Emily Yepes<\/p>\n
We\u2019re all taught at some point that we need to ask for a Call to Action (CTA)\u2013 a request that the person we\u2019re talking to commit to do something. And usually, we make that request. But how effectively?<\/p>\n
The landscape has changed. The\u00a0CTAs that worked a decade ago with a brand-new contact simply aren\u2019t effective anymore. They don\u2019t set us apart from the noise. In fact, they make us part <\/em><\/strong>of that noise. I\u2019m talking about calls to action like:<\/p>\n In the situations where we have no prior relationship with the person, these are CTAs that, statistically speaking, are highly unlikely to result in any action other than the person ignoring us and our message. Years ago, this kind of CTA made statistical sense. Today, they are premature. Buyers simply tune them out.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a better approach. Consider Caitlyn\u2019s initial message to Jerry, a decision maker who eventually ended up working with her company:<\/p>\n Hi, Jerry, thanks for connecting. The Mutant Sherlock Holmes activation at Comic Con was amazing. I walked by as you were starting to let people through and wow, that was a big line. <\/strong><\/p>\n Do you have your own team of brand ambassadors for those activations? Or do you use an agency?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Look at Caitlyn\u2019s CTA. It\u2019s so subtle, you might have missed it \u2013 but it\u2019s in there. She asks Jerry a question that is relevant, easy for him to answer, and a deepening of the conversation between peers. \u00a0Make no mistake \u2013 that\u2019s a CTA. Notice what she\u2019s asking him to do: answer a question that\u2019s uniquely relevant to him and his situation. Caitlyn knew what her CTA was. Make sure you know what yours is, too!<\/p>\n Those weak, old-fashioned CTAs are a bit like going to a party, walking up to someone you\u2019ve never met and asking them if they\u2019ll commit to a long-term relationship with you. You need a bit of back and forth first!<\/p>\n Notice that when Caitlyn asks those questions in the way she asks them (with the subtext \u201cIs this even something that\u2019s worth talking about \u2013 is there even a possible fit here?\u201d) she\u2019s establishing equal business stature<\/strong>. That\u2019s very important \u2013 just as important digitally as it is face-to-face. She\u2019s testing for fit<\/strong>, which is what professionals do. They don\u2019t waste their time or anyone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Emily Yepes We\u2019re all taught at some point that we need to ask for a Call to Action (CTA)\u2013 a request that the person we\u2019re talking to commit to do something. And usually, we make that request. But how effectively? The landscape has changed. The\u00a0CTAs that worked a decade ago with a brand-new contact simply…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":17706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1120],"tags":[1247,1261,1393,1225,1612,1200],"class_list":["post-17702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-effective-sales","tag-sales-communication","tag-sales-contracts","tag-sales-process-development","tag-sandler-hot-take","tag-selling-strategies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n