The sales interview teaches you how to use interviewing skills to gather material used during persuasive situations.  As you prepare for this assignment, keep these suggestions in mind:

• You have an ethical responsibility during any persuasive encounter.  Specifically, you must take great care in using valid and accurate information.  This means that you must thoroughly research your product or service to make appropriate recommendations to your interview partner.
• In your persuasive attempt, you must present a proposal which appears to satisfy some need, you and your proposal must appear to be consistent with the interviewee's beliefs and values, your proposal must appear to be feasible, you must show how the disadvantages of your proposal are outweighed by the benefits, and you must show that no better alternative exists to your proposal.
• When researching your product or service, make sure that you gather evidence from a variety of sources including published material (e.g., Consumer Reports), on-line material, pamphlets, and interviews with people who have used the product or service.   Try to verify all information so that you are positive the information is accurate.
• Analyze the person you are interviewing.  Take into account the person's past experiences and other demographic information which could relate to your persuasive proposal.
• For persuasive situations outside of your class you must carefully analyze the context.   Timing, atmosphere, and location are all crucial elements of persuasion.
• Like other interviews, the persuasive interview should contain an opening which arouses interest in the topic, a body which created a need or desire for the interviewee, and a closing which offers a proposal.  The body of the interview should gather information, check assumptions you have made about the interviewee, encourage interaction between yourself and the interviewee, increase interest in the product or service, and elicit potential objections.
• Before moving to the conclusion where you offer a solution or recommendation, establish agreed upon criteria for an effective solution to the need you established in the body of the interview.  In the conclusion, you should show how your product or service helps meet that criteria.
• Once the interviewee has agreed to the product or service, begin the process of closing the interview.  The closing involves signing any necessary contract or other steps necessary for "making the sale."