Effective Ways To Ask Potential Clients To Actually Contact You
Hi <<First Name>>,
Many professionals' deeply focussed training takes them further away from marketing than they realise. In practice, tempted to emulate 'normal' marketing, they may be disappointed.
In this blog series, we're tracking through how to adapt the 5 fundamental stages of marketing to suit your ideal clients:
Previously, you've considered (1) getting potential clients' attention, (2) promising an advantage, (3) providing proof and (4) convincing people they personally will gain...
Next (5), you have to Ask for Action – to encourage readers to actually contact you.
But Asking for Action is difficult for us!
The Five Steps of 'Normal Marketing' Don't Fit Professionals
- There are elements of traditional marketing that often can't be used
- The professions have difficult-to-describe aspects of their services
- The emotion-laden client is usually more sensitive about what to expect
So the professions cannot design their marketing materials exactly as other businesses do.
The final step in the traditional sequence is vital
Normal marketing always makes a point of asking potential customers to take action.
All successful adverts, leaflets, mail order catalogues and e-commerce websites explicitly ask the reader to email, phone, send a coupon or click – to make the purchase.
For professionals, the appropriate invitation is usually for a call or email to arrange an appointment.
All the explanations, reassurances and encouragements work towards this final step. It is the vital end of the logical sequence of activity. Marketing without this Call-To-Action is simply giving away research fodder.
Repelled by the idea of asking out loud?
But some professionals seem to feel repelled by the thought of explicitly asking for action. Perhaps it's because their whole raison d'etre is to offer help, advice and assistance; so asking clients to 'buy' that service feels conflicted.
They would rather provide bald contact details and hope that clients use it.
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(Mind you, lawyers are not alone in this. Many other professionals – and even other commercial concerns – work assiduously at the first four steps but cut this final step to nearly invisible.)
This leaves website visitors confused, off-balance and probably feeling rejected.
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Let's review normal transactions.
Listen in to any purchase in a High Street shop.
At the psychological level, it takes (minimum) two people speaking one sentence each. These are “Please may I...?” and “Yes, thank you”. In practice, we often hold out our goods silently. And the assistant may just smile "Thanks".
It doesn't matter who goes first. In a shop it is usually the buyer, at the till. In a more expertise-driven discussion, it is often the expert.
So any natural face-to-face or telephone enquiry is likely to reach an end-point where you ask “If everything is clear, shall we...?” or “do you wish to...?”. This brings things to a decision-point.
Surely this is right and proper?
It's just as professional to do the same on your website.
That is, to politely suggest they email or call you, and confirm that you are pleased for them to do that.
Beyond providing factual information, clarifying the next step is proper client care. Making it simple, direct and easy-to-do is right.
Useful Point: Encouraging contact clearly and politely takes only a sentence or two on any publication. It is quick and easy, and effective.
Less obvious perhaps, is the 'tone of voice' you do it with.
Revising this one area could immediately bring you more enquiries, or more suitable enquiries. So it is worth spending a little time on.
It is so powerful and so important that I will offer to help you with this immediately, FREE TODAY ONLY with no commitment. In return I ask only that you fairly consider engaging the Just The Essentials project after due assessment and discussion.
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On the other hand, you can wait for the following emails where I'll write about quiet techniques you can use to more proactively attract instructions.
All the best, Dave
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If this is not relevant and you do not want more enquiries and clients, please let me know and I promise I'll remove you from all future notices immediately (but sadly).
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Alternatively, if you prefer I can send emails to other people (eg your Practice Manager or IT Manager), please let me know and I'll gladly make that change.
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More Enquiries - More Clients - More Productivity
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