10 Secrets To Improving Your Website's Conversion RatioWritten by Dean Phillips
According to so-called experts, a decent conversion ratio is right around one percent. In other words, one out of every one hundred visitors to your website converts to a sale.Personally, I think you should ignore what experts say, and strive to achieve as high a conversion ratio as possible. You should never be satisfied. You should always be looking for ways to improve your conversion ratio. My website consistently converts anywhere from 3 to 5 percent, and often converts as high as ten percent! Unless you're selling a big-ticket item and making $100 or more per sale, it's extremely difficult to make any real money with only a one percent conversion ratio. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and if your website is attracting hundreds or even thousands of visitors a day, then obviously you can do quite well with a one percent or lower conversion ratio. But what if you don't have that kind of traffic--and most websites don't. Then what? What if you're selling a $20 e- book and you're only attracting a hundred visitors a day to your website? With a one percent conversion ratio, that means your website is making a measly $20 a day. And believe me, that's much more common than you realize. However, what if you could improve your conversion ratio to 3 percent? 5 percent? All of a sudden, you're making $60 to $100 a day with same amount of traffic. Improve your conversion ratio to ten percent and voila, that $100 a day turns into $200 a day! So, how do you go about improving your website's conversion ratio? Here are some tips that should help: 1. Make sure your visitors know what you do, instant they land on your website. Don't make them have to guess. Tell them right up front with a benefits-laden headline. 2. Make sure design of your website is up to par? Make it easy to navigate. Get rid of distracting flash or stupid, meaningless graphics that are a waste of everybody's time and take forever to load? Simplify your website. Get rid of flash, graphics and pop-ups!
| | 30 Tips for Keeping Meeting Expenses to a MinimumWritten by Susan Friedmann
Money makes world go ‘round. And when it comes to meeting planning, money can probably get you whatever you want. However, few event planners have luxury of an unlimited budget. Your boss may like to drink champagne on a beer budget. In other words, caution you to spend less, but expect miracles at same time. Preparing and managing a realistic budget is serious business, but to score “big boss” points you also need to be a savvy negotiator and cost-cutting aficionado. To help you on your way, here are 30 tips in a variety of different areas to keep your meeting expenses at a minimum without losing quality you strive for. 1. Keep your budget flexible. Be prepared to build in a contingency of 10 percent into your total budget to take care of any unexpected expenses and emergencies. Unforeseen or overlooked costs such as, overtime, overnight mailings, phone and computer hookups or speaker substitutions could skyrocket your budget. 2. Check all invoices. Question anything on your invoices that doesn’t compute against written quotation. Scrutinize your hotel/facility and food and beverage invoices while on-site. Ironing out discrepancies in person is much easier than over phone. 3. Limit authorization. Only a select few should have authority to charge items to your master account at hotel. Make sure hotel has a list of these people, and refuse to pay for charges signed by unauthorized personnel. 4. Review accounts daily. To avoid any major surprises or heart failures when you see final bill, review your accounts with facility on a daily basis. It’s easier to spot errors or make necessary changes if costs are escalating in certain areas. 5. Schedule during low-usage times. If you have flexibility, consider scheduling your meetings during low seasons or days of week when facility is less busy. Booking near holidays such as Easter, Memorial Day, and Labor Day might definitely be to your advantageous. 6. Ask for best rates. Do your research. Check out rack rates, corporate rates, AAA discounts and so on, and compare them to group rates you’re being offered. Call toll-free reservation desk for information. 7. Confirm and reconfirm your dates and event details. Overlooking a detail may cost you big bucks. 8. Request a discount for on-site payments. When facility doesn’t have to wait for payment because you arrange to pay immediately after event or as meeting is ending, they may well be open to a discount for prompt payment. 9. Be conservative with room blocks. With more and more guests using discounted hotel sites for room bookings, attrition on unused rooms can get very expensive. 10. Negotiate comp rooms. As part of your discussions with hotel management, negotiate comp or discounted rooms for speakers, staffs and or upgrades for VIPs. 11. Understand your cancellation clause. Don’t sign anything you’re not completely happy with. Be certain that your cancellation clause is reciprocal, so that both parties get option to back out of contract before a specified date, in case of any changes to original agreement. 12. Negotiate set prices. To help with your budgeting, arrange to pay a specified amount on food and beverages during your entire event, rather than a rate per person, per function. 13. Consult a tax attorney. Investigate tax laws for your business location and event location. You may be eligible for tax breaks that you’re not claiming. 14. Keep room setup simple. Wherever possible use theater style (where only chairs are used) as it is less labor-intensive than classroom-style (which includes both table and chairs), thus lowering setup costs. Also, plan to keep setups same from day to day.
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