One of the most overlooked -- and yet most critical -- ways to improve sales is through a company's customer service. Your customer service team has incredible influence on your customers and whether or not they purchase. One bad experience can cause you to lose a customer for good. No amount of incentives or cool product offerings can correct that customer's perception of you if it's a bad one.

The marketplace is competitive, and there is more than one company out there that will happily scoop up your disappointed customer and make them feel valued. The more an organization looks at the entire experience of the customer as part of the goal to retain and acquire customers, the more likely customer service will be considered an investment. It's an investment that will drive down the total costs of acquiring a sale, as well as give you more exposure in the marketplace.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How does your organization view customer service?
• What does customer service bring to the table to help increase sales?
• Do your customer service representatives up-sell customers with complementary products or enhancements?
• Do they get your customers' email addresses so you can market to them later?

There are countless ways to optimize your customer service. Take time to consider how customers are treated at every touch point and how you can improve those interactions. It takes time to examine this process, but companies like Zappos are finding continued success by focusing on customer service and retention.

Marketers are facing tough times, both online and offline. During such times, you have to be creative and innovative with your advertising efforts in order to differentiate yourself. It can be tough to compete against a company that has 100 times your marketing budget. Don't get discouraged; in some instances, you actually have the clear advantage. Most large companies couldn't care less about competing harder for a single customer. They often don't provide the same level of service or value that you can.

Once you have an interested customer, do everything possible to stay in front of that person and convert them. Once they convert, provide service that is second to none and remember to treat them with the value they deserve. It might be difficult in the beginning to gain the general awareness necessary to compete, but once you are dealing with interested prospects, you can not only compete, but you can dominate.

Chad Little is CEO of FetchBack.