7 Killer Ways To Increase Your Online Sales
by Tony Callahan

Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same question,
"How do I increase my online sales, NOW?"

Online selling is essentially a numbers game. The more visitors
to a site, the more sales that site will make. The number of
sales made divided by the total number of visitors to a site is
called the conversion rate. A typical site will have a conversion
rate of between 1 and 2 percent, or 1 to 2 sales per 100
visitors.

It is obvious that if the number of visitors increases, and the
conversion rate remains the same, then sales will increase.
Traffic is the first variable that most online marketers attempt
to influence when they begin their online marketing campaigns.

There are two basic problems with the increase traffic method.
The first is that it is expensive to run advertising and improve
a site's ranking in the search engines. The second, and subtler
issue is that there is no guarantee that the conversion rate will
remain constant.

So what about increasing the conversion rate? Using the example
above, if the number of buyers could be increased from 1 or 2 per
hundred visitors to 2 to 4, sales will have doubled! So what can
be done to increase a web site's conversion rate? Below I list 7
techniques designed to accomplish this goal:

1. Provide plenty of testimonials. These testimonials should be
from previous customers and should include specifics as to how
the product or service helped them solve a problem.

Obtaining testimonials is no problem, just ask. People love to be
asked what they think; most will be willing to share their
thoughts on your product or service. Implement a process of
following up with your customers with a questionnaire. Leave
plenty of room for their comments and make it clear that their
comments may be used in your advertising.

2. Improve your follow up. Many people will not buy the first
time they see your product. In fact, some experts claim that
people must see your message seven times before they are ready to
buy. Autoresponder courses are a great way to follow up with the
potential customer. There are many free autoresponder services on
the web. I use FreeAutoBot.com.

3. Give away free samples. By letting your customers try before
they buy, you can significantly increase your sales. If you sell
an information product, provide a few paragraphs or even the
first chapter by autoresponder. This technique also helps to
improve follow up by guaranteeing you obtain contact information.

4. Give a bonus product. Everyone likes to get something for
nothing, especially if that something is perceived as valuable.
E-books make a great bonus, especially if they contain original
content. If you are unable to create your own e-book, you could
give away someone else's. Free-eBooks.net is a good resource for
finding E-books to give away.

5. Focus the web site. Use the Direct Response Site model. A
direct response site is one where the customer's choices are very
limited. Essentially they can buy the product, bookmark the page,
subscribe to your ezine, or leave the site. The more options a
visitor has, the less likely they are to make a purchase.

6. Follow on sales are crucial. It is well known that successful
businesses make 75% of their sales to repeat customers. Start a
free ezine and get your customers to subscribe. Get their
permission to send them information on upgrades and new products.
On their receipt, mention a product that compliments their
purchase. Don't have a product to offer for follow on sales? Find
and join an affiliate program offering products of interest to
your target market.

7. Change the web site copy. Appeal to target emotion rather than
reason. People respond more intensely to emotional appeals than
to intellectual discussion. Design your copy to focus on the
visitor's dreams, desires, fears or goals. Position your product
to appeal to their emotional needs.

Implement these seven tips, and watch your online sales increase.

Tony L. Callahan is a successful Internet Promotions Consultant
with more than twenty years of computer industry experience and
is president of his own Internet marketing company, Link-Promote.
For an online archive of articles by Mr. Callahan available for
reprint, visit: http://www.link-promote.com/articles