What do you do when your cat won't listen to you?

My cat comes when she is called almost every time, unless she is asleep, my wife's cat will only come some of the times. I assume the question is geared towards if the cat is behaving in a manner you don't want them too. If they don't know it is a bad behavior I hold them firmly on the ground make them look at me and say their name and tell them no in a stern voice. Through practice they now know that when I use my stern voice and say no they are doing something bad.