Signed, Sealed… Derailed.
Back when I was about to turn 30 (when that number felt “old” to me, note eye-roll at myself), one of my dearest friends decided she wanted to make my birthday special.
She asked me what kind of celebration I'd like (dance party, of course), asked me for a list of people to invite, and dove headfirst into planning the event.
As an artist (and life-of-the-party personality), she applied her creative brain to all kinds of fun surprises and playful details, down to the invitations featuring a photo of 2-year-old me on the front:
(That's me bursting my first bubble. You can't handle the cute.)
The week of the party, we were both excited.
But, my friend's bright, brilliant, creative brain was writing checks her attention span couldn't cash:
She realized the day before the party that she'd forgotten to actually mail the invitations out.
This was just before Facebook arrived on the scene, so she couldn't just throw together a cute FB-invite and get a crowd together.
Instead, she scrapped the original plan, made some calls, and a smaller group of us danced the night away at the pub where my favorite rockabilly band was playing. It was a total blast. (And the big dance party she threw for my 40th was one of the best nights of my life. Better late than never, right?)
This reminds me of something that can happen with a lot of solopreneurs:
They spend years honing their skills so they can deliver great service to their clients, they prepare quality materials and impactful programs for clients, they even have great marketing plans, but…
They leave out that last one last step that would bring their ideal clients to the “party”: a clear Call To Action.
It's amazing how many people make it actually unclear how to work with them, or simply what to do next. (I once spent 10 minutes searching a website just for a way to buy the product that I already knew I wanted!).
A great, strong CTA can be:
A button on your website that says “Schedule your free consultation" (not vague, like “learn more” or “Contact Us”).
A link on a product sales page that says “Buy Now” or “Apply Now" (not, “I'm interested”).
A few words at the end of a networking email making a clear ask, like “Would you be available to meet for coffee? How about [offer 2-3 dates/times]?” (not “I'd enjoy chatting sometime if you're available.").
People like to know the very next step they should take. And bonus: the clear Call To Action subtly shows that you're confident in yourself and your work.
So, of course I'm going to practice what I preach and give you a clear action to take:
Scan your website, your marketing content, and your typical emails, and make sure you're metaphorically “putting the invitations in the mail” by laying out the very next step you want others to take. Let me know how it goes.
Oh, and speaking of mail not arriving: Upon returning from vacation, I realized a tech-snafu meant my last few newsletters hadn't reached about half of my readers (doh!). If you haven't heard from me in a while, and want to know:
the secret strategy of preeminence, or
why I want your Tuesdays to be free for hiking, too,
Just click the underlined links :)
-Jane