Posted on: 26 November, 2001
Author: Ray P. Velazquez
Millions of people enter the Internet business ... day... hundreds of ... of websites go upeach week... millions of dollars are spent every ... scary how fast 'net commerce is growi Millions of people enter the Internet business arenaevery day... hundreds of thousands of websites go upeach week... millions of dollars are spent every hour.It's scary how fast 'net commerce is growing, but what'seven scarier is the "entry requirements" of any onlinebusiness. Quite simply, there aren't any!Anyone with a computer connected to the 'net can tradeonline. Anyone can hook up to a secure credit cardprocessor and start accepting your hard earned cash.And even more importantly, anyone can run away with it.This scary fact is what gnaws away at the mind of askeptical consumer, and without an element of trustestablished in their minds, they'll leave empty handedwhich will leave you, in turn, empty pocketed.I've personally visited many sites where the productlooks like a real winner, but I haven't dared to partwith my hard earned cash due to the insecurity thesite offers. Don't make the same mistake.. here's how:1) GIVE FULL COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION.Devote a section of your website to "company information"and give a list of your main staff and who handles what.Give a telephone number, email address, mailing address,and full contact info. You could even include photographsand biographies of each team member.It may not seem obvious what the purpose of your mug shotis, but by doing so it brings the globality of the 'netmuch closer (i.e. they can actually "see" who they'redealing with) which helps add reassurance to the customer.I've seen sales double with just this one tactic alone.2) BUILD YOUR TRUST ON THE TRUST OF OTHERSPeople may not initially trust you, but who they willtrust are established organizations such as the BetterBusiness Bureau or i-Cop who's job it is to monitor theactivity and business practices of their members. Byjoining these, you have to conform to their standardsand as a result, assure the minds of your customers.Here are a few sites to visit:http://www.netcheck.comhttp://www.better-internet-bureau.orghttp://www.i-cop.orgExample: You can check out my personal profile and testimonials at:http://netcheck.com/perfectbusiness.shtmlDisplaying these membership icons can help prove you're aserious business, and not some fly-by-night scam artistout to grab every dime they can get their grubby hands on.3) PROVIDE SURE-FIRE POLICIES AND CONDITIONSWrite your own "Privacy Policy" reassuring the visitoron how you use their information. Inform them that theirpersonal info is completely safe and secure, and thatNO info will be sold to third-parties or used as spam.When shopping online, I like to see the following:* Anti-spam policy* Secure credit card processing policy* Privacy statement* Terms and conditionsIt makes the business feel much more established andprofessional. And let's face it, that's the kind ofcompany that you want to do business with, isn't it?4) IMAGE IS EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESSStill using that free Geocities business page? Oh please.Get yourself a professional image. You'll need your owndomain name, a web hosting solution, and a nice sitedesign to even begin to impress your customers.People say to me "Ray, why isn't my website selling?"My response is usually "Well, would YOU trust a sitelike yours?". It needs to be professional, visuallyappealing, and full of the info consumers need to see.If it screams "scam", then your consumers will think"scam". It's common sense really. Start treating yourInternet business as a proper business and actuallydevote the EFFORT required into making it appealing.5) EASY ORDERING OPTIONS ARE A MUST IN THIS GLOBAL MARKETI've lost count at the amount of times I've pulled outmy credit card to purchase a product online, thenrealized that the company only ships to one country...or they don't accept my payment method altogether.Make your customer feel at ease. Include full orderingand shipping information BEFORE they purchase, so theyknow exactly what's going on every step of the way.I love ordering from Amazon because they go out of theirway to ensure the smoothest and easiest orderingexperience possible. Compare yourself to Amazon... justhow easy is it to order from you? Do you accept allmajor credit cards, and international check payments too?They're my five points of successfully establishingyour credibility. The rest just comes as common sense.Treat your customers as you'd except to be treatedtoo and in turn, they'll never query your credibilityor need to worry about buying from you again. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com