One common dream, shared by all, is to attain financial security and provide for oneself and one’s family.  This can come in many guises, although it’s fair to say that working for someone else isn’t one of them.  That’s why so many people are now going into business for themselves, in a variety of fields.  If this is you, one way to ensure you make the best profit possible is to open a home business merchant account.

Although you might think that a business merchant account is just for the medium-to-larger sized companies, you couldn’t be further from the truth.  Even if you’re just a one-man show selling books or audio tapes or CD’s, having the ability to accept credit cards for your home business will help you find success quicker.

The best part of accepting credit cards for your home business is that you don’t even have to have a website in order to do so.  So even if you are just a small business selling from your back bedroom, you can still appear professional, leading to more sales. So how do you do this, and what options are open to you?

Set up a Home Business Merchant Account

The good news is that setting up a merchant account is relatively straightforward – you can even apply online, it’s that simple.  All you do is give your details to the relevant provider, who will then do a credit check on you and evaluate the nature of your business.  Once this is done and you’re approved, that’s it – you can then start accepting credit cards for your home business, as well as other forms of payments.

Although the cost of setting up a home business merchant account may be putting you off, you shouldn’t let this be the case.  For the small amount that it costs to open up a home business merchant account, the return you will get from customers who see you have such an account will more than make up for it.

A Home Business Merchant Account offers Security

One of the things that any customer wants to see from a company is that the business is a bona-fide outlet.  After all, they are trusting you with their credit card details, and so they will want to know that you are indeed trustworthy.

By accepting credit cards, your home business will seem that much more professional, not to mention efficient, and this is why a home business merchant account is such an important tool to have.  Now it doesn’t matter if you’re the sole trader working from a tiny office – as long as your customer feels secure that you own a legitimate business entity , they’ll happily do business with you.

A Home Business Merchant Account doesn’t mean you’re stuck at Home

Another benefit of having the ability to accept credit card payments is that it opens up a whole new world of trading to you.  Of course, you can still go down the route of working from a home office and never meeting your clients.  But imagine how much more important to your business they would feel, if you could visit them at their place of work to carry out a transaction?  Wireless credit card accounts are becoming increasingly more popular among mobile merchants.

That’s another plus point that a home business merchant account offers you.  With a mobile credit card processor, you’re no longer tied sown to your office.  You can even go as far as offering the ultimate in personal touches to a client, and deliver their product at the same time you take a payment from them.  If that doesn’t get you extra kudos and a client for life, nothing will.

Business-to-Business Support

One of the hardest things for any new business owner, large or small, is when you’re starting out, especially if this is the first time you’ve worked for yourself.  Whereas previously you didn’t have to worry about sales, or customer service, or building a client base, etc, now you have all that and more to worry about.

However, with a home business merchant account, you can immediately tap into a vast network of support, and not just from your merchant account provider.  Of course, you will have that anyway; but what a merchant account also does is let you communicate with other similar business people.  They can provide advice and tips, and offer support when it seems that you’re not getting anywhere.  And of course, you can always use each other for back links between your businesses.

Accepting Credit Card Payments for your Home Business is Easy

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of having a home business merchant account is the fact that it can benefit even the smallest, least intensive of businesses . For example, if you’re working slowly at your business, the chances are you don’t even have a website to promote your goods or services.

If that’s the case, then a home business merchant account can still provide you with the professional approach you need.  All you need is a telephone – and then a service like Dial Pay will allow you to take credit card payments over the telephone.  Many merchant account providers offer a Dial Pay program without annual fees, set-up fees, cancellation fees, and modest monthly fees.  This is an excellent alternative for someone just starting out in their home business.

It doesn’t cost that much either, with fees starting as little as $0.20 per transaction, with an additional VRU (Voice Response Unit) fee of only $0.50.  (Some companies waive the VRU rate.)  However, there is a Visa and MasterCard discount rate of about 2.2% (add 1-1.75% for non-qualified transactions).  Dial Pay’s general affordability is yet another reason to set up a home business merchant account.

Whatever you are offering, whether it’s a service or goods or otherwise, the first part in your success is having an excellent product.  When you combine that with great customer service and the easy payment options that a home business merchant account offers, the chances of success multiply and you will be better able to reach your limitless potential. 

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To learn more about our merchant account services, please visit us at http://www.intelli-collect.com.