If you happen to be a business-to-business (B2B) product or service provider with consistent traffic to your company Web site but your phone is not ringing, then you may have an issue with your conversions. That is, specifically, people see your information but they do not feel engaged.

Because the act of buying is an emotional experience, buyers look for signals that they're making the right choice based on how the website content makes them feel.

Here's the best suggestion on how to increase conversion rates and generate more B2B leads.

Establish a relationship of trust.

I cannot overstate the importance of good B2B relationships. Becoming a trusted partner with other companies will open up many future opportunities. Now that we know that establishing trust is key, let's look at a few different basic way this can be accomplished. This can be facilitated by offering blog posts, offering e-books, webinars, offers, or free trials. Create multiple ways to engaging your brand ranging from free to paid customer. (Many of these efforts are also great inbound marketing techniques!)

Host something social. Dinners and lunches with a guest of value, for instance. Cocktail parties built around a specific topic, or better yet, (and this is my favorite...) if there's another event going on, invite a dozen or so prospects to the event, and meet before or after the event. So, hold a "mini event" around someone else's presentation.

Align your company. Another way to build a relationship with someone who is unfamiliar with your brand is to align your company to a trusted source. Real world examples convey a sense of productivity and professionalism for your business. Quotes, reviews, referrals, dropping the name of highly recognizable clients, PR coverage and published articles that you can link to and reference ALL answer the question of why someone might consider working with you.

Marketing Leadership Awards. Also, any awards and other aspects of market leadership can all be a part of the way you build trust.

Case Studies. There is no substitute for being able to demonstrate results. The best way to demonstrate results is to offer case studies, carefully written and proudly displayed about specific types of clients, projects, and services that you have produced. And, of course, you want to focus and display the outcome of the case study, demonstrating results and the return on the investment.

Testimonials. And what better way to actually demonstrate the validity of the case study than to offer a compelling testimonial from a satisfied client. Claims are nice, praise is good, but a proven track record reigns supreme.

All of this work that you put into your marketing should be focused on one thing, and one thing only. Assuaging the fears of the people interested in buying from you. So try and walk in your customers shoes and figure out "How can I make them more comfortable buying from me?"

Is it features?
Pricing?
Implementation?

While it may be one or all of these items, the vast majority of the issues revolve around Return on Investment (ROI), as well as how to reduce the risk of buying from your firm. Today's Web sites need to be designed with content that will educate consumers not just about their issue, but about why they might want to consider doing business with your firm as well. And, if you can reduce the risk better than your competitors, it's likely that you are going to be able to engage in a relationship.

Here is the main point to take away: The more you can get prospects to like and trust you, the more conversions you will get! Be someone you'd want to do business with yourself.