Advice From An Owner – Take Plastic!

My business had been open about three years before I finally decided it was time to take credit cards. While I had been approached by companies that provide the equipment to do so, I never really thought it was necessary. However, when I hired a consultant to advise me on ways to grow my business, he told me that I was making a big mistake by not taking credit cards. I got my processor the next week, and saw a difference right away. I have a service business, and by taking credit cards I allowed my customers to purchase more services than they would have previously. In the past, they might have considered an extra service, checked their wallet or purse and then declined. Now they just say yes. Taking credit cards also allows my customers to purchase a series of services and that has increased my repeat business dramatically. My customers are also spending more each time they come into the store on extras. We are moving more of the items from the displays around the checkout area as impulse buying has increased. This is significant for us because even the grab and go items in our business are some pretty large ticket items.

Accepting credit cards makes check out easy for both the staff and the customer. Just swipe and sign. It's fast, and you have no worries about counting change or taking checks which can be so time consuming. As a business owner I also appreciate the ease of closing for the night when all I have to do is batch the cards. It's a simple process that takes just a few minutes. I have a lot less cash to count, and that makes closing up faster as well. In addition, I don't have large amounts of cash sitting the the register all day or in the bank bag at night, and that makes me feel safer. Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend any business have the convenience of credit card payment available for their customers.