Last week, I wrote about how to generate interest in your products and services, but how do you turn that interest into action?

You’ve shown your ideal prospects that you have something they need. But now you need to make them want it.

And you might think needing something automatically translates to wanting it, but it doesn’t.

Think about car insurance. You need it if you have a car, but you don’t necessarily want it – there are other things you’d rather spend your money on.

And just because you need something, it doesn’t mean you need it urgently. Maybe your laptop is running slowly, and it’s time to get a new one, but the need isn’t so urgent that you’ll rush out to buy one today.

And that’s why generating interest is only part of the process. Once you’ve established the need for your product or service, you need to create desire. So think about how you can get your potential clients from just needing what you offer to needing it and wanting to buy it right now.

Give people a reason to make a decision sooner rather than later. Exclusivity, FOMO (fear of missing out), and limited availability all drive people to buy.

If availability is limited, this creates an urgency. People won’t want to miss out on a good opportunity.

A product might be limited because only a limited number have been produced. A course or event may be limited by venue capacity.

But volume and capacity aren’t the only reasons for limited availability. Sometimes availability is limited to ensure quality.

For example, I only offer three places a month on my 12-week programme. There is only one of me, and there are only 24 hours a day, so I can’t mentor an unlimited number of people. Places are limited because if they weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to deliver the quality of support I want to. I wouldn’t be able to give my mentees my best because I’d be stretching myself too thin.

So if there is a valid reason why your product or service is limited, you can use limited availability to create desire and urgency.

“Get exclusive behind-the-scenes access”

“Be the first to hear about...”

“Access our VIP discounts”

“Don’t miss out on this one-time deal…”

“Join our elite mastermind…”

Get readers excited about your offer by creating a sense of exclusivity. Give them the opportunity to be part of something new, unique, private or premium. Offer them access to something special.

A special offer can be a good way to encourage readers to buy. This could be a free gift, a discount on the first order, a bonus for spending over a certain amount, or an incentive for purchasing before a specific date.

For example, I always announce at least one month in advance when I am going to increase the fee for my consultations so that anyone who has been on the fence about booking one has an extra incentive to take action.

Early-bird offers work well for events or product launches, encouraging people to purchase early in return for a reduced ticket price or added bonus. Be clear about the savings or extra benefits of signing up early - how much is the discount and when does the incentive end?

The easiest way to destroy trust is to deceive your potential buyers or outright lie. So don’t create fake urgency. Don’t pretend something is limited if it isn’t. Don’t offer early-bird discounts if you have no intention of ever charging full price. Don’t say something is a one-time deal if it isn’t.

Using dodgy tactics to win sales is not going to help you in the long term. If you are tricking people into buying, they are unlikely to buy from you again or recommend you to others. So be honest. Build up great customer feedback and use it to create desire naturally.

You don’t have to create urgency to make people want what you’re offering. If you’ve already got their attention and interest, you can create desire.

If you’ve attracted their interest by highlighting a problem, show them how the problem could worsen if they don’t do anything about it. What are the consequences of not doing anything? How would their life be better if this problem no longer existed?

People often want time to think about a purchase because they are worried about making a bad buying decision. You can help alleviate their concerns by removing as much risk as possible.

Offering money-back guarantees, free trials, try-before-you-buy options, taster sessions, samples, free demos, flexible contracts, or cancel-anytime options can make a purchase feel less risky for your potential buyers.

Using feedback from past customers is a great way of creating desire. Potential customers see the results other people got from working with you, and they want those results for themselves. Why do you think so many fitness instructors use before-and-after images in their marketing?

So utilise your feedback. Show your potential customers exactly why they should want what you offer. Let your past results do the talking.

“On average our customers save around £200 per month…”

“We’ve helped over 2000 members increase their conversion rates…”

“95% of our clients report feeling healthier and happier after just one month…”

And if you don’t have stats like this, you can use client stories or case studies to demonstrate the results you get for more people.

If you’d like to receive my weekly emails, hit subscribe, and I’ll be in your inbox every Friday.

If you’re a small business owner, you do your own marketing and you don’t have an email list, this book is for you.

It’s a short, concise guide that will show you why having an email list is so valuable, how you can build one without huge investments of time or money, and how to turn subscribers into paying clients.

Think you don’t have enough time to write regular emails?

Worried you’ll run out of ideas?

Not convinced people will be interested in what you have to say?

This book will give you practical and realistic advice to help you get started and maintain momentum.