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

Online selling is essentially a numbers game. The more visitors to a site, more sales that site will make. The number of sales made divided by total number of visitors to a site is called 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 number of visitors increases, and conversion rate remains same, then sales will increase. Traffic is first variable that most online marketers attempt to influence when they begin their online marketing campaigns.

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

So what about increasing conversion rate? Using example above, if 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 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.

Just think, if you have a measly 100 responses to your offer in a weeks time that would be 700 letters that you would have to write. I don't know about you but even if I copy and paste just personalizing with prospects name it would take me forever just to respond to to initial inquiry not to mention 7 or more follow ups it could take to make sale.

Do you really want to spend your valuable time responding to each prospect individually when it could all be done more quickly and efficiently for you with an autoresponder?

First what exactly is an autoresponder ?

Autoresponders are an automated email system that you set up on your website or that are hosted on another site called a remote server.

What can an autoresponder do?

Well, once you get your autoresponder set up it's like having a sales person that knows all your prospects by name, never sleeps, eats and works just for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even holidays!

Imagine this, a prospect sees your ad, comes to your site, they click they look they leave and there goes any hope of a sale with them.

Now imagine they see your ad they click on your offer but this time you give them opportunity to sign up for a free report, product updates or even your newsletter. Anything to gently coax them into giving you their email address.