What’s The Right Credit Card For My Business?

A number of credit card providers have been really aiming at including small businesses in their product line. For new, small businesses this can work wonders as it is a lot easier to get a credit card than a loan from a bank.

Of course, there are dozens of choices available and this can often make it quite hard to choose a specific card. The best way to evaluate the sort of card that’s best for your business is to take a look at its spending habits. Different businesses have different spending habits, depending on the sort of business they have.

Balance

Consider if you plan on paying the balance over each month, or whether you will pay it off with time and want to pay the minimum payment. If you do decide to carry the balance then you will need to take a look at the annual percentage rate, as this can end up being quite costly for business if it goes wrong.

For those that wish to carry their balance and also have good credit, take a look to see if you can get a 0% credit card, as this will mean you pay nothing back for a set period. Fixed rates can be very attractive when interest rates are rising; however this is not the case currently.

For businesses that pay all of their balance each month, they should look for cards with rewards or longer periods of grace. These businesses can benefit greatly from paying back and the rewards for being disciplined are good. However, make sure you are disciplined as the costs for not being so are also high.

Charge Cards

A good alternative to the credit card is the charge card. This card differs as it allows businesses to have a short line of credit. The card will always be paid back in the full amount at the end of the month and there are harsh penalties. However, if you do pay back in full your business will receive a number of benefits for doing so. Charge cards often also charge an annual fee and there is a similar process to the credit card application online, when applying for one.

Though, if you do need flexibility, then a credit card is a better option – just be aware of the interest charges and when you need to pay the balance.

Rewards

We’ve mentioned rewards on a number of occasions and both credit card and charge card companies issue these. These often come in the shape of air miles, cash back and discounts at retailers, hotels or for services. Access to airport lounges and hotel upgrades are also part and parcel of these benefits and perks. The main thing here is to pay attention to the fine print if you choose a card with these perks, as the costs of not meeting the criteria are high.

So, in conclusion, the best way to choose a card is to look at your businesses situation and all the financial products out there and then take your ability to pay into account. By then choosing a card around your ability to pay, you can be sure that you will avoid steep charges and gain all the benefits you can.

Cormac Reynolds writes financial articles for a variety of businesses and blogs and has done so for many years.

 

The Invention of the Cash Mob

Local businesses ultimately tread water for most of their lives under the disinterested eye of major players in the respective industries. Being presented with a pair of water-wings would provide respite for anyone under trying circumstances. On the other side of this metaphor is the recent development of the cash mob, set out to offer water wings to small businesses in as many places as possible.
When Chris Smith conceptualised the idea of a cash mob less than a year ago he might not have realised that it would take off so dramatically. The idea of the cash mob is quite similar to its more social influencer, the flash mob, in that it pools a group of strangers together in an attempt to add value to society in some way. Whether it is an unexpected well-choreographed dance routine in a shopping mall, or for the purposes of mass demonstration for political purposes, a flash mob has an intangible outcome. A cash mob on the other hand aims to provide cash injection for small businesses that could really do with a larger customer base.
Cash mobs are taking off slowly but surely all over the world. As group buying sites become more popular, small to medium-sized businesses take big risks in forking out a lot of money to pay the online retailer as well as reduce their product price. Contrary to a group buying site the cash mob encourages personal interaction with store owners through physical purchases. This adds a new dimension to the buying process and serves as a valuable way of retaining customers.
The optimal cash mob functions in the following way:A vote is taken on which enterprise should be mobbed.A date and time is arranged for the cash mob to take place.The right number of people mob the store without there being too many to handle or too few to make the cash mob a successful venture. Lastly, the mob needs to carry out its main function by spending money in the store through their purchases.
The result of a successful cash mob is that store owners get a valuable injection to their cash flow, allowing them to keep their heads above water for a while longer. This trend will most likely spread out to the rest of the world in the near future and as a relatively new venture the cash mob is already making a bit of a splash online.

Dave Peterson deals in currency as a hobby and has done so for years. Foreign exchange traders are a big part of his life and he’s definitely had his ups and down with them over the years. He realises that forex services differ quite dramatically between firms but building a relationship with your trader is vital for trust purposes.

 

More Internet Scams to Look Out For

The ingenuity of some people is truly amazing.  Some of these scams are so blatantly obvious (“you have just been left $200,000,000 by someone who chooses to remain anonymous but we need you to wire us $230 so we can transfer the funds…) but some are truly scary and dangerous.  I fell for one of the latter.

I received an email from one of my credit card companies requesting that I verify some of my contact information.  (Note, no reputable credit card company or bank will ever do this).  The email had the correct company logo, and a phone number to call to verify the information.  I called the number and they sounded very legit so in order to verify that it was me, for my own security,  they got my information:  social security number, date of birth, password, account number, the whole enchilada. The more information they asked for, the less comfortable it was and it finally spooked me.  In logging on to my actual account, it was obvious that this had been a fraud and I was hosed.  Needless to say my next two days were spent flagging my SSN on Experian, changing all of my financial  passswords and account numbers.  It was a pain, but thankfully I caught it in time and there was no further damage.  Another one of these arrived in my email box a couple of days ago and it seemed like a good time to share.  It looked llike this:

This time there are obvious anomalies with the URL, and no Wells Fargo logo.  Bottom line is that a bank will never ask you for this information.  I didn’t even open the link as it might have contained some sort of phishing software.

Another type that has been circulating is the “shock announcement.”    There were two announcements that my Verizon bill was ready, and that the total was $937 or $952, depending on the email.  The purposes of these are not readily apparent, but never open any of the links on any suspected emails.  Three things made these emails immediately suspicious:

1. The emails were addressed to about twenty other people in the header, all with the same email URL.
2. The two emails to me had different amounts
3. I have never had an account with Verizon.

There is another type of “shock announcement” again just looking for you to panic and click on their link:

 

This one claimed to have taken $451 out of my bank account, but that somehow the transaction might not show up for a few days.  Instead of panicking this time, the bank was called and there was no transaction with PayPal.  It has been two weeks, and nothing did ever show up.

The bottom line is this:  If you get one of these things, don’t open it.  Don’t click on any of the links.  Log on to your account yourself; do not respond to anything over the email.   Don’t store your account information on your computer, you are far safer and less likely to get ripped off if you write it on a sheet of paper and keep it in your desk drawer.

 

Free Your Business From Chargebacks

If you’re a business owner, you probably cringe a little bit whenever somebody mentions the word chargebacks. This is completely normal. No business owner likes to deal with chargebacks, but for some reason they have the tendency to keep coming in, slipping around the cracks even if you take steps to safeguard your business from customer misunderstandings and fraudulent purchases. If you haven’t had the misfortune to deal with chargebacks in your business yet, you may not even know what they are. Chargebacks are credit reversals that come about when a customer or client requests their money back after making a credit card purchase. It may not sound too bad, but they can cause a lot of hassle and undue stress for business owners. Chargebacks take up a lot of time and resources, and they can incur a lot of fees that will eventually add up if you have a lot in any given time period.

There are ways to prevent chargebacks from happening though, and taking a few extra steps can go a long way towards freeing your business from them. Most chargebacks stem from two different things: the first is a simple misunderstanding between the customer and the merchant, and the second is fraudulent intent on the part of the customer.

In the first situation, something occurred which was not fully explained to the customer, or which they did not understand correctly. For example, if your return policy isn’t very specific, the customer may think that they have 45 days to return an item when actually the time frame is 30 days. They decide they want to send the item back on day 37, find out that they can’t, and go initiate a chargeback because they feel like they were not treated fairly. Misunderstandings like this happen quite a bit, and the best way to prevent them is to make sure everything on your website is explained clearly in an easy to understand way. The same sort of misunderstanding can occur with shipping policies, product descriptions, product images, and a whole range of other factors.

The second reason chargebacks happen – fraud – is a little harder to prevent, but you can still safeguard your business if you make the right precautions. Chargeback fraud happens when a customer makes a purchase with a credit card, usually through an online transaction on a website, and then initiates a chargeback with his or her bank on the premise that the item never arrived, or it arrived damaged, or something of that nature. In reality, the item arrived in perfect condition and the customer is simply attempting to get it for free, but banks typically take the side of the customer in matters like this, which doesn’t leave merchants with a whole lot of wiggle room to fight back.

The best way to prevent this is to screen any customers that seem suspicious or who have a history of chargebacks. You can find some very thorough online databases of people who have a history of chargebacks, and after doing this you can decide whether or not you want to do business with that person.

Niika Best is a chargeback specialist who runs a firm which fights against chargebacks for merchants. she has got a reputation amongst the chargebacks specialists as the leading person who has been in this industry. If you would like to know more about Niika’s chargeback initiatives or how to fight a chargeback, please log on to her website

 

The Best Methods for Preventing Fraudulent Chargebacks

Fraudulent chargebacks are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s modern society, and as a business owner you’ve probably been hit more than once with this specific kind of nefarious fraudulent activity. Whenever it happens you’re left slapping your forehead and wondering how you could have let that one slip by you. It’s nothing to beat yourself up about, and if there weren’t such unscrupulous people in the world today we wouldn’t even have to deal with them. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that there are people like this who will take advantage of every possible opportunity to swindle, gyp, and otherwise rip off honest, hardworking businesspeople.

Instead of beating yourself up, what you can do instead is further tighten your security measures to prevent this type of fraud from affecting your business. Every new chargeback is an opportunity to review your purchasing and processing model to make it harder for the scammers to slip through. Dealing with fraudulent chargeback in an online environment is infinitely more difficult than dealing with it in a “card present” business scenario, so the latter is what this article is going to focus on mostly. Here are the best methods for preventing fraudulent chargebacks in your physical business location.

The first and most obvious step is to obtain signatures, and compare the one given with the signature on the back of the credit card. If there is no signature on the back of the card, don’t even accept the charge. Kindly inform the customer that it’s against your policy to do so, and offer other methods of payment, such as cash or, if you offer it, check. Legitimate card owners will usually understand the need for this to happen, and if the customer is trying to make the purchase with a stolen or fake credit card you’re better off not dealing with him anyway. They may get angry or try to argue with you, but stand firm, and most importantly train your cashiers to do this as well.

When the customer signs the credit card receipt, examine the signature given one more time against the signature on the back of the card. Many people simply forget or neglect to do this, but it can be one of the best indicators that you’re dealing with a fraudulent transaction. Legitimate card owners will usually understand the need for this to happen, and if the customer is trying to make the purchase with a stolen or fake credit card you’re better off not dealing with him anyway. They may get angry or try to argue with you, but stand firm, and most importantly train your cashiers to do this as well.

Second of all, train your staff to be able to recognize all of the various security features that will be present on a legitimate credit card. They should examine each card separately to determine whether the card is valid. This is another obvious gesture but there are a lot of people who simply don’t do it. Fake credit cards are extremely hard to pass off under a discerning eye.Finally, take a second to double check that the number on the slide machine is actually the same number that’s on the physical card. These are things that only take a few seconds to do, but can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

Rebecca is a multi tasking person offering SEO, online PR, web copywriting, media relationship management, and chargeback responses. Rebecca works directly with each client to increase  brand profile, and search engine rankings. She has headed a number of chargeback campaigns for large brands.If intrested in Rebecca’s chargeback initiatives or would like to know how to fight chargebacks visit her website.

 

The Wonders of “Outsourced” Technical Support – From a Customers View

Authors note:  My one regret is that they have conveniently omitted a clock next to the entries, as would normally best practices for any company that truly wanted to monitor customer service.  This transaction took 47 minutes.

My actual chat with PeoplePc Tech Support:

Please wait for a site operator to respond. Your feedback is important to us! Please complete our Exit Survey by clicking on the Grey Close Button at the end of your LiveChat.
‘Shirley’ says: Thank you for contacting PeoplePC LiveChat, how may I help you today?
customer@peoplepc.com: you are telling me that my password is incorrect, but it’s the same one I’ve used for 15 years
Shirley: It is quite unfortunate that one of our best customers has to face such difficulty. Let me get this clarified for you.
customer@peoplepc.com: I was trying to send out a newsletter today, did I piss the system off?
Shirley: Please give me the last four digits of your Debit Card or a Credit Card (CC).
customer@peoplepc.com: 2607
Shirley: Thank you for the verification.
Shirley: I see that some fraud was detected on your account due to which our fraud department changed your password to prevent you.
Shirley: This is why you are not able to login.
Shirley: Let me guide you what needs to be done now.
Shirley: 1st, we will need to reset your password.
Shirley: 2nd, please do not use your old password ever.
Shirley: 3rd, when you make a new password now do not share it with any one. Please make a strong password for example: combination of letters and numbers in such a way that no one good guess it. Example: Ab45Cd
Shirley: 4th, please scan your computer for viruses.
Shirley: Thus, before we proceed with the change password option, Nowadays we receive lot of calls where a customer’s computer is affected by hackers or viruses and they end up having to spend a lot of money to get it fixed.
Shirley: Thus, may I know, is your computer protected from viruses, spyware, and other Internet threats?
customer@peoplepc.com: AVG
customer@peoplepc.com: I’m fine, I just need the password
Shirley: Great. How old is your avg though if I may know?
customer@peoplepc.com: and how many emails can I send without arrising the ire of your “fraud department?”
Shirley: due to security reasons, we will not be able to provide the original password of your email address via Live Chat.
Shirley: Instead I can reset the password and give it to you on this chat window.
Shirley: Then, you can then change it through My Account online.
Shirley: Once I do this, you will receive an email that your password has been viewed.
Shirley: Is that fine with you?
customer@peoplepc.com: fine, but and how many emails can I send without arrising the ire of your “fraud department?”
Shirley: This is not due to sending more email messages.
customer@peoplepc.com: then it is a very timely “coinsidence.”
Shirley: May be.
customer@peoplepc.com: and can you answer my question?
Shirley: Yes.
Shirley: Please give me five minutes.
customer@peoplepc.com: take your time
Shirley: Thank you.
customer@peoplepc.com: hard to find a supervisor at this time of night?
Shirley: Thank you for your patience.
Shirley: I apologize for the delay.
Shirley: I am yet researching on your issue.
Shirley: There is no specified limit, but it is best if you send an email to just a few receivers at a time.
customer@peoplepc.com: that is inconvenient with a mail list of 2700
customer@peoplepc.com: please see if you can find a number
Shirley: Okay. I would suggest you to send an email to as minimum recipients as you can.
Shirley: You can divide your address book into groups.
Shirley: Like school.
Shirley: College
Shirley: friends
Shirley: Official
Shirley: Then accordingly send an email.
customer@peoplepc.com: that is not a number. Say, my “minimum” is in one catagory, “newsletter” and my list is 2700. Can I use 2700 for a minimum ?
Shirley: No.
Shirley: Minimum would mean 10 to 50 receipts only.
customer@peoplepc.com: so your “fraud” department wants me to send 2700 emails in groups of 50?
Shirley: Again, there is no specific number or requirement.
Shirley: The smaller the list the better the results.
customer@peoplepc.com: well then whats wrong with 200?
Shirley: You can sure try 200 as well.
customer@peoplepc.com: I dont like the word “try” it has connotations of my haveing to reset my password again and again if i exceed your arbitrary number
Shirley: Okay.
customer@peoplepc.com: surely you must have some sort of written guidelines for your “fraud” department to follow?
Shirley: Let me check.
customer@peoplepc.com: thank you
Shirley: Please be on hold for five minutes.
customer@peoplepc.com: i was
Shirley: Yes, Please be on hold for another five minutes,
Shirley: Thank you for your patience.
Shirley: I would need some more time.
Shirley: I apologize for the delay. Please be on hold for another five minutes.
Shirley: Thank you for your patience.
Shirley: Please click on the link given below.
Shirley:http://www.earthlink.net/about/policies/use/bulkmail/
Shirley: Please fill in the form with your requirement to send bulk email messages.
customer@peoplepc.com: is PeoplePC owned by earhlink now?
customer@peoplepc.com: Anyhow, your form is filled out. Can I please have my password now?
Shirley: Yes. EarthLink is our parent company now.
customer@peoplepc.com: congratulations, I guess
Shirley: Sure.
Shirley: Thank you.
Shirley: step6243 is your new password.
Shirley: Your password changed successfully!
Shirley: This change will take 20 minutes for it to take effect.
Shirley: Though we can try it right now, to test.
customer@peoplepc.com: Thank you. Have a pleasant evening
Shirley: Please use this password to log into My Account and from there you will be able to reset your password.  You can reach My Account from the following link.
Shirley: http://myaccount.peoplepc.com
Shirley: Please use just the first part of your email address as the member name. (All in lower case). Do not type @peoplepc.com For example: if abc@peoplepc.com is your email address. Use only abc as your member name. Then, type in your password. (The password that I gave you.) Then, Click on Sign in.
Shirley: After logging into My Account – In the Profiles area, click the your email address that you would like to change the password for.
Shirley: In the Primary Profile area, click Edit next to the password.
Shirley: In the Old Password field, type the password which has just been given to you.
Shirley: In the New Password field, type your new PeoplePC password. In the Retype New Password field, type your new password.
Shirley: Click the Change Password button.
Shirley: Let me know once done.
Shirley: Also, once done. Since we have gone ahead and reset the password on the account, and you would be then resetting the password again at your end via My Account, I would suggest that you also use the new password for your email program and connection.
Shirley: 
Shirley:  Do you want me to go ahead and provide you with the directions to change the password for the email program and connection software?
customer@peoplepc.com: please
Shirley: Please reset your password first by following the steps givven above.
customer@peoplepc.com: so I get to reset my servers, and my iPhone?
Shirley: Yes.
customer@peoplepc.com: I cant get to your server with this chat window open.
customer@peoplepc.com: Chrome wont open another tab
Shirley: You can click on the Minus sign at the top right of this window to minimize this window.
Shirley: You can always click on the chat window at the bottom of the screen when you need to read the chat.
Shirley: Please open another window.
customer@peoplepc.com: again, Chrome wont open another window. It just toggles this one back and forth
Shirley: Please use Internet Explorer.
customer@peoplepc.com: kk
Shirley: Okay.
customer@peoplepc.com: I think were good. According to your form, it WAS the number of emails I sent (400) that caused your “fraud” department to suspend my account. When you change companies and enforce a new set of restrictions, it would be nice to inform your customers.
Shirley: We always send an email alert for each and every change.
Shirley: Which email program do you use in order to send and receive email messages?
Shirley: Is it Web Mail or Outlook Express or Windows Mail?
customer@peoplepc.com: Outlook
customer@peoplepc.com: and if you sent a notice, it must have gotten trapped in my spam filter. Ironic.
Shirley: May I know the version of your Microsoft Outlook that you are using?
Shirley: Is it Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007 or is it Outlook Express?
Shirley: If you are not sure, open your Outlook.
Shirley: Click on Help > About. Let me know the version for the same.
customer@peoplepc.com: why?
customer@peoplepc.com: its 2007
Shirley: So, that I can help you changer your password there.
Shirley: Okay.
customer@peoplepc.com: i got it covered. Thanks
Shirley: Great. Make sure you use your new password the next time you connect.
Shirley: Do you use the peoplepc software ( blue smiley face icon ) to get connected to the  Internet ?
customer@peoplepc.com: I’ve already changed it. No, I set up the POP and SMTP servers on my Outlook and connect through that.
Shirley: Okay.
Shirley: Connect better with PeoplePC dial-up software. Our Smart Dialer technology automatically chooses the best local dial-up access number for you each time you go online. You can download the Software fromhttps://myaccount.peoplepc.com .Login to Myaccount then click on my Downloads on the left hand side and then download the Dial up Connection software. I will also mail you the CD of the Software on your Mailing Address, which you will receive in two to five business days. May I have the Mailing Address?
customer@peoplepc.com: God how retro. I have a T1
Shirley: Okay. I understand.
Shirley: 7th is your bill cycle date of every month. You were last charged on 08/08/11 for $12.95.
Shirley: PeoplePC will occasionally need to send important administrative emails to you about your service.  Do you have a specific contact email address you would like us to use when sending these messages?
customer@peoplepc.com: No thanks. Were good. Bye now!
Shirley: You are welcome.
Shirley: Is there anything else I may assist you with today?
customer@peoplepc.com: No thanks. Were good. Bye now!
Shirley: I was indeed glad to get this opportunity to help you.
Shirley: You’re welcome and thank you for using PeoplePC LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again. It was a pleasure assisting a friendly customer like you.
Shirley: Thank you for your understanding and patience. Have a wonderful day. Take care. Bye.
Shirley: Please click on ‘X’ button on top of the chat window to end this chat session.

 

But Shirley, whatever happened to: Your feedback is important to us! Please complete our Exit Survey by clicking on the Grey Close Button at the end of your LiveChat?

By the way, I changed the password back to my old one  (which she told me never to use again) rather than changing all the other instruments I use it on.  It works fine.

 

 

I’m Sure That You Are Way to Busy to Read This

I just don’t have the time.  There isn’t the bandwidth.  There are not enough hours in the day. The hurrier I go the behinder I get.  Surely these are very common and familiar phrases in your work-a-day world.  To me, only the last one holds any modicum of truth.   Indeed, the more harried you allow yourself to get, the less efficient you become.  How many projects are put off simply because of poor time management?  How many concepts are thought to be staggering simply because of the perception that the project is just too big?

Consider the space shuttle.  Taken at its entirety the project was of such magnitude that nobody alive could possibly have attempted such a thing, yet broken down into its component tasks and properly scheduled it was one of the most successful and satisfying undertakings of modern man.  There is rarely a case to be made for not having “enough time.”

I have seen manager after manager bemoan the rigors of their daily schedule ad infinitum.  Seriously, to the point of spending hours at the coffee machine or behind their desks bitching and moaning about how little time there is in their day.  How many times during the day do we really schedule time to invest in the things that are actually going to SAVE us time in the long run?  In my former life the business development of a major corporate travel management fell to my responsibility.  There are absolutely no end of executive administrators and “C” level managers we ran into that realized there travel program was absolutely out of control (costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours annually) but simply didn’t “have the time” to sit down with us and get it fixed.  Ironically, these same managers and admins somehow “had the time” for their engineers and managers to sit down on their computers and book their own travel, often making mistakes or deliberate misuses of corporate budget that any professional agent would have caught in a heartbeat.  These same engineers and managers also seemed to have the “time” to spend on weekend “teambuilding” retreats, trade shows, and product user group meetings.  It seems to be that “time” is not the issue; rather it is one of priority.

Properly setting your priorities, and holding to the discipline of enforcing your schedule, is of key importance in time management. It reminds me of a friend I had growing up that had to buy all of their groceries at a boutique market because they took credit cards, and the local market did not.  They couldn’t just eat beans and graham crackers for one single month to save enough to pay off the credit card debt and start paying with cash at the market across the street that cost about 2/3 of what the boutique market charged.  Instead of exercising the discipline and “sucking it up” for a small period of time, they continued to pay exorbitant prices for their groceries, and monthly interest charges on their credit cards.

Time is money.  If you don’t take the time to invest in your future, you will not have any savings.  Our next installment will discuss how to invest time wisely on your internet presence:  your website and your social media profiles and sites should be your best “selling” assets.  Have you invested the time to make sure you are taking the maximum advantage of those golden resources?

 

Dr. Mike is a Free-kin Rock Star

Congratulations Dr. Mike for a Job Well Done

Days like this don’t happen often enough in this business.  One of my clients published his first website today, and I was actually around to push the button when he went live.

I met Dr. Mike years ago.  We were both in the same church band; in fact we were both bass players in the same church band.  We rotated Sundays and it worked out well as there was another church requiring my services every other weekend.  There was never a feeling of competition, and although we didn’t see each other all that often our relationship was friendly and we became “friends” on FaceBook and LinkedIn.  After a few years the church and I were going in different directions musically, and philosophically.  My Buddhist girlfriend (now wife) was tolerant of some of the egregious language of the Evangelical Christian  Church (everybody is OK as long as they think exactly the way we do…) but not enthusiastic over spending our Sundays driving a half hour each direction to do so.  They had found yet another bass player so we just drifted off.

Mike started Chiropractic school with a vengeance, and kissed his wife goodbye for a couple of years to become a slave to the classrooms and studies.  After the rigorous course, and several panic attacks during exams, Mike was ready to hang up his shingle and announce his practice (again on FaceBook and LinkedIn) and I began to follow him.  Oh the joys of social media, being re-connected with old friends.

Forgetting that age had crept up on me my back went out while engaged in some construction activity that should probably have been left for a man half my age.  It took a few days for me to become convinced that it was not somehow going to miraculously work itself out, and would indeed require the intervention of a skilled practitioner.  It was so bad that walking was almost out of the question, and ice and heat were required to merely sit in front of a football game on television.

Remembering our association, and the current status of Dr. Mike the Chiropractor, it was easy to recall my pleasant experiences with the service and call upon his expertise to alleviate my current condition.  The only negative memory of Chiropractic being that my health plan sucks, and it can be a bit expensive out of pocket.  This minor setback was alleviated after my first visit with our agreement to barter his services for mine as an internet marketing consultant.  As it turns out, so was my back pain.  In a matter of 3 weeks it was loose and relatively painless and the mobility returned to the point that noon 2 mile hikes were back in the picture.

Every visit to his office was accompanied by an hour or so of marketing discussions.  We went over Facebook, Youtube, Hotmail, Blogs, google.com, Markets, Websites, Products, WordPress, Linkedin, youtube videos, and general integration into social media.

The past few visits he has come up to the office and we really got down with our website provider and started to create.  His work is as outstanding on the site is it is at his practice.  It is truly satisfying to have a client listen and take the advice that one works so hard to provide.  At the suggestion of one of my associates, I have for some time, really not encouraged any of my clients to do any of their own work; it simply usually doesn’t get done.

Even with a newborn first child at home, Dr. Mike has written some 20 technical blogs revolving around healthcare and Chiropractic medicine.  It was with great pride that this humble internet marketer was able to watch the birth of www.rogersonchiropractic.com.  Well done Dr. Mike!

 

by Gerald Weber

Is your business still cash and check only? Do you have to deny customers who want to pay with plastic? If so, it’s time you join the rest of us in the 21^st century and open a merchant account with a reputable credit card processing company.

Why should you get a credit card machine for your business? Here are just 5 of the biggest reasons your business needs to start taking credit cards today.

1. Your customers want it—The fact of the matter is that today’s consumer prefers using credit and debit cards over cash. A lot of people don’t even carry around cash anymore. If your business refuses to get on board and accept credit cards, you’re only inconveniencing your own loyal customers. And clearly, that’s never a smart move for any business to make. Don’t make things harder on your customers than it has to be. Start taking credit cards.
2. Your competition takes credit cards—Guess what? You might still be behind the times, but it’s pretty safe to say that your competition isn’t. The vast majority of today’s businesses now take credit cards. If your business isn’t taking credit cards and your competitors are, guess what’s going to happen. Your customers will start to migrate over to the competition because they’re more accommodating.
3. Not accepting credit cards makes your business look outdated—Image is important. Businesses that don’t accept credit cards seem out of touch and behind the times. That’s not something that any brand wants to be labeled as. Adding a credit card machine can help to bring your business back up to speed so you don’t look so outdated.
4. A merchant account is a sound investment—The great thing is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to set your business up to accept credit cards. If you choose the right credit card processing company, your business can start processing credit cards and debit cards with low fees. And when you consider how you’ll be able to accommodate more customers and make larger sales, it’s clear that getting a merchant account is a smart investment for all businesses to consider.
5. You can attract more customers—Right now, you’re probably losing out on a lot of sales because your business doesn’t accept credit cards. Once you get set p with your own credit card machine, you’ll no longer have to turn customers away who wish to pay with a credit card or debit card. You’ll be able to accommodate more customers, and that means your business will make more money.

So, are you still on the fence about setting your business up to accept credit cards? Didn’t think so

OJ Thomas is the VP of Veritrans LLC which is a merchant account provider that provides credit card processing services for businesses of all sizes.

 

OK, If it’s free why do you need my credit card number?

Could it be that the word free, as defined by Webster Online as: open to all comers

— free·ness  :open to everyone \-nəs\ noun
— for free     : without charge

does not apply to your transaction? 

Could it be that you have just used the most famous bait and switch of all time to get me to not only sign up for my FREE invoicing software but give you a profile of my company, a sign-in word, and create a password?

 God that pisses me off!

 There are reasons that the current Google Ad words regulations will kick you off (supposedly) for advertising something for FREE when it is not.

Of course the hope is that when your FREE trial period is over  you will forget to cancel and they can bill you for something you really don’t want for another few months until you finally call your credit card company up and FORCE THEM to reverse the extortion payments.

As internet marketers we have a responsibility to police ourselves.  The social environment won’t put up with these “USED CAR SALESMEN” forever.

 Shout it to the mountain tops every time you see one.  If you must, YELP!

All I wanted was a freaking template so I can bill my first months website re-works.  It’s not rocket science and I sure as hell didn’t have an extra half hour to dick around with Intuit only to find out that it would have been faster (and more honest) to just say that they aren’t about to help ANYONE for free.

Good advertising karma in an information age.  I wish them well.