8. Interviewee : Yes, it did.

(Frowning) It's not very popular among Chamber members or their

communities. Is that what you want to talk to me about ? I know the County Council is
considering it.
9. Interviewer : Yes, that's why I'm here this morning. I'm well aware of the unpopularity of the so-
called wheel tax. Letters to the Constitution and call-ins on local radio shows are running 3 to 1
opposed to the ide. As you know, several of us on the County Council feel it's the lesser of two
evils.
10. Interviewee : Uh huh. And what does that have to do with me or the Chamber of Commerce ?
11. Interviewer : Well... Frankly... we feel it os essential to have you on board on this issue if we're
going to sell it to business leaders and employers.
12. Interviewee : That's not going to happen until our members change their minds, which is
unlikely. You see...
13. Interviewer : (cuts in) I'd like to explain why we've changed our minds during the past year and
maybe why you ought to reconsider it.
14. Interviewee : I find this need for new money rather corious since you were the leader of the
faction that opposed taking any of the federal economic stimulus money specifically designated
for road repair and building projects. Other communities have taken advantage of this money
while we are looking for new taxes.
15. Interviewer : Well, as they say, that's water under the bridge and we are facing some big
decisions.
16. Interviewee : Well, as they also say, that's money over the dam that might have prevented some
of these big decisions
17. Interviewer : I hear you, but I'm still againts taking any so-called stimulus money from the feds.
It's a matter of principle.
18. Interviewee : I also think not adding a new tax is a matter of principle.
19. Interviewer : At the time, we hoped the state legistlature would provide supplemental
appropriations and perhaps a small increase in the gas tax to provide needed highway funding.
Because of opposition to raising taxes of any kind and then the catastrophic recession the past
three years, the legislature cut funding. We’re now in a bind with new projects and necessary
repairs far exceeding the funds available.
20. Interviewee : I think, in times like this, all agencies must lives within their means. Even if that
seems painful to some. As I recall, that was the point you made when running for election to
the County Council. It helped you defeat the long-time Council member you opposed.
21. Interviewer : I guess it depends upon who’s feeling the pain, or “ whose ox is being gored” so to
speak.
22. Interviewee : I don’t folloe that metaphor at all. All of us were gored during the recession and all
of us felt the pain of budget cuts. Metaphors are interesting but don’t prove anything.
23. Interviewer : Well, the Chamber has been pushing the county to make Karber Road four lanes
instead of two because of the rapidly growing development on the south side. The cost of this
improvement, with necessary curbs, sidewalks, and strom sewers, will be more than $1 million
per lane mer mile. This limits us to a quarter-mile od a four-lane Karber Road per year. That’s
long time to complete this much-needed five-mile stretch of road.
24. Interviewee : The federal stimulus money was designed for projects like this that would have
employed dozens, maybe hundreds, of workers, most of them unemployed. We in the county
must live with the past principled actions of its leaders. I think it’s time to prioritize projects.
Those of us in business (vocal emphasis) have to do that all the time.
25. Interviewer : And so do those of us in government positions. The problem is that many projects
seem to be at the top of the priority list. For instance, the Karber Road project is highly
important, but so are the replacement costs of 15 bridges in the area that the state is
demanding we repair or replace. The cost is more than a million a bridge just for repair work.
26. Interviewee : A lot of the stimulus money was earmarked for bridge repair and replacement,
particularly after the disaster in Minneapolis. Those could have been at the top of the county’s
list.
27. Interviewer : (sounds exasperated) Susan… The past is past, and debating past decisions will not
solve any of our problems. The average life for a paved road is about 15 years, and a great many
new roads built in the county in the booming 1990s are reaching that age. Do you know what it
costs just to repave a road ?
28. Interviewee : No (laughing), but you’re going to tell me.
29. Interviewer : That’s right. (not smilling) Last year it cost $50,000 to resurface a mile of road that
required no other repairs. Since we rely primarily on asphalt that is oil based, the cost this year
with the rise in oil prices is likely to exceed $55,000 a mile, not including gas price increase for
running our equipment.
30. Interviewee : I can appreciate this fact, but you’ll just have to delay some resurfacing until the
economy and tax revenue improve. Or… you could apply for a federal grant for matching funds.
Many counties in this state are doing this.
31. Interviewer : That sounds (vocal emphasis) like a good idea until you figure in the added cost of
a deteriorated road that requires more than resurfacing. The cost could jump $75,000 a mile.
We Have over $650 million invested in county roads.
32. Interviewee : Josh, it’s priority again. Prioritize the important projects and reduce or eliminate
other costs. You can do this until you hear from the government about your application for a
matching fund grant.
33. Interviewer : Okay, that sounds like good business (vocal emphasis). We can do this by
eliminating culvert repairs, guardrail improvements, signage, snow plowing, salting of icy roads,
mowing during the summer, picking up dead animals, and patching of potholes. Would you and
county residents be in favor of this after the first snowfall or severe damage to tires and
suspensions because of potholes and ruts ?
34. Interviewee : I’m not proposing the elimination of these essentials (vocal emphasis). You have
conveniently ignored my suggestion of applying for a federal grant for matching funds for
essential bridge or road projects.
35. Interviewer : I will not sacrifice the principle I ran on ; we will not ask for federal funds. The
federal government needs to live within its means as we do.
36. Interviewee : You do not seem to have a problem asking me to sacrifice my principle that a
wheel tax would burden our county residents but not those driving in from surrounding
counties.
37. Interviewer : (sounding incredulous) You’re president of the Chamber of Commerce, and you’re
concerned about those who bring their business and their money into this county ?
38. Interviewee : Of course not (sounds a bit testy). We have many programs designed to encourage
working and shopping here. I’m just concerned about fairness. When we all but begged you and
the council not and would not sacrifice your principles. Well, my principle is no new taxes, and
now you’re begging me to sacrifice my principles to make up for the problems largely caused by
your principles.
39. Interviewer : I hear you and can appreciate what you’re saying, but short of tollbooths on every
road, there is no way to charge a road tax on those coming in, and we both agree we want them
to continue coming in.
40. Interviewee : that’s not what I had in mind. It’s ridiculous.
41. Interviewer : Real or imagined tollbooths won’t be necessary because I suspect that surrounding
counties will soon have a Local Option Highway User Tax of their own. In fact, Jefferson and
Henry counties to our west will institute such a tax this fall. Like us, they see no other choice.
42. Interviewee : Well, I’m not sold on the idea of a new tax yet, but I will think about it and then
talk to you about the nature of the tax plan you would initiate, such as a sunset provision that
would end it after three years.
43. Interviewer : That’s all I wanted to do this morning, to encourage you to think about the idea
and the problems we face. Can we meet on Thursday morning around 9:00 ?
44. Interviewee : That time is open on my calendar, but I’d like to see a breakdown of the highway
budget for this year before then to see where our road money is going.
45. Interviewer : The County Council committee on option taxes is meeting Wednesday night, and I
might have some ideas to share the next morning. I’ll get you a copy of the budget.
46. Interviewee : Okay. See ypu the. We do pay a price for pur principles, don’t we ?
47. Interviewer : Yes, we do, but what else do we have to live by ?

Persuasion Role-Playing Cases

Acquiring a Commuter Airline Service
The interviewer is the manager of a university-operated airport that had provide commercial
passenger service to the area since the 1950s. unfortunately, the convenience and limo service
every two hours to an international airport just 65 miles away and the cost of commuter airline
tickets resulted in several airlines coming and going over the years because of lack of
passengers. Nighthawk Air is the only airline continuing to serve the airport with two morning
and two afternoon flights to Detroit. It has announced that it will discontinue service on
December 1. The interviewer is scheduling interviews with several commuter airlines in an effort
to persuade them to begin service in December.
The interviewee is chief of operations for Eastern-Southern, a four-year-old commuter airline
serving Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Its long-range plans are to extend
service to Pennsylvania and Ohio. Competition from large airlines, a steep rise in fuel bills, and a
severe economic recession have made these plans tenuous at the best. She is willing to listen to
the interviewer from a service area that might be in the airline’s future, but she is well aware og
the number of airlines that have come and gone from his airport. There would have to be
guarantees of reasonable passenger numbers and some financial incentives. The interviewer has
a good background in the aviation industry but little management experience or success in
selling commuter service to his campus and community.

Student Activity
1. Locate a professional (sales representative, recruiter, fund-raiser) who conduct persuasive
interviews on a regular basis and spend a day on the job with this person. Observe how this
person prepares for each interview, select strategies, opens interviews, develops needs and
solutions, close interviews, and adapts to interviewee.
2. Select three persons in different career fields (e.g., sales, medicine, athletics, lobbying,
recruiting, advocacy) who have extensive experience in persuasive interviewing. Probe into
how they prepare for and try to persuade three of the following types of interviewees,
indecisive, hostile, close-minded, skeptical, shopping around, highly educated. Which do
they find most difficult ? what are their most effective strategies for each ? which value and
emotional appeals do they use most often and why ?
3. Identify an acquaintance or family member who is known for driving hard bargains. Go with
this person to a persuasive interview; it need not be a sales situation. Observe the role this
person plays in the opening, how this person handles the need or desire, the information
this person obtain, objections and questions raised about the solution, and how this person
negotiates a final decision. If this interviewee threatens to go to a competitor or a person
higher up in organization, how does the interviewer react ?
4. Keep a long over a two-week period of the telephone and e-mail solicitations you receive.
How well are these adapted to you as a person and to your needs, desires, and motives ?
Which values and emotions do they use as triggering devices ? How ethical are they tactics ?
Which types of evidences do they employ ?How do they react when you raise questions or
objections ? how do they close the interviews ?