Accepting Payment Through Your Website

Written by Shelley Lowery


If you're doing business onrepparttar Internet, accepting payment through your website is an absolute must. If you're not processing orders online, you're losing a great deal of money in lost sales. Studies have shown, you can increase your online sales up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. With today's advanced technology, processing orders online can be as simple as pasting a code within your web page HTML.

Preparing your website to process orders online isn't as difficult as you may think. There are basically two options. The first option is to set up a merchant account. This entails either making arrangements with your bank or using an online company. The second option is to use a third party credit card processor. This option requires no merchant account and usually entails setting up a form or placing a link on your order page.

Don't let this process intimidate you, as it is much easier than you may think. There are many professional companies onrepparttar 108980 Internet that will assist you.

Merchant Accounts

If you decide to get your own merchant account, you will also need access to a secure server and a shopping cart system. A secure server will protect your customers' information. A shopping cart system will provide your customer with a running total of what they've ordered andrepparttar 108981 total cost.

The following website can provide you with a merchant account:

Total Merchant Services (TMS) http://www.marketingtips.com/creditcards/index.html

This outstanding company comes highly recommended by Corey Rudl -- author ofrepparttar 108982 #1 selling online marketing course, "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business onrepparttar 108983 Internet."

The TMS Merchant account, for Internet transactions, will enable you to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. They offer two merchant processing software packages to choose from. The first package isrepparttar 108984 TotalPay powered by Authorize.Net™ Virtual Terminal. This package will enable you to authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions from any computer with a Internet connection and a Web browser. This package ordinarily runs $995, but for a limited time is being offered for only $397. The second package isrepparttar 108985 TotalPay powered by Authorize.Net™ Virtual Terminal that includesrepparttar 108986 Total Merchant Manager Shopping Cart. This package includes everythingrepparttar 108987 first package includes, and more:

- Customizable Shopping Cart System - UPS Shipping Module - Links to Virtual Terminal - Free Initial Installation

Their discount rate is 2.4% and $0.35 per transaction fee. Monthly fees include a $10 monthly statement fee and a $10 gateway fee that includes secure, online, real-time credit card and e-cheque processing and only applies to merchants processing transactions through their Internet payment gateway.

Third Party Credit Card Processors

If you'd rather not have your own merchant account, third party credit card processors will process your credit card orders for you. There are usually no monthly fees. They charge a "per transaction" fee and send you payment for all your orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee.

How Your Business Can Prosper In Uncertain Economic Times

Written by Paula Morrow


We've been going through some uncertain economic times recently. And those with a job are (rightly) worried about security: of their jobs and pension plans.

Insider trading, stock manipulation, corporate downsizings: all seem commonplace.

As a result, many businesses are revising their long-term plans to a short-term focus.

So, how does your business fit into this economic climate? Actually, as a small business, you're in a pretty good spot.

Whenrepparttar corporate giants stumble, traditionally it'srepparttar 108979 small and medium- sized businesses that prosper. After all, someone has to fillrepparttar 108980 void and provide desired products and services.

Small businesses can react quickly to change, since they're not hampered byrepparttar 108981 internal layers,repparttar 108982 decision making by committees, of corporate America.

As a small business owner, you're flexible and can change withrepparttar 108983 times, not be dictated by them.

Opportunities await...just make sure you're covered inrepparttar 108984 following areas:

*Do you have a backend profit stream in place?

Your existing customer list may be called on for double or triple duty, asrepparttar 108985 cost of acquiring new customers continues to rise. Be ready by making sure that you have multiple products lined up. If you're not sure of what to offer next, ask by way of survey, questionnaire, whatever.

Your success shouldn't depend on any one particular item. *Keep Building Your Targeted Opt-In List

Customers do have a lifespan. So you must continue to add to your opt-in 'funnel,' exposing ever greater numbers to your business.

Building an opt-in list is, and will remain,repparttar 108986 key to long term profits.

*Take Advantage Of Creative Options

There is a lot of opportunity available, if you can think creatively. Seek out or create co-op opportunities, swap ezine ads, create a co-registration opportunity.

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