07 June 2009

Set Up a Merchant Account Before Opening Your Business Doors

"A merchant making up the account" b...Image via Wikipedia

By Scott Johannson

This article is mainly intended for those of you that are just getting your new small or home based business up and running. So first of all, congratulations on taking a big step! You're stepping out on faith to make a big difference in your future, and I wish you the best of luck! But I want to approach a very important topic that you'll need to have figured out before you get started: how to accept credit card payment.

I've seen way too many people get their business up and running, and then they have an order come in and they realize, "Oh no! How do I actually accept a credit card?" Trust me, you don't want this to happen to you. You need to have a merchant account set up so you can accept credit cards!

Now, one thing to know is that you don't have to have your merchant set up when you first conceptualize your idea. You really don't need to worry about it too much until you have everything ready to go, but you'll want to make sure that it is up and working before you have an order come through.

Make sure you shop around for the best rates. Things to look at when comparing include setup fees, monthly fees, and per transaction fees. Look around for the merchant account companies that are willing to give you the best rates. It will be worth the time in the long run.

The other thing to be aware of is that you may not even need a machine to accept credit cards. If you are going to be taking orders at your place of business you'll need to have one. Otherwise, you'll just need to have a merchant gateway to process credit cards online at your computer.

It seems like a simple step, but make sure you don't overlook it. It really is a bad feeling to have an order come in that you can't accept payment for!

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