Call To Action--The Tactic That Can Transform Your Website Revenues

by Bonnie Boots

The ultimate goal of most web sites is to make money. And the first question most clients ask me is “How can my website make more money?”

Yet, if you spent a day with me reviewing websites, you might come to the conclusion that most people don’t really want their website to earn anything.

Sure, they’ll have a product or two for sale, but their sales copy manages to dance so lightly around the subject that the casual visitor might not even notice they’re meant to by something.

This is usually an indication that the web site publisher doesn’t feel comfortable with “selling.” They want to make money, but they don’t want to be pushy.

When I pointed out to one client that her sales copy was wishy-washy and didn’t really command her visitor to buy, she said, “I’m not a used car salesman. I’m not going to push myself at people.”

This woman works as a counselor. She sells both her time and her books. Yet her income lags far behind what she’s capable of doing because she will not take the one step that would transform her website sales—she will not make the ‘call to action.”

The sales message on your web page is the most powerful moneymaking tool you have. It is the only thing that can transform a visitor into a buyer.

You may deliver that sales message in several ways, in sales copy, in an audio message or even in a video message.

No matter how you deliver your sales message, it must always contain these elements:

1. Establish your credibility
2. Present your offer
3. Make your call to action.

These three elements together have proven to be very effective. Yet the element most people fail to include is the call to action.

This is not unique to web site publishers. It’s a common failing is sales in general. In the world of real estate, insurance and yes, even car sales, it’s called “failing to close.”

People who fail to close will spend time talking a potential client through all the details of a house or insurance policy or car. They explain all the features and benefits. And then they stop talking and wait. They wait for the potential client to take that last step—the step that transforms them from a visitor into a buyer—all by themselves.

Real estate companies, insurance agencies and car dealerships know the average untrained person will stall when it comes to closing the sale. That’s why they spend a great deal of money on programs that teach their people how to make that call to action—how to close the sale and turn the visitor into a buyer.

But web site owners, working on their own, don’t have someone to force them into this type of training. So manyof them avoid making the call to action. And as a consequence, they also avoid making a profit.

Pay attention—the one tactic that can transform your website’s revenues is making the call to action.

What is the call to action? Here are a few examples:

• Click here to ORDER NOW!
• Click here now to take advantage of this limited offer.
• Call now to get this special price.
• Subscribe now and get this bonus book instantly!

You see the call to action in every piece of mail that arrives in your mailbox.

“Open this right now!”

You see the call to action in every infomercial on TV.

“Pick up the phone now and order while supplies last!”

You should see the call to action on every web site.

“Click here right now.”

And you most especially should see the call to action on YOUR web site.

There is nothing dishonest or even dishonorable in boldly presenting the call to action to your web site visitors. It is not an underhanded psychological trick. It is not a “hypnotic command.” It is not manipulative or unprofessional.

It is simply a necessary part of the conversation you begin having with a visitor the moment they land on your sales page.

If you believe in what you are offering, if you are confident it offers good value for the money and will be of real service to your visitors, then surely you ant them to make a purchase and enjoy the benefits.

If you care about your visitors, then you must make the call to action.

The fact is, even when they can clearly see the benefits, most people need to be given that final nudge to move them from inaction to action. They need to be given direct instructions on what to do next—click the button, pick up the phone, put this car in the mail.

And what’s more, most people WANT to be told to take action. They want another human being—even if that human being is a salesperson—to assure them they are making a wise decision.

Asking for the order is the one tactic that can transform your website sales and put you into a profit position. The more you learn about making the call to action, the more confident you'll feel in using it. One of the best books written on the subject is Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results by Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg.

The book goes far beyond thinking in limited terms of putting a "click to buy" button on the bottom of your sales page. Instead, it views the construction of a web site, from beginning to end, in terms of its single purpose--to guide the visitor into making a purchase.

The Eisenberg's use the term "persuasion architecture" to describe this planning. But don't let the fancy terms scare you off. You'll find the book written in straightforward language, explaining practical ways of turning a ho-hum website into a moneymaker.

One of the best features of the book is a series of screenshots showing web sites before and after they've been retooled. The pictures make concepts come to life in a way that will make you say "I can do that!"

Click here now to order Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results from Amazon and you'll already be on your way to a more profitable website!

 
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