10 MINUTES COULD SAVE YOU 20% OR MORE
Q: Can you really save me money?
In order for all of our local businesses to effectively compete against big box and chain stores, we need to minimize every possible expense. We find that most business owners or managers don’t have any spare time to review new solutions or new ways of saving money.
We really do believe that 10 minutes can save most businesses 20% or more off their card processing rates. We have had some customers save as much as 40% just by switching to our merchant processor partner, which amounted to annual savings of over $10,000.
As an example, let’s assume that your current effective rate is 3%. (See definition of effective rate here.)
If you could reduce it by 20%, your new effective rate would be 2.4%.
If you processed $300,000 in credit card sales during the year at 2.4% instead of 3%, this would amount to a savings of $1,800/year for doing nothing more than changing merchant processors.
I'm ready to start my 10 minute Cost Comparison
Q: This sounds too easy and too good to be true. What’s the catch?
There is no catch. We are a local business that believes in the philosophy of Shop Local. Credit card processing is typically an area in a business that is put into place and forgotten over time. Part of our consulting practice involves helping small businesses save money through practical cost cutting in areas, such as credit card processing.
Q: Why else should I consider a new merchant processor?
We are all now being issued EMV (chip) credit cards and businesses will, as soon as possible, need to begin processing them via an EMV-certified card reader instead of continuing to swipe them in order to avoid the liability of fraudulent charges. This means that this is the perfect time to upgrade equipment and eliminate financial risks to your business.
Q: Why don’t you charge anything for your credit card consulting?
First, we earn a small referral fee from our merchant processing partner that helps to offset a portion of our time. They are a strong supporter of small businesses and most importantly, they offer one of the lowest rates in the industry. Most of our business clients end up paying around 2.2%, on average, though some that process a lot of debit cards have rates below 2%. They also offer reduced online payment processing rates, as well as discounts for non-profits. As our business clients have all of the above needs, it gave us a way to give them a one-stop solution.
Second, this gives us a way of showing our capabilities to a business who may need other business/technology consulting or technology assistance.
Last, we really do like helping small businesses in our area become more efficient and save money, as we want our city to have a vibrant local small business community. We consider it a win-win-win for the you, us and the community we live in.
Q: Where else can you help us save money in our business?
Credit card fees are just one area that we specialize in helping businesses save money. We are able to help with equipment/software recommendations or purchases, phone systems, phone lines, internet bandwidth and more.
One simple example is that we can usually save you money on your thermal paper rolls for your credit card readers or kitchen printers. One client was able to save $600/year by buying their paper through us, as we buy in bulk for many clients and have negotiated lower rates.