You run an ad. Write an article. Or give a talk. Whatever you do to push your name and message out into the world or into the hands of a prospective client, at the end, you should tell them what to do next.
Eventually, you want them to hire you. But it’s usually too early to tell them to do that.
If they’re sitting in the office with you after a free consultation and they need your services, yeah, tell them to “sign hereâ€. Hiring you is the next step. The next step at the end of a presentation, article, email, or when you hand someone your business card, however, is different.
The next step might be to visit a webpage to get more information, access your report, fill out a form, sign up for your webinar, or subscribe to your newsletter. Or it might be to call your office to ask questions or to make an appointment. Whatever it is, that’s what you should tell them to do.
The right “call to action†will depend on:
- The nature of their problem or objective
- Their level of sophistication
- Whether they already know and trust you/hired you before
- What else they’ve read or heard from you or about you
- Your offer or offers
- And other factors
But it’s usually not “sign hereâ€.
How do you know what’s best? You try different calls to action and track responses. You test and re-test to find which one brings the best response.
“Call for an appointment†vs. “Visit this page for more informationâ€. “Download my free report†vs. “Download my free planning kitâ€. “Call my office to schedule a free consultation†vs. “Call my office for a free phone consultationâ€.
You can also offer more than one call to action to accommodate those who are further along in the buying process, that is, closer to making a hiring decision: “Call to schedule a free consultation†and “Visit this page to learn more about your rightsâ€.
Tell people what to do next and you’ll get more people taking the next step.
How to talk to people about referrals
