If you use Outlook Express or a similar e-mail program, you can set it up so that your e-mails ONLY show your e-mail alias and NOT your personal e-mail address. (To do this in Outlook Express, go under “Tools” menu. Then choose “Accounts.” Then select account you use, and click “Properties.” Enter your e-mail alias in both “e-mail address” and “reply address” fields.)

<< 4. Get a professional-looking Web site DESIGN. >>

This can mean either hiring a designer to do a custom site for you, OR designing it yourself. Unless you’re both trained extensively in HTML and have a background in design, it’s well worth money to hire someone.

Find prospective designers who work with small businesses, ask to see samples of their work, and be upfront about your budget. If their rates are higher than you can afford, ask them if they have any pre-designed Web site templates they can just insert your information in, cutting down tremendously on design time and cost.

If you do want to put together your own site, check out “corporate” section of http://www.freewebtemplates.com for several neat designs you can use at no charge. (TIP: Avoid ones with colored backgrounds; they’ll make it more complicated for you, and your text will be harder to read.)

Whatever design you choose, make it CONSISTENT on every page of your site, by using same design elements such as borders, fonts, and colors.

<< 5. Tell us WHO YOU ARE and HOW TO REACH YOU. >>

Most of us (and rightfully so) are leery of purchasing

online from a company we’ve never heard of before. To alleviate our fears, put contact information on every page if you can, with a physical mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

If you’re uncomfortable posting your home address, lease a box at a mailing and shipping center and use that address. Avoid using “P.O. box” in your address if possible, which can appear suspicious. Real companies have real addresses!

Also, get a *toll-free* number if you can — it really says “big company.” I got mine from my long distance provider, 1Com (http://www.1cominc.com), because they charge no setup fee or monthly fees — I only pay for incoming calls at my usual great long distance rates.

Copywriter and consultant Alexandria Brown's FREE biweekly e-zine, "AKB MarCom Tips," gives how-to tips on creating compelling Web sites, brochures, and e-zines. Learn easy ways to "write to sell" and attract new customers today! Subscribe now at http://www.akbwriting.com or via mailto:AKBMarCom-On@lists.webvalence.com

Another book's benefits included: -Be your self in a world that wants you to be like everyone else -Develop positive expectancy to achieve real results -Procrastinate into your hearts desires -Balance work and home by mastering joy of moseying

TEST YOUR PRICE. A price that is too low is as bad as a price too high. Too low a price devalues your product or service.

Potential clients or buyers might think, "If it's that cheap, it must not be good." One myth is that eBooks have less value than print books. If your book has information your one particular audience wants, you must price it accordingly. If your service is invaluable, be sure to charge what you're worth.

Always start your prices high. Later you can offer a deep discount.

TEST YOUR COPY. Change testimonials or pictures every so often. Redo your opening page and closing page. Instead of "Subscribe to my ezine," put a short testimonial from a famous person in your field right before "click here" to subscribe.

Always give your visitors a reason to buy. Make your copy "you" oriented. Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual, said this about free monthly ezine The Book Coach Says... ezine is chock full of useful information - totally worth your time.

Make your Web pages easier to read by using bullets. On my home page I put these questions in bullets:

"Let me help you answer questions about your book" · What are first steps to writing a great selling book? · Will my book attract my desired audience? · Will my potential buyers think my book is worth money? · Will my books sell enough copies for my satisfaction? · Now that it's written, how can I best promote my book?

Test length of your copy. Check size of your paragraphs. In general, keep them short, around 1-4 sentences. Imagine looking at a long line of print before you get to meat? Discouraged, you would probably leave page, and possibly site!

Check for passive sentence construction too. Why? Because you slow your reader down with passives, and they want your clear, concise, and compelling information. Your spell and grammar check gives you those percentages at end. If your sentences are more than 3-4% passive, you need a professional coach to check your copy. This article has 1% passive.

TEST YOUR SITE LAYOUT. Know where people are entering your site and exiting. Many companies out there can give you this service. If potential buyers keep leaving at a particular page before they go to products and ordering page, your words deceive, and some changes are in order. You can track: where your traffic is coming from, what pages visitors like, what page majority of visitors enter and exit, and how long are they there, even which ones signed up for your eNewsletter.

TEST YOUR ORDER PROCESS. Ask friends and associates to run through different parts of your site. Show your appreciation by paying them for it with free product or service. Tell them you have a thick skin, and appreciate their honesty.

One would-be customer couldn't finish order for one of my teleclasses. It took a lot of effort to get that mistake rectified with some free product from me. I know a famous eBook author from whom I tried and tried to buy a book. I even emailed him about it. He said he didn't take email orders and sent me back to where problem was.

It's much better to have all links work, so your customers will have an easy ordering experience. Also, be sure to offer your customers several ways to order. Not all people like to order on web.

Know that your job of testing never ends. It's what we call maintenance, 80% of life is maintenance! Just experimenting with these tests will bring more sales. Keep testing to know what your potential buyers really want.