How can I increase my sales?
In today's market more and more consumers are using credit/debit cards. This this industry has seen exponential growth in the past few years and card usage continues to grow. This has prompted businesses that may have not traditionally taken credit cards to start giving merchant services a second look.
Typically we think of accepting credit cards as a practice used by only retail stores and restaurants. However the speed and security of using cards has made it a must have for many other industries as well. Today plumbers, electricians, mechanics, business 2 business, and just about any other industry we can think of are starting to accept credit cards and for some it is becoming so common that not taking plastic puts your business behind the curve.
A lot of service professionals like to take cash, but were previously forced to take checks due to the high average ticket or job price. Checks can create several problems from taking to long to process and be deposited , to on occasion "bouncing" and reclaiming these funds is often more trouble than its worth. With credit cards a consumer now has several payment options available and the business has the advantage of having the funds deposited electronically and with more security. With debit card usage continually reaching new all time highs its become the preferred payment method of the consumer.
More often than not I hear from some businesses especially those that do not traditionally accept credit/debit cards, that they decided to make the investment to take cards, but they saw little usage and felt it was unsuccessful. First of all I use the term "investment", because that is exactly what we are doing in order to increase sales, security, etc. However I've found that many business owners do very little to make customers aware that they even take credit cards and its no surprise that they do not achieve the desired results. For many service businesses taking credit cards is something that can give them access to more customers and set them apart from their competition. Actually promoting that customers can easily pay using their credit or debit cards is something businesses should look into, because it can be the difference between a customer choosing your business or your competitors.
So to sum up, if your business makes the investment to take cards then start thinking about what you can do to get the most RETURN from your investment!