Pay Me!- The cry of the small business owner

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:07:00 EST

For the small business owner, getting paid can be half the battle!
from the perspective a small business graphics company

If you are a small business owner like me, financial planning can be a nightmare. You've worked hard, your client agrees you've done a great job, you send your final invoice, and then... you wait! Sometimes you wait AND WAIT.

It is particularly hard when you have counted on a check to cover one of your upcoming bills and it simply doesn’t arrive when it is supposed to. There have been many times when a client has informed me that they will be “dropping their check in the mail tomorrow” or “next week” only to have the check arrive weeks later – usually after I have had to call with a reminder.

Unlike large companies that deal with extended payment turn around times through the use of surplus funds, many times the small business owner is operating with a very limited budget, making quick payment important - especially in these hard economic times.

Since I am self-employed and the sole employee of my business, I realized I was the only one who could make a change. I work very closely with my clients and have always felt uncomfortable “nagging” for payment. It was important that I find an alternate way for my clients to pay QUICKLY without inconveniencing them. I had to get away from relying on the proverbial “check in the mail”.

I started investigating options in earnest! The first thing I looked at was purchasing a credit card machine or wireless terminal, but the cost was more then I could justify. Also, if you run a business via the internet you must purchase gateway software in addition to the merchant account for security purposes.

Next, I considered using a PayPal account, but did not find it practical for a couple of reasons. First, even though PayPal has become much more popular, many people are still afraid to use it. Clients do not readily understand that they can pay without signing up for a PayPal account - and explaining that isn’t as easy as you think! Second, if a client chooses to pay by electronic check the payment is not credited to your PayPal account until the check has cleared – usually 5 business days. Add to that the 3 business days it takes to transfer the funds to your checking account and you have now officially delayed payment longer then it would have taken to mail a check in the first place. Lastly, PayPal does take a percentage of each payment – it is not free.

After a lot of internet searching, I finally landed on the perfect solution for my business as a web designer. I believe it is a great idea for any small business owner, and especially for people that run mobile businesses – such as lawn care, plumbing, carpet cleaning, limo drivers, flea market, craft shows, etc. My answer was enrolling in a system that allows me to accept credit card payments by telephone. I found that this type of system is less expensive then most wireless credit card machines and met all the needs unique to a small business.

Using a mobile credit card processing system I can accept credit cards without a merchant account or equipment. A big money-saver! I can easily and quickly process payments using any touchtone phone – even my cell phone. I simply dial a toll free number to obtain approvals and authorizations. Payments are now turned around in a matter of seconds not weeks!

Of course different merchant servicing agents offer different plans so you have to do your homework – but at the end of the day I chose “AcceptCreditCardsByPhone.com” for several reasons.

The staff at AcceptCreditCardsByPhone.com is extremely professional, helpful and HONEST! I can’t stress how important that is. They were completely up front about all conditions applying to the account – there were no hidden fees. Also, the company offers excellent benefits and rates. There is no application fee, no monthly minimums, no annual fee, and set up was free as well. They made it easy for me to begin accepting credit cards almost immediately.

I was a little nervous about changing the way I accepted payment from my clients to begin with, but I did not receive any complaints. Most individuals are used to paying with a credit card nowadays, so no one felt they were being inconvenienced. The great part is now I don’t feel inconvenienced either!

I’ve listed below the contact information for AcceptCreditCardsByPhone.com if you want to check them out. I don’t think you can wrong.

Acceptcreditcardsbyphone.com

1-888-227-3626

"Pay me" - the cry of the small business owner

Pay Me!- The cry of the small business owner