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Avoiding Payday Loans for Credit Repair
If you are trying to make ends meet and have past due bills,
piling up the last resource is taking out a payday loan to pay
your dues. There are many sources available today that offer
payday advances. The loans are issued after you show proof...
Beat Credit Card Companies at Their Own Game!
Have you ever wondered how much money a credit card company makes? Have you ever wondered how much of that comes from late fees? Everyone has and if you haven’t you should because most likely you own a credit card, which means that these late fees...
Making a Credit Card Work For You
Boosting Your Credit-Rating With A Well-Managed Credit Card
A considerable obstacle standing between many Americans and the consumer goods they consider a necessary or desirable part of life is a ready way to pay for them. From a new piece of...
Student Credit Cards 101: A Student's Guide to Credit
If you’re a college student, you probably already have a credit card. If not, you may have plans to get one or more soon. So why should you read on? - Because financial debt is one of the main reasons that many students end up dropping out of...
Ten Steps To Building A Good Credit History
Are you thinking of buying a house? Do you want to buy a new car to replace that old wreck? Trying to get insurance on you home, auto, or life? In each of these situations, what’s on your credit report will determine if you can get a loan...
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Increase Your Sales - Accept Credit Cards
Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by credit card. If you want their business, you must be able to accept their credit-card payments.
In part one of this series we will discuss why you should accept credit cards, and the basics of getting merchant status. Part two will deal with objections you might get, which credit cards to accept, and the check paying option.
Obtaining merchant status, which allows you to accept credit-card payments, might seem like an unnecessary hassle, especially for those in business where the majority of their customers pay by cash or check. But by not accepting credit-card payments, you lose sales. This is especially true if yours is a mail order business, or consulting business. Just look at the majority of business today, all of them accept credit cards, and becoming more and more popular all the time are debit cards.
As many businesses have found, up to 70 percent of people never mail the check, so accepting credit cards is crucial. When the customer places an order, he’s excited and eager to buy. Faced with the prospect of sending a check, waiting for it to clear and then awaiting shipment, his interest is likely to wane. In the meantime, you lose sales.
The Basics of Merchant Status
In order to accept credit cards, you need to work with a bank that will transfer the money into your account within a day or two of the sale, and then collect the money from the customer. In return, you pay the bank a commission of 1.5 percent to 5 percent for each credit-card transaction; a set, per-transaction fee; and a setup fee. You will also have to pay monthly support or equipment-rental fees for a point-of-sale terminal—the machine
used to swipe the card—depending on the contract.
The fee is based on two things, the average amount per transaction and the total volume for the year.
When you apply for merchant status, the banks evaluate your business based on its sales track record, the type of business it is, your credit record, the business’s credit record and your overall financial picture.
Apply for merchant status when you get your start-up financing. This accomplishes several things. First, it shows that you’ve thought ahead. And you will probably have customers that you wouldn’t have otherwise. In fact, some people don’t pay with anything but credit cards.
Second, you show you’re taking steps to minimize the time and expense involved in recovering bad debts. If someone writes a bad check, for instance, it will cost you time and money to recover the loss. If you swipe a customer’s credit card through a point-of-sale terminal, you can be sure you’ll get paid. The machine contacts the issuing bank to authorize the transaction and runs the account numbers through a variety of fraud-protection procedures.
In part two of this series we will deal with objections you might get, which credit cards to accept, and the check paying option.
Copyright 2004 DeFiore Enterprises
About the Author
Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses.
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