Who pays you? Your clients do and never forget that. Unfortunately many people do. They take your money and then vanish off face of earth. And if you do hear from them you know they are only trying to sell something or business is not going well. The silly thing is, if you look after hand that feeds you, they will look after you.

Keep in regular contact with your clients, particularly top 20% (both current and past) who have provided you with most income.

Still keep in touch with others via newsletters etc. However top 20% of very special clients need extra attention.

A monthly "how's things?" call. Find out how life is treating them, without expecting to sell anything.

Send occasional gift …a book, tape, movie tickets. Thank them for their business. When special times of year occur send them a Christmas Hamper, New Year's Calendar, Easter eggs at Easter. Little things which show you care.

When you get referrals, reward referee with a thank you card or gift.

Do what most people in business don't do. You will be amazed that if you consistently (that is key word here) make extra effort, you will continue to get repeat business or more referrals.

If your business is home-based or has been in operation for less than two years, you’re likely to face objections from bank.

If yours is a home-based or a brand-new company, be sure to meet with banker to show your business plan, offer collateral and discuss your personal net worth. You are more likely to be able to overcome objections by being open and honest. Even if your bank turns you down, however, you still have options. First, you can always try other banks.

If you don’t have any luck getting a bank to back you on your own, consider going through an Independent Sales Organization (ISO). These are field representatives from out-of-town banks who, for commission, help businesses find banks willing to grant them merchant status. Ask your bank to recommend an ISO, or look in Yellow Pages under credit cards. The ISO may be able to help you simply because it represents dozens of banks, each with their own specialties and criteria. The ISO representative can match your needs with needs of banks he or she represents, without requiring you to go through application process with all of them. Of course, you will pay higher fees because you run a home-based business, which presents more risks to bank. Some banks will require you pay either a percent of your monthly credit transactions or dollar amount, whichever is higher. You also pay a per-transaction handling fee, a monthly fee and per month fee to rent a point-of-sale terminal.

Which Credit Cards Should You Accept

Once you’ve obtained merchant status, you can accept a variety of credit cards, depending on which are offered by your bank. Some banks issue their own cards, and others act as intermediaries between credit-card companies and your business.