THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW
TO BE SUCCESSFUL
You can give the greatest talk,
have the most people on a teleseminar, fill a room with prospects
and if you don't learn how to give a compelling call to action
you will lose major bucks.
Whether it's on a sales page
on your web site or the resource box on your article submission,
or a conversation at a networking group, YOU HAVE TO ASK!
Look at it as issuing an invitation
If the idea of selling turns
you off, look at it as issuing an invitation. "I have a
free marketing call coming up; may I e-mail you the information?"
"I have an article that fits right in with what you are
doing, may I e-mail it to you."
Look what happens with phrases
like that. You are in service, you are helpful and it is a form
of permission marketing because they give you their e-mail and
you can begin to establish a relationship with them.
Make it easy for them to take action
If you are writing your call
to action on your web site make it as easy as possible. Outline
each step. "Click here to receive your free….."
"Let's get started! Click here to contact me for an appointment."
If you are offering your call
to action at a teleclass give them the URL that contains the
sales page that outlines easy steps to take. It's also a great
idea to offer a bonus or put time limit on a special offer.
That stimulates immediate action.
If you are presenting your call
to action in person, have helpers available at several points
in the room to quickly assist people in purchasing or signing
up.
Whatever your call to action,
make it very easy to do.
If you can't create a strong
call to action, get help
What prompted this article was
a story I read in a marketing book about a person who offered
a free teleseminar, had several hundred people show up and because
he didn't know how to issue a call to action, he got a 5% sign
up when he should have gotten 45%. So what if you can't close
a sale? You may not know how. You may not feel comfortable giving
one. You can team up with someone who can. If you are giving
a talk, have someone partner with you at the end to talk about
the service or product or opportunity you are offering. They
are also in a position to offer an endorsement, which will stimulate
sales.
Practice till you can offer a
great call to action yourself
Being able to give a good call
to action may be as easy as a small shift on how you look at
"closing a sale" by calling it an "invitation."
It may be about finding the right words by adopting some of
the phrases others use that resonate with you. You only need
to ask them to take a small step like "I'd like to keep
in touch, would you consider opting-in for my free monthly e-magazine
and a special bonus offer I have there for you?"
A call to action is like asking
people you really like to come to your party because you want
to get to know them better.
Make their first action step
easy
Ease people into your sales
cycle. People seldom buy the first time they come across a site.
That's why we have free offerings on our opt in pages. But the
next step in your marketing funnel needs to be a $10-$20 item
so they can "try you out" without investing very much.
People will work their way up your marketing funnel, gradually
purchasing higher prices items as you build your relationship
with them. Remember, 80% of your sales come from 20% of your
list. And your list builds one opt-in at a time. One call to
action that gathers people in.
Ask for their e-mail
The greatest gift you can receive
from a person is their e-mail address. Be sure you deserve it.
Make your initial free offering as exciting, as relevant, as
valuable as you know how. Then your prospect knows that's the
quality they can expect from you at every level.
If you don't ask, the answer
is always "no."
Issue your call to action invitation
in the tone and energy that fits with your business, but make
it clearly a request for the prospect to take a very specific
action. Go back over your web site. Review your sales pages.
Clarify and strengthen your call to action and watch your numbers
rise.
Providing a strong call to action
is the key to your success.
© 2007 Cara Lumen
