When it comes to sales, amateurs think in terms of "new" sales while professionals focus on "existing" sales. Of course, new sales are vitally important, but do not overlook the role that existing - proven - customers can have on your bottom line! Unless you're only selling snake oil (in which case you're simply relying on Barnum's famous dictum about there being one born every minute), it's the satisfied customers who could prove decisive.

Think about it. Happy customers are most likely to buy from you again - repeat sales. Such folks are also likely to buy even more in the future, especially if you get creative with incentive programs and volume discounting. And perhaps best of all, existing, proven, repeat customers can likely help generate very positive word-of-mouth - that's free advertising, of the best kind: unsolicited, in-person, and from a trusted source. Focus on your customer base, in other words, to stimulate your own economic growth!

Many merchants fail to appreciate what they can do for their existing customers. It often involves something quite simple, such as accepting credit card payments. It's a simple gesture that's appreciated greatly in our increasingly digital, wired age. With a credit card processing account, your business is able to cater to both existing and potential customers at the same time! Offering the ability to pay by credit card is typically perceived by consumers as adding to their convenience and a sign of your thoughtfulness. After all, who would you choose to do business with, all else being equal: someone that makes your life easier, or someone requiring you to go through a whole process just to get paid by you? Sounds ridiculous, right?

But it gets even worse than that! Since you're reading this advice on the internet, it's almost guaranteed that you are a business owner either with an online presence or seriously contemplating one. Yet did you know that there actually are e-tailers who do not offer a way to pay electronically! This being the 21st Century, it would seem like a sign of laziness - or worse - for an internet merchant to seem not fully aware of internet technologies! Moreover, the ease-of-use associated with online credit card payment options encourages impulse buying. It's a documented fact that credit cards encourage greater spending than does cash that has to be diligently (and reluctantly!) counted out first. A web business that doesn't offer the option to pay with a credit card is really just driving itself out of business.

After all, are you really going to wait for that check in the mail?

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