A Comprehensive Sell It! Guide

How to Sell Overseas

Choose exporting, a relatively easy and fast way to enter foreign markets. It involves comparatively low levels of commitment and risk, yet allows you to go global quickly. Pick a market where consumers speak your language and want your product. Check out BuyUSA.gov to learn as much as you can about the culture and market. The site can also help you find customers through customized research, an international partner search or a single company promotion program.

-- Laurel Delaney is Entrepreneur's "Global Village" columnist.

How to SEO Like a Pro

Spiders love links -- search engine spiders, that is. So don't just optimize your Web site for keywords and rest on your laurels. To climb to the top of search results -- for free -- get links. Not all links are created equal, though. To engage in ethical search engine optimization, think quality before quantity. Find quality blogs, magazines and sites where your content will be relevant.

Next, submit a helpful comment or article. If it's accepted, you'll get a link. Here's the essential step: Link your most important keyword phrase to your site. You'll improve your rankings because spiders will follow the links from authority sites to yours -- and so will customers.

-- Internet marketing strategist Catherine Seda is author of the new book How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders.

How to Sell an Expensive Product

Presentation is everything, so make your products look as attractive as possible. Whether you're promoting the item via the Web, a catalog or a brochure, invest in good photography. It encourages an emotional response. Also pay close attention to the copy.

If something about a product is unique, make sure you describe how. And if you want repeat business, differentiate yourself from the competition by offering something your competitors don't, be it personalized service or exclusive products.

- -Kassie Rempel, 34, is founder of Simply-Soles, a million-dollar online boutique and print catalog featuring women's designer shoes.

How to Create Buzz

Our efforts at creating buzz have had to do with simply empowering our users -- giving them a suite of creative tools and encouraging them to innovate. By listening and adapting to our community and creating a scenario in which our users had a vested interest in the product, we were nine-tenths of the way to creating the early buzz we experienced. In today's computing and business environments, interactivity and participation are paramount.

-- Philip Rosedale, 38, founded San Francisco-based Linden Lab, creator of virtual world Second Life, in 1999.

How to Get Out of a Sales Slump

Selling yourself out of a slump starts with a proactive attitude. Get out there and meet with as many customers and prospects as you can -- whether it's face-to-face meetings, networking events or follow-up appointments.

Then it's just a matter of moving contacts to the next step in the sales cycle. Sell them on a presentation, demonstration, product test or anything else that will bring them closer to buying. Progress builds confidence.

Lastly, compile ideas on how you can help your prospects and customers grow their businesses. Remove what you're selling from your mind. Think instead about what your customers are buying. What motivates them? If you focus on building your customers' businesses, you'll end up building your own.