How many of you can relate to this situation:

You're looking for a specific product or service.  You call a company you heard about, and tell the person who answers the phone a little about your needs.  The person responds with something a little off-topic.  So, with patience, you explain your need in a little more detail.  The person actually says, "Oh, I understand," and proceeds to explain the company's credentials.  You begin to lose your patience, and while subconciously already making the decision you will not be making your purchase with this company, you decide to give it one last ditch effort, and explain your needs, for the third time.  Again, an off-topic response, which makes you hang up the phone in frustration.

What happened here?

You were a warm lead, already knew your needs, articulated them three times, and the company STILL couldn't convert you into a sale!

Now, imagine the same situation, but this time you (as the customer) visit a website looking for information.  You click through several pages trying to find what you need, but to no avail.  You can't seem to get enough information about the product or service you need; however, you find tons of information about the company--its history, values, mission, etc.  How frustrated do you get before you move on?  Chances are, NOT LONG!

Now suppose you're the company.....

If you want increase your conversion rate, you'll need to focus MORE on your customer and LESS on yourself.  Your customers want to hear about BENEFITS, not EXPERIENCE.  In many cases, this means you need to listen more and talk less.  On the phone, make sure your employees recognize your customers' needs and can identify products and services that give them the solutions they want.  The same philosophy applies to your website.  Make sure your customers can easily find the answers/benefits/solutions they need when they visit your site.  If not, I guarantee they'll move on very quickly.

Increasing your conversion rate means focusing on your customer, FIRST.