So you want to start a business? Or perhaps you already have one going but you want to make sure you’re maximizing both your profits and accessibility to clients. Either way, you’re going to want to make sure that you go out of your way to guarantee you the biggest take, don’t expect your customer to do it for you. In this article I’m going to go over the importance of payment processors, as well as talk about how they work and how you can find one that best fits your business’ needs.
What is a payment processor? Sticking to the intent of this article, I want to talk specifically about credit and debit card processors. In this age of digital gadgets and plastic money, you can’t be relying on everyone to be carrying cash around with them, or even checks for that matter. Today, most people have more plastic cards in their wallet than anything else, and for good reason. Your clients know that credit and debit cards provide a convenience that is unmatched by handing over cash and waiting for someone to fumble through a tray of coins for the correct change. Honestly, how do you think your company will be perceived if you deny them this convenience? If you said “poorly”, then you guessed it and are ready to move on to the next paragraph. If not, well, have fun sticking to your guns while the rest of the commerce world passes you buy.
So we’ve basically established that card processors allow your customers to pay in multiple forms of currency and can greatly boost your sales and profits by providing flexibility at the checkout. When you look for a processor, you’re going to want to be attentive as you look through a few things. First of all, these companies are, just like you, out to make money. The way they do this is by giving you a micro-charge on every transaction they process for you. Intuitively, you’ll want to look at what rates they charge for transactions in your shop. Swiped rates should hover around 1 to 2%, and keyed in transactions should be below 2% as well to be competitive. If you’ve never used a credit card processing machine or service before, make sure that the company you choose from is personable enough to teach you how to set things up. Most companies are not opposed to this and even encourage you to undergo a brief training in order to maximize the potential client base for both you and the processing company.