Become an Expert to Sell More Online

Just think for a moment about the last time you bought a major
item in a store. Did you consider several options first? Did you
visit a variety of stores to check prices? Did you chat with a
sales assistant to get some questions clarified?

If you are like most people who buy a major item, you will have
done all three. But where, exactly, did you buy your big
purchase? Was it the cheapest store? Perhaps. Was it the biggest
store? Perhaps. Was it the store with the best reputation?
Perhaps. What is almost certain - because research shows us this
is true - you are most likely to have bought the item from the
store where you liked the sales assistant the most. Why do you
buy from WalMart? You like the people there. Why do you go to
Maceys? You like the way you are treated there. Selling is a
people thing.

The truth is we buy from people we like. The same is true on the
Internet. Your web site will be judged on what kind of person you
are and whether or not you are likeable. If you are, you stand a
chance of increasing your sales.

So how do you get people to like you online, when you can't be
with them, face to face, unlike in a retail store?

The first step is to build reputation. You need to get known. If
people start perceiving you to be an "expert" in your field, they
will start to trust you and will begin to like you. So how do you
get known?

You need to have your name spread widely around the Internet, so
that people get to know you and what you represent. This means
writing articles, including private label content, as well as
contributing to forums, chat rooms and so on. The more you
contribute, the more people will see you as the expert.

Once you are established and your name is associated with your
particular field, you will find it much easier to sell things on
your web site. That's because people will associate your
"expertise" with your web site and what you are selling. Suddenly
they are buying from someone they "know" rather than from an
unknown sales guy.

In other words you will gain the same advantage as a physical
store. You will have created the opportunity to be liked. By
getting a name for yourself and becoming a visible "expert" you
will become likeable and will therefore be able to sell more
online.