Just think for a moment about the last time you bought a major item in a store. Did you consider several options first? Did you visit a variety of stores to check prices? Did you chat with a sales assistant to get some questions clarified?

If you are like most people who buy a major item, you will have done all three. But where, exactly, did you buy your big purchase? Was it the cheapest store? Perhaps. Was it the biggest store? Perhaps. Was it the store with the best reputation? Perhaps. What is almost certain – because research shows us this is true – you are most likely to have bought the item from the store where you liked the sales assistant the most. Why do you buy from WalMart? You like the people there. Why do you go to Maceys? You like the way you are treated there. Selling is a people thing.

The truth is we buy from people we like. The same is true on the Internet. Your web site will be judged on what kind of person you are and whether or not you are likeable. If you are, you stand a chance of increasing your sales.

So how do you get people to like you online, when you can’t be with them, face to face, unlike in a retail store?

The first step is to build reputation. You need to get known. If people start perceiving you to be an “expert” in your field, they will start to trust you and will begin to like you. So how do you get known?

You need to have your name spread widely around the Internet, so that people get to know you and what you represent. This means writing articles, including private label content, as well as contributing to forums, chat rooms and so on. The more you contribute, the more people will see you as the expert.

Once you are established and your name is associated with your particular field, you will find it much easier to sell things on your web site. That’s because people will associate your “expertise” with your web site and what you are selling. Suddenly they are buying from someone they “know” rather than from an unknown sales guy.

In other words you will gain the same advantage as a physical store. You will have created the opportunity to be liked. By getting a name for yourself and becoming a visible “expert” you will become likeable and will therefore be able to sell more online.