Thank you for writing to us with your important question. It seems that your goal is to get landlords to show up at your meeting. So a good question to ask is ?Why should they do so?? Or, suppose you were a landlord yourself: what would it take to get you to come? We think part of the answer is that there has to be some benefit for the landlord for coming, or at least some perceived benefit. What might that benefit be? It could be saving money, since you mention a loan program. It could be compliance with the law. It could be doing the right thing for one?s tenants. It could be fear of penalty if one does not take part. It could be group pressure from other landlords who will be attending. Any or all of these are possible reasons for coming. State your best reasons clearly, forcefully, and respectfully in your communications. And if you do know other landlords who will definitely be coming, perhaps they might be able to help you persuade other landlords they know. In your case, some landlords may hesitate to come because they think it will cost them money, or because they think no one will bother them if they do not come, do not think it will be worth their time. In your letter, in your press release, and in other communications, you will want to find ways to counter those possible objections, and persuade them that the benefits of attending are very much greater then the possible costs of not being there. You may also wish to consult Chapter 6, Section 2 of the Community Tool Box for some more general information on Principles of Persuasion, as well as Chapter 6, Chapter 3 on Preparing Press Releases, and Chapter 33, Sections 1 and 2 on writing letters. We hope some of these thoughts may be helpful to you, and hope that your meeting will bring good results for everyone. Thanks again for writing to us, and all best wishes for success in your important work.
