Suggest You - Internet and Businesses Online

Secrets To Success in Sales and Marketing
I had an interesting discussion the other day with the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the woman that inspires me… (that is all true, and also just in case she is reading this. I’m sure you all understand!) We were talking about the idea that many salesman out there are simply out to make as much as they can, then look for the next hustle. She felt that salesmen, for the most part, lack some integrity and purpose. They don’t care what they’re selling or who they are selling to. They are only interested in the bottom line – ‘how much can I make?’ To an extent, that is the popular opinion. I’ve thought about this some more. I’ve thought about the different sales occupations I’m familiar with, and the different types of salesmen I know personally.For the most part, it would

s with the gateway system to complete the transaction.

Adding a shopping cart system to your website can be a simple or highly complex task, depending on the system you select. The cost of shopping cart software ranges from free (for simplistic form-based systems) to very expensive. Which shopping cart system is best for your business depends on a number of factors, including the product you're selling, the depth of your product line, the purchase options you wish to offer customers, the inventory control functionality, and the extent of automation you desire.

There are numerous companies who can assist in the setup of your shopping cart and online credit card payment system. These companies typically charge several hundred to several thousand dollars for their services, but like anything you get what you pay for, so always use a company with good references in this area. When you're dealing with something as important as credit card processing and cash flow, bite the bullet and get it done right the first time. The money you spend now will be returned many times in increased sales volume from credit card customers.

The most important thing to remember

Colorful Metaphor or Poison Pill?
Recently, CNN’s early-bird program ruminated that the business world has and is using too many colorful metaphors too often. From its broadcast, one was left with the impression that phrases like; hitting the ground running, watching the bottom line, and thinking out of the box, are “poison pills” and should be avoided in favor of more explicit terminology.Colorful metaphors aren’t or don’t need to be “poison pills” they can both elaborate and expand an idea while still being concise. In fact, they may add a colorful emotional quality to what otherwise may be a sterile moonscape presentation. True, you don’t want to sound like a mina bird squawking the same clich? or irritating phrases repeatedly but good communicators, rather in conversation or prose, don’t do this anyway. A good communicator

In the last column we discussed the process of credit card enabling your brick-and-mortar business. I pointed out that research has shown that accepting credit cards can help increase revenue and speed up cash flow. This week we will look at setting up an online payment system for your business website. If you think hooking up a brick-and-mortar location with a credit card system stymies most bankers, try asking them how to do it on your website.

The fact is most banks can provide you with the merchant account needed to accept credit card payments online, but beyond that, they have little to do with the process. Even larger banks may only have a single person on staff that is tasked as the "credit card processing expert" and if that person ever goes on vacation, you're pretty much out of luck (voice of experience talking here, folks).

I have helped many clients set up online credit card processing systems and more than once I've had to sit down with the bank issuing the merchant account and educate them on how online payment systems work. Don't believe me? This is a direct quote (here's the Bible, here's my hand) from the manager who was in charge of processing Internet merchant account applications at a local bank, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer..."

You will need the following to accept credit cards on your website: (1) an electronic shopping cart system; (2) a payment gateway service; (3) a credit card processor; and (4) an internet merchant account issued by a bank or other financial institution or service bureau.

Here's how online credit card processing works. (1) Your customer submits his credit card information at checkout on your website. (2) The shopping cart software sends the transaction to the gateway. (3) The gateway routes the information to the processor. (4) The processor contacts the bank that issued the customer's credit card. (5) The issuing bank approves or declines the transaction. (6) The processor routes the result back to the gateway who then passes the result back to the website shopping cart system. The entire process is done electronically and takes seconds to complete.

We covered most of these elements last week. Here's a quick refresher for those who missed the basics, then we'll talk about the shopping cart system you'll need to implement on your website.

Payment Gateway Service: The payment gateway service comes into play when a customer submits their credit card information to the webpage form. Think of the gateway service as the middleman in the process. The website's shopping cart checkout system electronically submits the credit card to the gateway service that then routes the information to the processor for approval.

Credit Card Processor: The credit card processor is an electronic data center that processes the credit card transactions coming from the gateway company, ensures that the charge is valid, then settles the funds in your merchant account.

Internet Merchant Account: An Internet merchant account is a bank or account in which funds from online sales are deposited by the processor. Merchant accounts are usually issued by banks that are associated with the major credit card services like Visa and MasterCard. Be aware that many banks will not grant merchant accounts to Internet merchants as they are often categorized as "high risk ventures." This policy varies widely and in the end, the granting of the merchant account will come down to economics from the bank's point of view. If the bank sees even the smallest iota of risk, you will not be granted the account.

Fortunately, the growth of online sales has given rise to an entire industry of merchant service bureaus that will grant you a merchant account and everything else you need to accept online payments. The fees are usually higher, but it's better than not having an online payment system at all.

Shopping Cart System. To accept online payments you must have what's called a "shopping cart system" that allows the customer to select and purchase products from your website. A shopping cart system typically consists of three components: the product catalog, the shopping cart, and the checkout/payment system. The product catalog is the component that displays the items you have for sale on the website. The shopping cart system is the component that allows your customers to select products by clicking to "add items to cart," and the checkout/payment system is the component that allows the customer to complete the checkout process and pay for their purchase with a credit card (or in some cases an electronic check). It is the checkout/payment component that communicates with the gateway system to complete the transaction.

The most important thing to remember

ROI for Marketing
Marketing ROIRunning a small business and especially one that is at the start up phase requires being very diligent in making sure that all expenditures and costs are made with an eye towards the value of spending money on that initiative. As an entrepreneur, you will make many decisions that force you to choose between two options or more and demand that you make the decision based on what is"best for the business." To do that with marketing, means constructing a way of comparing against very different components (run an ad or conduct a workshop? Enhance the website or invest in a brochure? etc.).Unfortunately, marketing is not always easily quantified. For instance, while the value of brand awareness and recognition is a very important piece to any marketing plan, it

ing Internet merchant account applications at a local bank, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer..."

We covered most of these elements last week. Here's a quick refresher for those who missed the basics, then we'll talk about the shopping cart system you'll need to implement on your website.

The most important thing to remember

How To Leverage Your Current Ideas And Products Into Multiple Revenue Streams
Diversify - to make diverse, give variety, to balance, to divide securities in different industries, to produce variety, to engage in varied operations.Diversification is a wealth building strategy; it is also an excellent method for becoming more profitable. By working on your business instead of in it you can remain focused on the big picture and clearly see the best options for creating multiple revenue streams.If you sell products you can offer them in different sizes, combine them with other products of yours or with complimentary products and sell the value added package at a higher price point. If you have a service business you can offer different services and programs at different price points.By developing multiple revenue streams you spread out your risk and the costs

to implement on your website.

The most important thing to remember

Developing Your Sales Personality Is a Fine Art
Picasso was a very interesting guy.I’m especially impressed by how prolific he was, churning out sculptures and paintings galore, into his 90’s.Most people look at a Picasso drawing, consisting of a few lines, and they think: “Any kid could do that!!”Of course any kid could, or anybody else for that matter, but they don’t. Picasso’s work seems deceptively easy, but that’s because it already exists.He had to conceive and execute it. Somewhere in that process we can infer a genius was at work.The artist makes something out of nothing and so does the salesperson. He creates, seemingly out of thin air. And to many, he seems overcompensated.What the seller does also looks easy—after the fact.But observers don’t see the work that supports the sale, the menta

's point of view. If the bank sees even the smallest iota of risk, you will not be granted the account.

The most important thing to remember

5S Workplace Organization in the Office and Plant
Though many of the Lean tools have originated in the Toyota Production System, the maturation and migration of them to non-manufacturing settings is a natural evolution. This evolution builds on the foundation of Lean in the plant and adapts the concepts to other venues.5S Workplace Organization is one lean tool that is increasingly applied in the office as well as in the plant. The basic reason for this cross-border applicability stems from its title, Workplace Organization.The key element of 5S is the getting rid of non-useful material that has accumulated in the workplace. The workplace occupants have become accustomed to files, documents, sales brochures, equipment, and supplier catalogs taking up valuable office space and being piled on top of cabinets, under desks, in back rooms,

s with the gateway system to complete the transaction.

The most important thing to remember when setting up an online payment system is this: online it's all about security and privacy. Though online credit card processing has been around for years there are still many people who are uncomfortable giving their credit card number online. These are the same folks who do not hesitate to give their credit card number over the phone or hand their credit card to a waiter who disappears with it for ten minutes. Online credit card processing is much less susceptible to fraud and abuse than of those scenarios.

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.suggestyou.com/article/61714/suggestyou-Online-Payments-Make-It-Easy-For-Your-Customers-To-Buy.html">Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.suggestyou.com/article/61714/suggestyou-Online-Payments-Make-It-Easy-For-Your-Customers-To-Buy.html]Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy[/url]

No matter how hard you try, in business you simply can't please everyone. You could have a highly trained customer service squadron and an award-winning product, but still you'd have some buyers who just weren't happy. The bad news is that unhappy customers are more eager to share their experiences than happy ones which could spell disaster for your business.

Ideas can start anywhere. This can happen when a person is driving or when one is just sitting down and noticing something that nobody has thought of. Given that opportunities don’t happen very often and being the first counts, the individual can begin to put it on paper and work on the details.

There has always been a lot of people who have worked from home,but the widespread use of the home computer,and the massive explosion of the internet, has opened new opportunities for everyone.

Tags

Links

Suggest You - Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy

Related Articles: