Dr. Kevin Nunley's Biz Tip:
Take Credit Cards Cheap
These days, when it seems like everyone is in a big hurry, it is a good idea to take credit cards. Many customers simply won't get around to mailing a check. If they have to wait more than a few minutes to make their purchase, they will buy somewhere else.
For the small or part-time business, the big cost of getting a merchant account can be too high. Most require several hundred dollars in start-up fees while other waive the fee and make you pay $60 per month. Fortunately there are some clever alternatives.
Ibill (http://www.iBill.com) offers an interesting way to take checks online and let people charge their orders to their phone bill.
Discover Card/Novus will let you accept their cards via phone with no monthly fees, but charge 3% or 5% of the sale.
Other creative start-ups are taking checks-by-fax. It used to be hard to find a provider that would give a merchant account to a home-based or Internet business. Now there are hundreds.
Even your local bank is likely getting into the act.
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About the Author: Dr. Kevin Nunley is one of the Net's leading authorities on business promotion. He provides short articles on a wide variety of marketing and sales subjects. See his 10,000 marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at http://DrNunley.com. Reach Kevin at kn@drnunley.com, Kevin Nunley, 54 Ponemah Road, Amherst NH 03031, or 603-249-9519.
Copyright © Kevin Nunley. All rights reserved.
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