- Respond to every inquiry quickly and professionally. Often a customer who is sitting on the fence just needs a little reassurance that there is a real person behind the site that will help them if they need it. Showing them your dedication to outstanding customer service is usually all that is needed to close the sale. If you're finding it difficult to answer inquiries within 24 hours, hire a Virtual Assistant to handle it for you.

- Sell an inexpensive product to build trust. The first time a person buys from someone new there is anxiety about the quality of the product or service they'll receive. The quickest way to get your customers to trust you is to sell them an inexpensive product of extremely high quality and let them see for themselves that you are knowledgeable and reputable. Once they see the quality of what you offer they'll be much more willing to consider purchasing your more expensive products and services.

- Offer FREE seminars - online or offline. Telling people all about what you do and showing a demonstration of how your product or service works can be an excellent way to overcome objections to buying. This gives potential customers an opportunity to learn more about what you offer and ask specific questions about how your product or service can help them. Online you can conduct a meeting using Talking Communities technology or hold a free teleseminar on the phone for up to 30 people through Free Conference.

Offline book a room and advertise a seminar or volunteer to speak at functions held by organizations where your potential customers are members. For example if you're targeting small business owners the local Chamber of Commerce is an excellent choice.

- Use the power of scarcity. Studies show that people hate to miss out on something and will often make a purchase that they otherwise wouldn't to avoid doing so. Use this to your advantage by only selling a certain number of a product, or including a special bonus with a specified number of orders. Keep your integrity though and mean what you say. Don't offer a special bonus to the first 100 people who buy and then give away 500 of them.

- Be upfront about all costs. This includes shipping and handling charges and taxes if applicable. Doing so will avoid any surprises at checkout time which make customers feel like you're trying to "pull one over on them".

- Balance the emotional pull with the specifics. Studies show that people make the decision to buy on an emotional level, and then search for facts to support that decision. A well written site will pull visitors in with an emotional plea and close the sale by providing specifics. Striking a balance between the two is essential to a sales letter that converts.

Following these simple suggestions for increasing your conversion rate will give you almost immediate results.