example, a bad doctor cannot be called a professional. If a doctor cannot make a correct diagnosis and his treatment can harm a person, how can such a "professional" keep the Hippocratic oath?! Of course, in addition to professionalism, there is honor, conscience, human dignity, but all these qualities only direct human skills in the right direction. In my opinion, many of the troubles of our country are associated with a lack of professional doctors, teachers and politicians, as well as with the inability of the state to appreciate the work of a true professional.

Remember important reasoning rule: arguments must be given in the system, that is, it is necessary to think over with which arguments to start and with which to end. It is usually recommended to arrange the arguments in such a way that their probative power increases. Remember that the final argument is fixed in memory better than the first one. Therefore, the final argument must be the strongest.

For example: It seems to me that it is difficult to disagree with the main idea of ​​the author: people (especially scientists) should not lose their "lively perception" of the environment. Firstly, the world around us is extremely diverse and often refutes the seemingly unshakable patterns established by man . Secondly, most of the greatest discoveries were made by scientists, who were sometimes considered crazy weirdos. In fact, Copernicus, Einstein, Lobachevsky proved to people that their special vision of the world not only has the right to exist, but also opens up new horizons of science. AND, finally, the immediacy of perception of the world, the ability to be surprised will not allow a person to lose touch with reality, turn everything around into a dry, lifeless scheme. An attentive, inquisitive person, the author tells us, should see life in its entirety. It is for such a person that chance comes to the rescue and the world is ready to reveal all its secrets./

So, your arguments must be convincing, that is, strong, with which everyone agrees. Of course, the persuasiveness of an argument is a relative concept, since it depends on the situation, emotional state, age, gender of the addressee, and other factors. At the same time, there are a number of typical arguments that are considered strong in most cases.

To strong arguments usually include:

scientific axioms;

provisions of laws and official documents;

laws of nature, conclusions confirmed experimentally;

expert opinions;

eyewitness testimony;

statistical data.

The above list is more suitable for preparing a public speech. When writing essays-reasoning, the following arguments are most often used:

proverbs and sayings reflecting folk wisdom, the experience of the people;

facts, events;

examples from personal life and the lives of others;

examples from fiction.

By the way, it is not by chance that you are offered to choose exactly three arguments, since this is the optimal number of arguments to substantiate your thought. As I.A. Sternin, “one argument is just a fact, two arguments can be objected to, but three arguments are more difficult; the third argument is the third blow, but starting from the fourth, the audience no longer perceives the arguments as some kind of system (first, second, and finally third), but as “many” arguments. At the same time, there is a feeling that the speaker is trying to put pressure on the audience, persuading” 2.