Person-to-person sales interactions are, and probably will continue to remain, a big part of commerce as we know it. At the end of the day, many consumers simply want/need to speak with a sales representative before they make a purchase decision. And this goes double for significant purchases like cars, for instance. However, business owners can work to increase online sales conversions all the same. In fact, boosting your digital sales will ease the pressure on your sales team and increase your company’s profitability. Here are four tips you can use to improve your online sales conversion rates:

Chatbots

Chatbots are an amazing tool that can drastically improve the customer experience of shopping online. With a well-programmed chatbot, customers can get answers to frequently asked questions and avoid having to call up a sales representative. The key, though, is that any chatbot implemented must be fully functional. Broken chatbots can actually diminish sales by irritating potential customers. So be careful when introducing automation on your site!

Ecommerce Optimization

Is your ecommerce store easy to navigate? Does it have detailed descriptions of products/services? Are pictures or videos included? Are your ecommerce pages optimized for search engines? These are just a few of the questions business owners should periodically ask themselves about their ecommerce operation. Higher quality ecommerce pages can lead to an uptick in sales. Plus, remember that ecommerce stores do require regular maintenance. You can’t set and forget ecommerce stores.

Retargeting

Many shoppers consider buying a product days or even months before they finally make a decision and “pull the trigger.” As such, businesses can speed up the purchase process by retargeting individuals who have visited their website previously. Ads, messages, emails –– any and all of these methods can prove an effective way to win over a customer who’s on-the-fence. If at all possible, consider implementing personalized retargeting, since it may deliver significant returns.

CTAs

A great video, blog, or web page may present value to a customer, but without a proper call-to-action (CTA) and landing page, companies will struggle to convert online visitors with them. CTAs act as a supplement to quality content, and, when done well, can provide consumers the extra “nudge” they need to make a purchase. Whether you’re attempting to convince people to find STD clinics near you or buy a new vacuum cleaner, an excellent CTA can do wonders for your sales figures.

The Bottom Line

Now that you know how to optimize your online sales, the next step is to go out and do it. You may even want to consider applying for a business loan to fund some of your efforts. Prioritizing online sales is a decision that will offer substantial value for months and years to come.

Living paycheck-to-paycheck can place a huge physical, mental, and emotional strain on people. If you’ve ever struggled to pay for basic services or found yourself facing a mountain of debt, then you understand just how real financial anxiety is. In extreme circumstances, anxiety over money may even cause people to make poor choices that exacerbate their troubles. The key to getting out of debt is learning not just how to manage your finances, but your emotions as well. In this post, I’ll explain how I’ve coped with money-woes in the past, and offer five helpful tips for conquering financial fear:

Educate Yourself

Do you know what a fixed-rate mortgage is? Or how about a money-market account? Or what’s the difference between a stock and a bond? If you do, then fantastic. If not, then it’s probably a wise idea to educate yourself about basic financial terms and concepts. Doing this will help you follow any conversations you have with bankers, creditors, etc. Plus, by looking into basic financial terminology, you’ll also learn about fundamental best practices as well.

Talk it Out

Obviously, people in a financial bind should be willing to speak with money lenders and agents who can assist them. However, it’s also important to be willing to speak with your family members about money issues too. No, you don’t have to ask for charity, sympathy, or pity. But you should let your significant other as well as your closest family members know you’re having a tough time. At the very least, they’ll be able to offer moral support and cogent advice, which may very well prove more valuable than any loan possibly could.

Prioritize

It’s easy for financial obligations to quickly become overwhelming –– especially if you don’t know how to organize them properly. Make a list of all your bills and prioritize them. It’s okay to defer payment on inessential items from time to time in order to cover crucial expenses.

Pick up a Side Hustle

Renting out a spare room to travelers on Airbnb, signing up for a ride-share service like Uber, even freelance-writing blogs about EDTA tubes –– activities like these that help you bring in extra cash will provide both a monetary and psychological boost. Just remember that paying off debt can take a long time, so don’t beat yourself up if your side hustle doesn’t completely eradicate your money problems.

Plan Ahead

No one knows exactly what the future will hold. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make reasonable financial decisions for your future. Investing in conservative stock options, setting up a retirement fund, and creating an emergency fund are all great ways to give yourself peace of mind. Rather than playing fast-and-loose with your capital, a few sensible choices can remove a lot of the guesswork and anxiety associated with financial forecasting.

Whether you realize it or not, starting a business is a major life decision that will have big repercussions. And that’s particularly true for inexperienced entrepreneurs. Indeed, there’s nothing quite like deciding to go into business for yourself. Taking the reins for the first time will change your life in a myriad of ways –– some good and some bad. Here, we’ll dissect what it really means to become a business owner and outline four tangible ways your life will be altered by it:

Work Relationships

Some of the most meaningful relationships people build are with their coworkers. Business owners, though, should note that the nature of their work relationships will change once they become the boss. This isn’t to say that business leaders can’t have strong relationships or even be friends with their employees or partners. However, at the end of the day, business owners have to prioritize the interest of their company –– and sometimes that means making unpopular decisions. What’s more, people will simply treat you differently knowing that you’re the boss. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something all ambitious professionals should recognize.

Financial Standing

At the very least, starting a business will force entrepreneurs to change the way they think about their financial status. Indeed, most professionals split their holdings into personal and business accounts. This way they can begin to build business credit and apply for business loans. What’s more, the success (or failure) of a business will likely have an impact on an owner’s quality of life. Expect something to change one way or the other when you open your doors for the first time!

Skill Set and Knowledge Base

Modern business owners wear a lot of hats. One day, they may have to complete a tax form using IL 1120 instructions to protect their business interests, and the next collaborate with a professional designer to create a new brand logo. The point is, entrepreneurs are constantly learning new skills and expanding their business acumen. Business owners can never really afford to “rest on their laurels,” so to speak.

Free Time

Americans are known for working long hours. Unfortunately, moving up the ladder to become a small business owner isn’t likely to offer you increased free time. Instead, business owners typically burn the midnight oil and deal with a great amount of stress. Weekends, holidays, vacations, sick days –– small business owners have to be on call to handle emergencies at virtually all times. It’s unwise to assume that starting a business won’t cut into your personal schedule or affect your ability to pursue other interests. Fortunately, there are few things more rewarding than achieving business success through hard work and dedication.