I hope you learned a lot at the presentation about using the web to improve your sales that I gave recently at the ARA convention in Phoenix. It was so good to see old friends from the last 35 years and to make new ones. But, let’s get down to business.

I gave you a few takeaways to do to increase your sales. Have you gotten started yet?

Just today, I had lunch with a recycler who I gave ideas on an actionable plan to increase his sales on the web. I gave him those actionable insights over 2 years ago. He said, “I just can’t find the time to get started.”

For 2 years? He admitted that he and I had created a good plan with the right steps but he still had not taken step 1.

As I listened to the reasons he had not taken the first step, I started to think about what some other business owners say about the web: “The Internet just doesn’t do much for us, so we’re focused on getting more walk in business and finding places to cut costs.”

That’s a real problem. Many business owners have not unlocked the formula for getting sales from the web. They may have spent some money on the site and not gotten a return, so they regard the website as an expense that doesn’t bring in revenue.

Think of developing your business website as similar to adding a new city to your sales and delivery area. You would be willing to spend big money for marketing, a delivery truck, another salesperson, or pretty much whatever it took to break into that new market.

How is the web different? Perhaps it takes a little longer to get traction on the web, but it’s virgin territory if you have not been getting sales there.

The web has compelling advantages from the expense side. Costs of expanding on the web taper off as a percentage of sales as you gain traction. That more your web marketing works, the lower your costs for the incremental sales. That’s not true about your new territory with the new salesperson and new truck and new driver.

Had the gent I had lunch with found the time two years ago to start using the web to sell, he would be seeing his web revenues climb steadily.

Instead, he waited.  I can promise you, however, that one of his 25 or so local competitors did begin to deploy a strategy to sell more parts on the web without using Pay Per Click.

I also taught you how to avoid pay per click, which will cut your expenses while you grow sales, and connecting your value proposition to the web to make sure you are.

So, have you begun to apply what you learned? Did you take notes, go home and get to work using the web to buy cars with a lower cost of goods and more parts your customers want? cost of goods while increasing your inventory with parts your customers want? Have you begun to use Craigslist and eBay?

Remember one of my clients DOUBLED his sales in one month using the eBay techniques we discussed.  Find the time to start growing your sales online TODAY!

If you have a website, I will give you a free report that shows how search engine friendly it is and lists the changes you ought to make to get more traffic from paying customers!

Remember only you can make business great!

Ron Sturgeon, founder of Mr. Mission Possible small business consulting, combines over 35 years of entrepreneurship with an extensive resume in consulting, speaking, and business writing, with 6 books published.

While still in high school, Ron started an auto repair business that evolved into a single employee salvage yard. When he sold it to Ford in 1999, it had become one of the largest auto salvage operations in the United States.  Later, he and two partners purchased Greenleaf Auto Recyclers from Ford and sold it to Schnitzer Industries 18 months later.

As a consultant, Ron shares his 35 years of expertise in strategic planning, capitalization, compensation, growing market share in his signature plain-spoken style, providing field-proven, high-profit best practices well ahead of the curve.

Ron has helped owners in industries from restaurants to law firms with a wide variety of business issues, including sales, promotion, production, financial measures, business strategy, business valuation, and succession planning.

To get a free website review or inquire about engaging Ron as a consultant, contact him at 817-834-3625 or at rons@MrMissionPossible.com.