A sales presentation has many elements and they’re all very important. But the one that’s probably most important and often left out is the call to action, also known as a CTA. A sales presentation is a huge waste of time if it doesn’t end with a call to action, telling the primed, enthusiastic audience what you want them to do now. By clearly communicating the action you want the audience to take, you can increase the effectiveness of your presentation and help the audience understand the value of what you are presenting.
The good news is that CTA’s can be used as various times during your presentation effectively like at the end of the presentation, during the presentation, and after making a recommendation.
Creating a Call to Action
If you’re not sure how to create a call to action or what to call your audience to do, go back to the purpose of your presentation. All sales presentations wrap up with the audience excited to do something (usually buy a product or book a call). When presenting, remember to think about what you should tell your audience during your presentation in order to leave them ready to perform the action you want them to take. This could be as simple as encouraging them to ask questions, or it could be more complex, such as encouraging them to make a purchase.
Clear and Direct
Make your call to action clear and direct. Don’t be shy about asking the audience to do it and don’t expect them to figure it out, even though it may seem obvious. Direct language means starting with an action verb. Instead of saying something like “You should sign up for our newsletter now,” tell them: “Sign up for our newsletter now.” Make it a direct command.
You can also repeat the CTA at various points during your presentation, doing this will help to ensure that your audience remembers it.
Add Urgency
Add a sense of urgency to your call to action. Tell your audience to perform the action right now while it is still being offered. If possible, make it something they can do before they leave the room. This is an important moment when the members of your audience have just heard your pitch and are primed to take you up on your offer. For example, you could say “sign up for the workshop today to take advantage of the early bird discount.”
Include a Benefit
The best calls to action include a benefit along with the action you want your audience members to take. Rather than simply telling them to buy your product, say something like, “Join our network now and start filling your address book with key business contacts.” Ultimately, your audience will take action when they believe that there is a benefit to them by doing so.
Keep It Short
Your call to action should be short. There’s no need to recap material you just covered in the presentation (most sales presentations include a summary before the call to action that does that). You just need to tell your audience what to do, so keep it as concise as possible.
Focus on Emotions
If you’ve done your due diligence and you know your audience well, you know what emotions trigger them to buy products like yours. Appeal to this key emotion in your call to action and your audience will respond. Also, use strong confident language to show how confident you are in your recommendation.
Overall, using a CTA in a presentation can be a powerful way to guide the audience towards the desired outcome and ensure that they take action based on the information you have presented. If you are ready to take your presentation skills to the next level grab a copy of our presentation skills course today.