In order to be taken seriously in your business venture (and obtain more sales) I suggest you consider how your customers think of you when they either contact you or receive emails from you that have addresses like (these are totally made up but you get the flavour):

• wonderwitchofthenorth@...
• snoopywoopybabe@
• thebadassman@
• softmama@
• hotbabe@

Although made up, the above is not far from many I have come across in my travels.

If you email John Lewis or Argos for example what would you think if you had to use a similar email to that above? To be taken seriously you need a serious email address.

Other sure fire ways of losing sales include:

• Speeling Eerors
• Grammatical errors "The item aint over stock."
• Incorrect use of the apostrophe eg 'Freds Bargain Basement Store' instead of 'Fred's Bargain Basement Store'
• SHOUTING AT EVERYONE BY USING BLOCK CAPITALS ALL THE TIME

Give consideration to your colour schemes. Dark text on a dark background is very difficult to read. A very bright background colour can also be tiring on the eye as well as making text difficult to read.

A lot of thought up front will pay greater dividends in sales over time than a hastily rushed advert or website.

Don't forget - treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Customer service is all. If you have stuffed up, say so and do your best to resolve the situation. If you ignore the problems the sales will ignore you and go elsewhere.

"Sergeant Colon had had a broad education. He’d been to the School of My Dad Always Said, the College of It Stands to Reason, and was now a post-graduate student at the University of What Some Bloke In the Pub Told Me."
Terry Pratchett - Jingo

Sadly, many business forums are awash with forthright individuals who have followed a similar educational path, merrily dispensing their perceived wisdom to anyone daft enough to take it. These are the people who will tell you that it is perfectly acceptable to have your Chinese supplier classify your imports as gifts to evade Customs, that you don't have to register as a business if you are only selling on eBay, and so on. These Colonesque types thrive because there are many who are happy to take what they say as Gospel, as it is often more palatable than the truth.

Following such advice can, however, get you into serious trouble. We therefore recommend that you take proper professional advice when setting up in business. Many accountants will offer an initial interview free of charge, or for a nominal fee. There are also other sources of free advice, such as Business Link - check out our Linkblog for details.