4. Don't be a scrooge.

There is an old proverb that says it perfectly;

"The man who buys cheap laughs once but cries many times. The man who buys expensive cries once but laughs many times."

Remember this next you think about cutting corners. There are obviously exceptions to every rule but you usually get what you pay for in this life.

5. Ask for sale.

Yes it's obvious. But are you doing it? If you're actually selling something directly via your website you have to make it as easy as possible for someone to work out what they need to do. Don't make them hunt around for pricing, ordering information, contact details, delivery information etc. Sock it to them right up front - they'll love you for it.

6. Throw your web site to lions.

Get as many people as possible to critique your web site. Friends and family are always good for this - though they'll probably be unwilling to be over-critical (unless it's your in-laws) so impartial parties is a better idea, if you can track any down. Ask your colleagues and friends to forward your web site address onto others and ask for direct feedback, no holds barred. Better to have people test it like this than open your shop doors, so to speak, and have your customers tell you your web site is not for them by never coming back..

7. Deliver what you say you will

Yes, another no-brainer but it will pay huge dividends. No point in fighting tooth and nail for all those hard-to-reach prospects if you've got a nice healthy stack of existing customers that already think you're bees' knees. Once you've got that customer hold onto him / her with all your might - treat them like kings because your competitor will be after them. It's far cheaper and quicker to sell something to an existing customer than it is to find a new one. Simple in theory - not so easy to put into practice. But hey - what are you after here? A free breakfast?!

7.5. "People Laughed At Me When I Said I Could Get Them To Read This Sentence. But Who's Laughing Now?!"

Use headlines in your web site. People are busy. People are impatient. They like something that grabs them.

Michael Cheney Sales & Marketing Director, magnet4web

If you change design or copy on your site, it won’t matter one bit to members of your list. They’ll still be there for you. If search engines decide they’re only going to list sites that use colors blue, green, and purple… it won’t affect you at all.

Sales vs. Leads

Truth be known, SEO only drives “leads” to your site… not sales. On other hand, list building puts your offer in front of those who have already checked you out, decided they liked what you had to say, and chose to stick with you. These are loyal, pre-qualified individuals who are waiting to receive your next mailing and purchase your next product.

Free, Automatic, and Viral

Lastly, list building can be done at no cost. List building can happen automatically and can (and should) be a viral process.

If you produce a quality list that offers something of value, others will want to tell their friends about you. This process of automatic, viral marketing costs you nothing whatsoever and works like a dream because your subscribers are making unsolicited recommendations to those who trust them.

This process not only drives new subscribers to your list, but also ultimately makes new sales for you.

Search engines, on other hand, do not operate virally. While some are free, many charge for “opportunity” to be reviewed for inclusion. Still others charge on a pay-per-click basis, which can get very costly without ever bringing in one sale.

When all is said and done, which one is better? Lists or search engines? While both can have an important role in your marketing plan, if what you’re looking for is generation of more sales… building a responsive list simply can’t be beat.