1.Make it easy on your visitor. She is there for information, and if you make it hard for her to get to it, she will leave. Don’t make her sit through a flash movie. Don’t make her click to another page. Don’t make your page so busy she can’t find what she’s looking for. Instead, treat her to a clean, fast loading page that guides her straight to action you want her to take and lets her take it.

2.Make your copy persuasive. The words on your page are most important, and most often overlooked, element in conversion process. It is what you say to your visitor that will convince her to become your customer. Make those words as powerfully persuasive, benefit laden, and emotionally charged as you possibly can. Sell her on action you want her to take.

3.Reverse risk. People are nervous about buying online, or giving out their personal information. State your privacy policy right beside your subscription form. Spell out your money-back guarantee in your product description. Take all risk away from what you want your visitor to do and she will be more likely to do it.

Making these simple changes can do wonders for your conversion rate. Once you have them in place, you can start enjoying your raise!

Now, lets crunch numbers: Jane was spending $50 a week at Joe’s. Subtracting two weeks for Jane’s vacation time, that means she was spending $2,500 a year at Joe’s. Ten Jane’s in a year (if Joe is really lucky) and that is Twenty-five thousand dollars Joe will not be putting in his back pocket this year. Ten more next year and Joe is losing $50,000.

But if Joe had handled situation correctly, Jane could have turned into one of his most loyal customers. Here’s what he (and you, when it happens) should do next time:

1.Own up to mistake. The sooner better. It’s hard for people, and businesses, to admit mistakes – but do it anyway. In story above, employee passed mistake off to “the dry cleaning process.” Never do that. Even if problem is something completely out of your control, stand up and take responsibility. Yes, it may be hard on your ego. But what’s more important: your ego, or your wallet? 2.Make it right. Immediately. Don’t make them jump through hoops to get a refund or a replacement (or better yet, both.). Jane should have been allowed to come down right then and have her blouse treated while she waited. If stain still wouldn’t come out, she would know Joe’s had done their best. 3.Make it better. Your customer hasn’t just been irritated. She’s been inconvenienced. Give her something extra for her trouble. After treating Jane’s blouse while she waited, she should have been given an entire weeks dry cleaning for free. Joe would have been out $50 in short term, but his $25k for year would have been saved. And Jane would never even consider another dry cleaner as long as she lived.

Following these steps will give you rabidly loyal customers. And when you combine that with steady new ones, your business will grow exponentially.