How to Create an Irresistible Call to Action Button

By Kevin Gallagher

Every single website is created in order to get a visitor to do something. This might be asking them to buy something in your ecommerce store. It might be getting them to fill in an online contact form so you can gather some information or involve persuading them to ring a number, process their payment through payment gateways or it might just be getting them to watch a video or read some information.

Whatever your websites goal, you will at some point (unless you have a one page website) want them to press a button. Unlike hyperlinks, which are generally there for your visitor to get further information or explore another webpage, a button is more of an encouragement to action. You will have seen them in various places on a website asking you to “Click here” or maybe telling you to “Press this button to get your quote” or something similar. Buttons are your big moment to seal the deal — you need to make it as irresistible as possible so that your visitors want nothing more than to press that crucial button.

Here is how to make one that is irresistible:

Design

First thing you need to do is make sure your button looks the part. People like to feel that when they press a button, even though it’s just pixels on a page, that they are physically pressing a button. You must have felt that strange satisfaction you get when you see it move in. You can achieve this by choosing a button with a nice gradient or 3D lighting effect on it that makes it look like a real button. You also need to choose a colour that really catches the eye. The best colours for this are any that really contrast with your background or what it is next to. Just make sure it sticks out like a very sore thumb.

Message

Next thing you need to do is add a ‘call to action’. This is basically a short sharp message that encourages your visitor to click thebutton. There are tons of books on how to write these effectively, but in a nutshell you need to say ‘click here now’ in order to ‘get this great benefit’.

Placement

Finally you need to put it in the right place on the page. There is no point in sticking it away from where your visitors are going to be reading. If they can’t see your payment button, then you certainly aren’t going to be performing any online credit card processing. You also don’t want to have it lost in the middle of a load of other text so that their eye is not drawn to it. To help your user, place it in a nice clearing on the page, immediately after your sales message. You may also want to put one further up the page if your page is a bit long and requires the user to scroll. Essentially, just make it effortless for the user to find and impossible for them to miss.

Author Information

Kevin Gallagher has been an expert copywriter for many years and has  written content for numerous blogs including the popular payment service provider blog by Lancore, a large payment gateway provider.

Setting The Perfect Price In Your Sales Pitch

By Kim Jensen

Closing that sales pitch is never easy. It today’s economic climate everyone is desperate to cling on to their money so getting them to part with it can be tricky to say the least. In the world of sales you’re not just convincing one person to give you money you’ve usually got an entire board room of people that need to give the go ahead.

Price Standpoint

One of the most important areas for you and the people you’re selling to is going to be the price. Many people will go with the cheapest price just because it’s the cheapest without giving any regard for quality or any other factors. Thanks to the Internet everyone is very price aware, they know where they can go for a cheaper quote or a more basic service. If you’re selling a product or service you need to be proud of what you’re selling and the price you’re selling them at.

If you try and hide your price or you’re not happy to be open about what you’re charging, they’ll think you have something to hide. If you’re keeping your prices quiet throughout your presentation, whoever you’re selling to will be constantly wondering what you’re charging rather than concentrating on your presentation. Be open and honest about your prices from the beginning and emphasize the value they’re getting for this money.

Selling Value

One of the most common objections a sales person is likely to hear is that the price is too high. In this instance you need to make sure you’re asking the right questions. You need to find out exactly why they think it’s too expensive. Maybe they spoke to someone last week who could offer what you’re offering but for a cheaper price. In this case you need to look at what exactly they’ve already been offered, maybe your product or service has something the other person couldn’t offer and this would justify the slightly higher price.

For example if you sell fixed assets software explain it comes with a built in report function — can the cheaper quote offer that too? If they had no interest in your products or service they wouldn’t have sat through your presentation. If they are just after the cheapest price for the sake of being cheap they are not going to be easy customers to work with. By asking the right questions you will still be able to get the sale but you won’t have to sacrifice all your profit margins.

Right Questions

If they are going to insist on a discount you again need to start asking the right questions. We’ve already talked about being proud of your prices so by offering that discount you’re chipping away at that pride. Find out if they genuinely believe your product or service isn’t worth what you’re asking then you can find out what they would expect to be included for the price.

If you are going to offer a discount don’t make it an incentive otherwise you’re giving them more power. If they are willing to offer something in return like signing a longer contract this might be worth a discount.

Author Information

Kim Jensen works for Real Asset Management, a company who specializes in tracking software.