The first phase of every negotiation is the setup: setting the stage for a satisfying outcome to the negotiation. The more you can stack the odds in your favor before you start negotiating, the better the deal you'll be able to strike: • Who is involved in the negotiation, and are they open to dealing with you? • Who are you negotiating with, and do they know who you are and how you can help them? • What are you proposing, and how does it benefit the other party? • What's the setting will you present your offer in person, by phone, or by some other means? • What are all of the environmental factors around the deal--do recent events make this deal more or less important to the other party?

Transitional call: 2. Create reciprocity. I've never worried about giving away too much free information. In fact, the more generous a brand is, the more reciprocity they create. All relationships are give-and-take, and the more you give to your customers, the more likely they will be to give something back in the future. Give freely.

Transitional call: 1. Stake a claim to your territory. If you want to be known as the leader in a certain territory, stake a claim to that territory before the competition beats you to it. Creating a PDF, a video series, or anything else that positions you as the expert is a great way to establish authority.

Us: Will you marry me? Customer: No. Us: Will you go out with me again? Customer: Yes. Us: Will you marry me now? Customer: No. Us: Will you go out with me again? Customer: Sure, you're interesting and the information you provide is helpful. Us: Will you marry me? Customer: Okay, I'll marry you now.

At StoryBrand we recommend two kinds of calls to action: direct calls to action and transitional calls to action. Direct calls to action include requests like "buy now," "schedule an appointment," or "call today." A direct call to action is sornething that leads to a sale, or at least is the firat step down a path that leads to a sale. Transitional calls to action, however, contain leus riak und usually offer a customer something for free. Transitional calls to action can be used to "on ramp" potential customers to to an eventual purchase. Inviting people to watch a webinar or download a PDF are good examples of transitional calls to action.

There should be a "Buy Now" button in the top right corner of your website, and it shouldn't be cluttered with a bunch of other buttons. The same call to action should be repeated above the fold and in the center of your website, and again and again as people scroll down the page.