DIY PR by Penny Haywood Calder

If there's one thing that will improve sales results faster and more cheaply than anything else, it is this: it's much cheaper to boost your sales enquiries conversion rate than increase the numbers of new business enquiries.

Do better with the enquiries you get is really important, but most people try to increase sales enquiries which is the most expensive option. You can't improve your conversion rate if you don't track it and really focus on improving all the stages involved, so set up a spreadsheet, amend your database or use sales software (there's free options at ZoHo.com).

Analyse how your site performs, where people leave you and how to optimise your site. And ensure that buyers are never more than a click away from buying on every page. Get into Google Analytics - they now have a free course and a personal qualification in Google Analytics you can achieve to test your learning and boost your confidence.

And for B2B sales, become brilliant at converting enquiries to sales with win:win strategies. Teasing out the personal benefits the buyer needs to look great because he/she bought from you will help them keep their job if you are selling to corporates and get you favoured over all those people still stuck on plugging features, benefits and results to the company.

Whether you are selling B2B or B2C, use well written case studies to pile on the peer group pressure to buy from you to get the edge you are giving to their competitors or peers. Good case studies put up on your website also bump up your SEO content.

Have a look at the one we did for Knitters and Sewers World on this website.