I was recently interviewed for an article on web retailing. The reporter asked me for five suggestions on how retailers could improve their sites, or what they should keep in mind if they are launching their first site.

Here are the five tips that I shared:

1. Skip the introductory page and Flash-based code.
   Consumers are impatient and an introductory page takes time to load. You run the risk of people leaving your site while they wait. Plus, an introductory page won't be indexed by search engines.

2. Easy navigation is key.
   How many times have you left a website because you were frustrated that you couldn't find what you were looking for? Easy-to-use navigation will ensure that consumers can easily find what they came for, and will encourage them to explore other areas on your website as well. Logic tells us that the longer a customer spends on your site, the more likely they are to make a purchase (and if you don't offer e-commerce, the more likely they will be to visit your store).

3. Include easy-to-find store information.
   It seems like common sense, but a lot of websites that I visit have their contact information buried, no physical address or store photos (I recommend posting at least one photo of the inside and outside of your store), they forget to post their store hours and it's nearly impossible to find a store phone number.

4. Quality content.
   By providing quality content on your website, you increase the likelyhood that consumers will find your store when they do an online search for a specific product that you're selling. Retailers often ask me how you provide quality content: it can come in the form of a daily blog, posting a product description for each product you sell and/or a detailed store description on the "about us" page. Plus, the more you update your information the more you will increase your search engine ranking when people try to search for products that you sell.

5. Collect names.
   Your website provides an invaluable place to collect names for sending your email marketing efforts. Be sure to offer incentives for sign up (maybe a free product they pick up in the store), and be clear about how you intend to use the list.

Today's guest post is from Meryl Hooker, Sales Rockstar.

I am not a sports fan but like so many others, the Olympic games in Vancouver caught my attention. I didn't make time to sit down and watch any of the events, but some of the highlights really got me thinking. Of all the amazing performances, I found two athletes particularly inspiring: snowboarder and gold medal winner, Shaun White, and cross country skier and bronze medal winner, Petra Majdic.

Petra Majdic had a brutal time. During a trial run, she tumbled head first off the course into a rocky stream and could barely walk. Volunteers had to help her out of the ravine. She turned around and not only participated in the main event; she placed third – after rejecting a painkiller that would have hindered her movement. Talk about commitment!

How many times have you crashed into your own ravine and just stayed there in defeat?

Shaun White met and exceeded all expectation as well. He locked in a repeat gold performance in the amazingly elegant snowboarding competition. He later admitted he was nervous going into the qualifying round because he didn't want to be the guy who "couldn't hold." I don't know about you, but I sure can relate to that.

How many times have you reached a new personal best, and had moments of doubt about whether you could hold… or exceed it?

When he was asked about what he did to keep his emotions in check and deliver the killer execution of his routine, White responded, "That's how I pictured it in my mind, of how it was going to go down."

How good are you at picturing how something is going to go down… and then making it happen?

I am a die-hard sales enthusiast and there is no doubt that the principles of being an Olympic champion are not all that different from being a sales champion. It doesn't matter if you're running a store or a sales rep running the road. Here's what the games reinforce for me about sales training and execution:

• You don't get good in day.
• You must practice and train every day.
• You must have a deep, down in your soul, drive to be the best.
• Focus always.
• Discipline always.
• Have fun.
• Represent your sport (or manufacturer or customer or store) the very best you can.
• Take a trick and do it a little better and a little bigger.
• Create new things.
• Set goals for yourself. Some that are out of reach, some that aren't.
• It's not always easy and it's not always fun.
• Hard work pays off.

I don't know that any of these are revolutionary new lessons in sales or athletics. It doesn't have to take big events like the Olympics to remind us of these basic principles. We can create the motivation for ourselves everyday by focusing on, planning and practicing a better performance in our stores and with our customers. We may not be as hip as Shaun White, but that doesn't mean we can't earn the gold… or the green.

Meryl Hooker is a manufacturer's representative, writer, speaker, sales coach and all-around Sales Rockstar. She is the writer of "Road Rage," a blog about repping and selling and co-author of the forthcoming book, Pushing The Envelope: The Small Greeting Card Manufacturer's Guide to Working with Sales Reps (Center Aisle Press, May 2010). She lives in Washington, DC and can be reached via www.merylhookersales.com.