Five Tools Every Merchant Should Be Using

Without them, you can’t survive.

 They are the people who buy your products, spread the word about your business and hopefully return in the future. Cultivating them and keeping them happy is much easier and more beneficial than attracting brand new walk-ins. That’s where loyalty benefits enter the picture. Whether it’s a card that gets punched after every purchase, entries into a monthly drawing or any other creative gimmick, entice them to come back and reward them for doing so.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

When someone purchases a gift card from your store and gives it to a friend or family member, you are virtually guaranteed that a new customer will soon walk through your door. Just think of this as a golden opportunity to showcase all of your products. In many instances, your newfound customer will spend far more than the amount on the card. Better still, he might tell his friends about you, too.

The Power Of Software

While you’re out on the floor introducing people to the full line of your products, why not have a virtual partner behind the scenes taking care of the tedious details of record-keeping? No matter how amazing your sales abilities may be, your store will flounder if your finances, invoices and payroll aren’t in order, particularly at tax time. Investing in software such as QuickBooks can enable you to automate many of your accounting processes and can even be a check and balance for you in case you make entry errors. It just makes good financial sense.

Make Payments as Painless as Possible

Once your customer decides to buy, make the process virtually effortless. Mobile credit card processing can take what once was a cumbersome ordeal and make it amazingly fast, convenient and portable. Often, obtaining mobile solutions does not require you to buy a large amount of new hardware or mobile phones. What’s more, you can take it with you when you do any of your selling at trade shows, flea markets or other remote locations. People will also love that you can email their receipts to them.

For The Traditionalists

These days, the majority of your customers will probably want to use plastic to pay for what they buy. However, there will be the occasional one who still wishes to write a check. Many credit card merchant service providers will accept check purchases and treat them just as they would treat credit card transactions. Checks are deposited electronically into your company’s account.Much has changed since the old days when checks and cash were the preferred methods of payment. However, some facts remain constant. If you have happy customers who spontaneously advertise for you and keep coming back, if your finances and inventory are well-organized, and if you offer a variety of payment solutions that keep the sales dollars flowing smoothly and your customers happy, you will have what it takes to succeed.