Calling All
Customers

Calling All Customers

Do you find that your marketing and sales efforts don't achieve the results you expected? Perhaps you are missing one of the most important elements--the call to action.

A call to action tells customers what to do. Call for more information, come in during the sale, visit our web site, place your order, call for an appointment, request a free sample, subscribe, renew your membership, etc. In each case, the customer is told what their next step should be.

Of course, customers are not so easily influenced that all you have to do is say 'Order now!' and your phones start ringing off the hook. However, if you have a great ad that gets customers excited about what you can do for them, don't let them down by failing to tell them what to do next.

Read your marketing materials to make sure they have strong calls to action. What do you want someone to do after reading your brochure? Perhaps you want them to call for an appointment. Make sure your phone number (or numbers) are displayed prominently in the brochure, and say something such as, 'Call today to schedule your consultation.'

When you expect to receive orders as a direct result of an ad or mailing, make ordering easy and obvious. Include an order form with plenty of room for a customer to write his name and address. Make sure your mailing address is easy to read, and pricing information is clear and complete. Include alternate ways to order, such as a toll-free number or web site.

Sales presentations should also include a call to action as the closer. Ask for the sale. 

You can enhance your call to action with urgency, such as a limited-time offer or sale price.

Once you've built up interest in your business, don't leave customers hanging. Tell them what to do with a strong call to action.

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