To avoid unpleasant surprises such as mine, insist on all information and agreements up front, before committing to account or paying initial fees.

Having all of documentation may not be enough. Be sure you understand all aspects of your Internet Merchant Account agreement as well as fees and equipment required.

If you find incomplete, unclear, or conflicting information, ask questions.

If your sales representative is more interested in getting your signature than helping you understand your commitments, ask for another representative or go elsewhere. There are many, many Internet merchant account options available. You need not be trapped into one that is uncomfortable for you.

Based on my own experience, I developed a list of seven multi-part questions to ask a potential merchant account provider. Before contacting a provider about fees and agreement details, you may also want to familiarize yourself with all of potential fees associated with an Internet Merchant Account. There is a list here, about half way down page: http://www.take-payments- online.com/InternetMerchantAccount.html

7 Questions to Ask

Understanding answers to these questions before signing an application or agreement will help make for a solid partnership between you and your account provider:

1. Can I accept credit cards both online and offline?

Do I need to get separate authorizations or permissions when setting up my account for different types of transaction (Internet, retail, phone orders, etc.)?

What other additional fees are involved if I accept both online and offline credit card charges?

2. Can I accept online payments using methods other than Mastercard and Visa (Discover, American Express, Diner's Club, online checks, debit cards, etc.)?

If so, what are fees and do I need to do anything to "activate" those payment methods?

3. What are different discount rates and fees for different types of charges (Internet, in person, telephone, mail, etc.)?

4. What are other fees related to this account - yearly, set-up, application, monthly minimum, statement, support, cancellation, discount, per-transaction, gateway access fees, card reject fee?

Are these subject to change?

Are there any other fees?

5. Do I process charges manually or automatically?

If manually, is it possible to get automatic processing?

If so, do you provide a secure online payment gateway?

How do I do it and what extra charges will I pay?

6. What other software and services do I need to become fully ecommerce enabled online (such as secure gateway provider, etc.)?

Do you have a list of compatible or preferred providers?

7. Do I need additional hardware or software?

If so, what is cost and how do I get it?

Ask these questions and establishing a mutually comfortable relationship with your Internet Merchant Account provider from start. It will help you avoid "traps" and lay groundwork for a long, solid partnership.

Bobette Kyle draws upon 10+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing.

3. - Email any existing lists you have, explaining that you are cleaning your lists, and asking those subscribers to re-subscribe under your new policy. (Offer them something good in return for their trouble.) You may lose some subscribers, but those are probably ones who never paid attention to your mailings to begin with, and are most likely to suddenly contract "amnesia."

4. - Retain electronic confirmations of all opt-in actions. It would be wise to save those records externally to disk on a daily basis.

5. - Provide an automated removal link in all emails sent. A "reply to this email for removal" or "email this address for removal" statement may not be sufficient in near future.

7. - Sign all messages you send, top and bottom, with your full name and email address. Keeping your name in front of your subscribers will greatly improve their ability to recall their voluntary opt-in action.

8. - Be sure your email subject line relates directly to context of your message body. This is a prominent clause in most current spam laws.

9. - Use only a valid and working return address for any email sent. The recipient must be able to reach you (or a member of your staff) by clicking reply button to any email received.

While I don't appreciate being spammed, I've also learned to quietly use technology available to me, ie. email filters and delete buttons. Still, it won't surprise me in least to soon hear of some guy who has filed a million dollar lawsuit because he contracted carpal tunnel syndrome in his "delete" finger.

Blind and uninformed legislation appears to be laying a foundation for just such a frivolous boondoggle, as slick legislators continue to jump on bandwagon, "taking action" on popular social issues as a self-serving exercise in ensuring their own re-elections.

What I fear most however, is a terminally diseased social consciousness that refuses to take individual responsibility, while expecting big government to be a panacea for all ills, no matter how small or insignificant.

Dan B. Cauthron runs several websites and publishes his 100% original and highly opinionated *Revenew QuikTips* online whenever he has something significant to say. To subscribe please visit: http://DanBCauthron.com Dan also operates: http://Earn-Revenew.com http://SlideInADSGenerator.com