Don’t pay for more advertising just because you’re not getting sales. More ads or more traffic to your website is not always the answer to more sales. There are some simple steps that you can use to evaluate your situation before you make any definite decisions on why your online sales are sagging.

1. Survey your last 10 customers who never bought from you again. Many seasoned business owners already know that it is wise to keep addresses of all their customers. They can send out future promotions on sales, new items available or other current news about their business. Yet, how many use their customer base to help evaluate why their customers bought from them or didn’t buy from them again? If you’re having problems getting sales, ask some of your past customers to help you make your business better. Offer them a small gift certificate or some other small gift for their time. Simply make a fairly easy survey asking how they would rate your customer service, your website and your products or services. Include a special line for comments or suggestions. If you do your survey in a professional manner, making your customers feel that you value their opinion, they will usually be very happy to oblige.

2. Check out your competition. What on earth are your competitors doing? Visit their website and find out. What do they offer that you don’t? Find a way to make your product or service better or find some way to make it more unique.

3. Analyze your marketing ads. If your headline doesn’t catch their attention, your ad isn’t going to get read either. Your first few lines also have to draw the reader in. People are looking for answers to their needs or problems. If you can get people to realize you’ve got a solution to make their life easier, you’ll get better sales. If writing ads just isn’t your thing, take a copywriting course or hire a professional to help you with your ads.

4. Check out the demand for your products or services. Although this should be one of your first steps before you even set up a new business, the fact is trends are ever changing. New technology, new products and new trends change our world constantly. Keep up with the trends, make sure your products or services offer what people really want.

5. Analyze your targeted market. Perhaps you’re aiming the wrong direction. If you’re trying to sell doors to people looking for windows you’re definitely going to have a hard time making sales. You will have to evaluate what type of ads you are writing, what keywords you are using for your pay-per-click ads, what sites you are advertising on, etc. It may be time consuming to do a thorough analysis, but it’s very important to getting more sales. This process will also help eliminate money wasted on advertising that clearly isn’t geared toward your targeted market.

6. Analyze your website. The first impression still matters. Are you stuck in time with bright, flashing banners and animated graphics stuck all over your site? Today’s trendy websites aren’t looking to entertain with website “ornaments”. They’re geared to serve the visitors with information. Yes, a professional look definitely impresses your visitors, but does your website serve its real purpose? You need to analyze your website’s appearance, the checkout process, your navigation, your web copy and every tiny detail. Make sure it’s all user friendly, easy to navigate and understand. Make sure your checkout is super easy and in no way confusing. The way to do this is to ask several people to test out your website and get their opinion. People often navigate through a site much differently than we do, so you cannot trust your own opinion alone.

7. Make sure your products or sevices are living up to your claims. Analyze your products and services for their quality. Are your products overpriced or underpriced? How about your labels and packing are they impressive? Your website may be the first impression they get, but your products that they receive will make a lasting impression that can determine your chance of future sales. Spend just a few more dollars for better product labels if needed. It’s much cheaper keeping current customers happy than it is spending more advertising dollars to gain new customers.

Doing a thorough evaluation of your business, taking the proper steps toward finding a solution and making necessary adjustments should help you get your sales kicking. Furthermore, taking time to educate yourself all that you can about sales and marketing is one of the best investments you can make for your business. You can bet your next sale on that one!