Most ads today don’t really ask the reader to do anything. They are too busy trying get them to pay attention and feel something.

The most effective advertising a small business can run is advertising that makes the reader take self-interested action. By grabbing your reader, viewer or listener’s attention and making them do something, you stand a much better chance of them following through to the ultimate step of buying or becoming a client.

Make them pick up the phone, visit a website, scratch off a coupon, unlock a lock, calculate their saving, send in a postcard. Go back and read everything you have in the works for advertising, letters, scripts, postcards, web offers – and make sure that you add an element of action.

It’s a proven fact that if you can engage your prospect and get them to take some form of action you will enhance your chances of turning them into a client. Offering free information is a great way to engage a prospect. Those that take the action of acquiring your valuable information products will be ten times more likely to take the next step and engage in a personal sales appointment.

Of course in that appointment you must find ways to get the person sitting across the desk to hold the puppy.