During the last 16 years I have worked with many great salespeople and they all do one thing more consistently than their colleagues … they ask. If you want to increase your sales and grow your business you need to develop the ability and skill to ask for a variety of things.

Ask more qualifying questions
I know you probably think you ask enough questions but I’ll challenge you on this because most of the sales people I encounter don’t ask nearly enough good qualifying questions. Most of the sales conversation I listen to start with one or two questions before the sales person launches into his or her pitch.

Ask better qualifying questions
Stop asking weak feeble questions and start asking tough penetrating ones. Questions that make your prospect or customer think. Questions that separate you from your competition. Questions that make you feel slightly uncomfortable…at first.

Ask for the decision maker
If the person you are speaking to is not the sole decision maker you must ask to be connected with the real decision maker. You can accomplish this without alienating your first contact person by saying, “My experience has taught me that everyone has a different perspective on this issue. To avoid confusion, I have found that a conversation with all the key stakeholders saves time for everyone involved. Can you arrange that?”

Ask for the meeting
If you’re making a prospecting call you need to ask for that meeting or appointment. You can’t expect the other person to jump out of their chair and exclaim, “We have to meet!” You need to take the initiative to make that happen.

Ask for an introduction
When you come across an ideal prospect through your network, reach out and ask someone who knows that contact to make an introduction.

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Time to launch your PR campaign? Make sure you’ve asked yourself the right questions to prepare yourself for success. Create a media relations checklist. Better yet, read this article and review the 15 most important public relations questions you can ask. Each business is different, so you need to supply your own answers, but the following questions offer you a framework around which you can build your campaign.

Before starting this process the first question you need to answer is: what is your primary reason for launching your PR campaign? You don’t want to take step one until you’ve carefully answered that one. Once you’re ready, answer each of these questions with thought, care and honesty. The journey starts below:

1) What are your main stories and pitches?
2) What are your primary target markets?
3) What is your secondary target market?
4) What media outlets reach those markets?
5) How can your stories and pitches be modified to meet the needs of various media outlets?
6) What are your primary anecdotal stories that can be used as pitches?
7) How can your personal story be used as a media pitch?
8 What are the business or entrepreneurial stories that can be pitched?
9) What are some quick phone pitches that you can make?
10) Are there events or anything you can stage that will interest the media in covering your story?
11) What are some strong visual stories you can pitch for TV segments?
12) Does your pitch have a hook?
13) Is there a media call to action?
14) Is there a consumer angle? For example, is your product safer, time-saving, less expensive, more convenient, better quality, etc.?
15) Is there a different, unusual or one-of-a-kind angle?

Approach these questions from your perspective first. Then review them again from a journalist’s perspective.

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Don’t launch your public relations outreach until you’ve had some media training and have prepared yourself to handle media interviews. If you’re going to go through the work of launching a PR campaign, you owe it to yourself and your business to be prepared to fully maximize your media opportunities. Whether it’s a TV, print, or radio interview, don’t assume you can just wing it and hit a media home-run. Keep in mind a media interview is not a conversation; it is the meeting of two agendas. The interviewer has his or her agenda and you have yours. You want to review the various questions that could be asked and prepare your responses. With that in mind, the following are some interview tips to review before.

1. Listen. Don’t anticipate questions. Don’t think that you know what the interviewer is asking. Wait until the question is asked and then respond.
2. If you get momentarily confused, or lose your train of thought, that’s okay. It happens to everyone. Take a deep breath and start again.
3. It’s all right to ask the interviewer to repeat a question. The last thing you want to do is give an answer to a question you don’t fully understand.
4. Don’t be vague or use trade jargon. Speak in easy-to-understand language.
5. Show the audience what you’re talking about. Use a story or an account that illustrates a point, as opposed to just giving them vague ideas or theories.
6. Keep your information short, concise, and to the point. Keep it easy to understand.
7. When trying to make a particular point, be assertive but not pushy.
8. If having clients visit your store is pertinent to your business, mention your location. The viewers may love you, but if they can’t find you, you’re in trouble. Don’t simply blurt out your address, but weave your location into the conversation.

Remember, prepare, anticipate and practice.

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When launching a public relations campaign, it can be easy to get so focused on trying to land a TV interview that you forget to give any attention to how you’re going to handle the interview. Print is usually the easiest in terms of how you look and carry yourself. Those interviews are generally done over the phone. You could be in bed in your pajamas for all the interviewer knows.

The same is often the case with radio. If you’re calling into the show, the interviewer has no idea what you look like, what you’re wearing, and if you’re in your living room or the pool. Another upside of those types of print and radio interviews is that you can write out cheat sheets that you can refer to. In fact, you’re wasting a great opportunity if you don’t do that. Write out a number of flash cards that each list a main point that you want to address, or list statistics, information or quotes that will make you sound quite brilliant, which is never a bad thing.

But, in the worlds of PR and media relations, TV is a whole different animal. Cheat sheets and pajamas are definitely out on TV interviews. Well, you can try pajamas. At least you’ll make an impression.

So, let’s say you’ve pitched your story to a TV outlet, the producer liked your pitch, she booked you on the show and today is your day. First, congratulations on getting this far, now here is your TV media appearance drill. To start, review your wardrobe and dress appropriately. If you’re discussing a product or a book, you’ve made sure that you’re taking along some extra samples (you have already sent copies to the producer). Give yourself plenty of time to get to the studio (keep in mind – if you’re late, you’re dead) and review two or three primary points that you want to get across during the interview.

Make sure you go over the basics as to your story and information, but remember TV is a visual medium.

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Most marketers understand that exhibiting at trade shows is a very effective marketing technique. The chance to meet face-to-face with most of your biggest prospects in one place over a multi-day period is a marketers dream. If you’ve targeted the right show for your company, you have a great chance of acquiring new business.

The major knock against trade shows has always been cost. The truth is exhibiting at a show is expensive. You have to factor in costs such as exhibit space rental, booth construction, travel, shipping, labor, associated show marketing, and additional expenses charged by show management. It isn’t cheap. However I do have some good news. The costs associated with exhibiting at a show are getting much lower. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons that exhibiting costs are going down.

1. Large amount of convention space -The late 90s and early 2000s saw a huge boom in the construction of convention space around the country. Major cities saw the benefit of attracting shows to their cities and so they built and built. Today, there is a surplus supply of quality exhibit space all around the country. This means that the competition for shows is fierce and rates are going down. This increased competition has also forced labor rates to fall as well. Lower rates for convention space trickles down to exhibitors and means lower space rental and associated show fees.

2. Lightweight exhibits – 15 years ago, there was one thing you knew about your display. It was going to be heavy. Wood panels and laminate were the dominant design features and this meant that your exhibit was going to be real heavy and real expensive to ship. Today, most displays feature major sections of lightweight printed fabric graphics. Exhibits today weigh nearly a quarter of what they did over a decade ago. This means lower shipping and drayage costs.

3.

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How do you respond to cold calls, ads, direct marketing pieces, email spam? Exactly. Now why would you expect your prospects to react differently? Generally people either run from or lash out at aggressive hard sell marketing.

Although they can work, traditional promotion efforts have a poor return on investment. Most prospects turn and run when they feel they’re being sold. Overt promotion is considered intrusive, overly aggressive, and unwelcome. Approaches such as cold calling generally induce reactions such as irritation, fear, impatience, annoyance and anger. Not the reactions you want to illicit in a prospect.

These approaches trigger people’s fight or flight responses. Your prospects either want to argue with you, or they want to slam the phone down in your ear. Not a good way to start to a business relationship. There is a reason why cold calling and direct marketing have such low rates of closing. These approaches set you up as the adversary, the enemy.

To market effectively, attraction should be your focus. You shine a light on your prospective client’s problems and offer solutions; which in turn draws prospects and clients to you. Illumination equals attraction. The trick is to shift from a traditional marketing approach to one that focuses on your value; the standard dynamics of marketing are upturned, as your focus moves from promotion to attraction. Doing business with you becomes appealing, desirable. You and your business are sought after.

This is where a combined approach that includes PR, media relations, blogging and social media can be so effective. For this to work make a firm connection with your message and your audience. Your approach needs to be in alignment with your core values and your true skill set. Focus on illumination and attraction rather than on selling; you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

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Email is a widely used prospecting tool but it is seldom used correctly or as effectively as it could be. Most sales people and small business owners make a variety of mistakes that prevent them from increasing their sales when using email to grow their business. Here are the top six mistakes they make that cost them money.

Mistake 1—Poor subject line
Never, ever reference your company name in a prospecting email. That’s the fastest way to make sure it doesn’t get read. Also, don’t mention something lame like your new website. Do I REALLY care about your new website? Does anyone other than your marketing team and the person who approved the budget care about it? I highly doubt it. A prospecting email must start with a great subject line that catches your contact person’s attention. Executives receive hundreds of emails every day and if your email has a dull or boring self-serving subject line, it’s going to get deleted without being opened or read.

Mistake 2—Asking me for feedback
Once again, I’m too busy to give you feedback on YOUR stuff. This is not a compelling way to capture and keep my attention. Because your email is a sales letter (which I have nothing against) I know that your request is simply an attempt to get me to click through your link. If you want your email to take action make sure that you address a specific problem my company is facing. Then, I might be compelled to follow through on your request.

Mistake3 —Generic approach
The statement, “It describes our services and success with companies just like…” tells me nothing about your product or service. While you or your marketing department might think that that is a creative and intriguing approach, it isn’t. If you really want to get my attention tell me what success have you achieved with other companies like mine.

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The first order of business when beginning a PR campaign is to figure out your stories. Study the media and what kinds of stories they cover especially when it is a specific topic in which they interview an expert in that field to bring more credibility to the story. For example, if the media is discussing a top athlete’s recent injury and they need a doctor or pain specialist to comment on this, you could be that doctor. Notice which outlets discuss topics that are in your area of expertise. Once you have an idea of the media you want to pitch, and some stories you’re ready to pitch, you can begin to take the following steps:

1. Write a press release. A one pager that shows your knowledge about the topic with a catchy, useful angle for the media.

2. Build a media list. This can be tricky if you don’t have access to a database. Here are some databases to check out:
Cision
BurrellesLuce

3. Once you have a list of contacts, begin narrowing them down. Write a paragraph with a pitch about your story and attach the press release. Send it out!

4. Then begin Follow-up calls.

Some helpful tips when pitching:

How many people do you know that react well to hard sales techniques? Although hard sells might initially get people to react to them, they’re certainly not the way to forge a long term working relationship. In fact, if you approach people with the used car salesman approach, chances are good that they’re going to do their best to avoid you. The media is no different. When pitching the press, trying to hard sell your story is not the way to go. Remember, you are trying to position yourself as a media resource. You want the media to understand that you’re on their side; and that you can help them meet their needs by giving them interesting stories.

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Hiring the right marketing, sales people is always difficult because success elsewhere may not translate into success for your company, for you. The difference between the right and wrong choice is more than the money it will cost to hire yet another new person. The real cost can be a year’s worth of lost business opportunities, sales. Although you can never be completely sure that person you hire will be right for the job, you can increase your probability of success by following a few simple rules.

The Job Description
Start by writing a detailed description of the job. Make a list as detailed as necessary to ensure that everyone understands the position and what will be expected. Now that you’ve defined the job to be done, make a mental and written description of the person you want. Weigh the attributes that you are looking for.

What to Look for in a Person:
1. Ability to spot essentials
2. Adaptability
3. Aggressiveness
4. Ambition
5. Appearance
6. Community standing
7. Cooperation
8. Detailed product knowledge
9. Energy
10. Enthusiasm
11. Experience with intangibles
12. Flexible
13. Good diction
14. Gregariousness
15. Personality
16. Imagination
17. Knowledge of market
18. Knowledge of competition
19. Maturity
20. Motivation
21. Planning ability
22. Poise
23. Quick learner
24. Quick thinker
25. Self-confidence
26. Self-starter
27. Speaking experience
28. Stability
29. Technical experience

The Hiring Process
You’ve been analytical so far, so don’t blow it now. Set up a new selection guide and use it for all of the people you interview.

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During a recent sales training workshop I conducted with a client, we were discussing the importance of asking the right questions; high-value, high-impact, penetrating questions. One person spoke up and said, “When I’m talking to a new prospect I like to ask, “What do you know about us?”

An uncontrollable groan escaped when I heard this. But it got me thinking, what other lame questions do sales people ask? Here are a few that I’ve heard over the years and still continue to hear.

1. “What are your needs?” Really? You seriously think this question separates you from your competitor? Using this question automatically turns you into an order-taker, not a sales-maker.
2. “Are you the decision maker?” Although there is nothing technically wrong with this question, it usually results in a ‘yes’ response. A more effective way to get this information is to ask, “Who else do you normally consult with on decisions of this nature?”
3. “What is your budget?” Many people haven’t established a budget or don’t know what to budget for a particular purchase. Do them and yourself a favor and focusing on exploring their problems and presenting a solution that addresses those issues. Budget will become less of a concern.
4. “Do you want to save (insert money, time, or other lame benefit)?” Don’t insult my intelligence. Enough said.
5. “Do you want this (whatever the feature might be)?” I don’t even know what that feature will do so how can I possibly tell you if I want it. Oh, wait! If I say that then it gives you the opportunity to start talking about your product. Now I get it…
6. 6. “Would you give me a referral?” I might if I knew what type of person or company you wanted an introduction to. Be specific and help your customer understand who would make a good referral. BTW: Saying “anyone” is NOT an effective reply.
7. 7.

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In a meeting recently, a client made a comment to the effect that they were very concerned that “Talent Management” has become just another fad word. Sadly in many circumstances this is already the case. One of the main contributors to this demise is the fact that many limit “Talent” to “professional” occupations or positions usually associated with big offices and salaries to match. While it may included those falling into this description this is not the complete truth.

Talent Management can and does take on a broader interpretation, which includes succession planning at all levels across the organization. Many organizations face issues with aging work forces, once again at all levels within the organization. The consequence of an aging staff compliment is that, when such people do retire, much of your corporate capability (skill) leaves the building, and the gap left in its wake is more like a vacuum. This is not always immediately visible, but over time, as skill sets reduce and tacit knowledge flows out of the organization, eventually business continuity is threatened.

For many organizations dealing with Talent Management takes on what can best be described as the “mercenary approach”.  This “instant” approach to Talent… “We will just go and buy (poach) the skills we need”, hugely perverts ones approach to hiring the best people for the job. The up-side to this approach is one doesn’t need to train up the talent and skills your organization requires (provided that these skills are available). The downside to this approach is that skills begin to attract premium salaries out of kilter with their intrinsic value. Never mind the fact that one never really gets to instil any corporate culture with any level of consistency. That is another whole kettle of fish for another time.

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In the last decade the media world has changed in ways few of us could have imagined. Warhol would be proud. Not long ago traditional media and marketing was the only avenue to get your message out there. When it came to the media, a handful of editors and producers decided what was covered. Now all of that has changed, the floodgates have opened. The internet has not only changed what the media covers, it makes news. The media terrain has morphed. Although there are more avenues and outlets, the market has become so diffused that it’s more and more challenging to find venues that:

1) Give real information

2) Reach a specific audience or market

3) Have a strong audience base

4) Meet your media goals

TV shows and print publications used to be the public’s main sources for news, politics, entertainment and information. Although they are still incredibly important, they no longer have the reach or the impact they once did. Those outlets once served as the primary venues for exposure and media coverage. They are still tremendously important and need to be a part of your promotional or marketing campaign, but they are now only one part of the media mix.

The traditional media outlets are morphing, and online, social media avenues are growing on a daily basis. Whereas many newspapers are folding and more information is going online, simply promoting yourself or your company on the internet is not the end-all marketing-wise. Internet marketing and social media are important, but those avenues do not offer the validation and legitimacy of appearing in the traditional media. The net is democratic, anyone can post information online. The downside is that there is very little vetting and fact checking. Overall, the internet is the Wild West of information. Marketing online may get your message out there, but simply being on the net is not enough.

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Launching a public relations campaign can be confronting. Many people are uncomfortable and resist the mere thought of launching a PR campaign. As one client explained to me, he didn’t want to do interviews, he didn’t want to be a star; he simply wanted his business to be successful. I understood exactly what he meant. His focus was on his business, on the bottom line, and being featured in a newspaper or on a TV segment didn’t mean much to him, unless it affected the bottom line. But there was also something else going on. He was shy and embarrassed and being interviewed, or sitting in front of a TV camera, scared the heck out of him. If you feel that way, ask yourself what you’re willing to do to be successful. Are you willing to utilize the most powerful marketing tool available? Are you willing to take risks, utilize the magic of the media, and give your business a real chance for success?

If your response is yes, remember very few people are naturals when it comes to the media. It’s a skill and one that can be learned. I generally suggest that people take at least a couple of hours of media training before launching a campaign. It helps you focus, helps you relax and shows you how to tell your story in the most comfortable, organic way possible. It also teaches you how to meet the media’s needs as well as your own. Our trainer is Ann Convery, she has prepared clients for interviews in a wide range of media outlets from Oprah and 60 Minutes to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Her specialty is helping you refine and condense your story. She teaches people how to present themselves as experts in their field in a relaxed effective manner. Her focus is on showing you how to present yourself not as a celebrity, but as an authority.

Effective media placement isn’t about wanting to be a star or wanting to appear on the media – it’s about success. It truly is about the bottom line.

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The clients are out there, you just need to reach them. And the best way to get them to take notice is to sell your value not your product or service. But, before you can present your value, you have to understand exactly what it is. Your product or service is what is most apparent, that’s what people see, but your value is generally a bit more hidden. If you own a beauty salon, your service is pretty straightforward, you cut, style and color hair. But what is the value you’re offering? You help people feel younger, more attractive, happier, or more successful. Your value depends on your client, but your value is more the emotion than the actual hair you cut or style.

What is it you’re selling? And I don’t mean what product or service. Are you selling health, wealth, beauty, success, fun? What is the value or effect that your product or service offers your customer? Focus on that. Sell your value not your product. This can be trickier than it seems. I’ve worked with several companies that understood the product they were selling, but not the value. Take some time and figure out who your target market is and what your product or service truly offers. What is the core value? When you’ve figured that out, the next step is to find the best avenue(s) to reach them. Once you know exactly what value you’re offering your clients, find the unique marketing mix specific to your needs. Then you’re set to reach and land more clients – now!

Most businesses are looking for clients or customers. The trick is to reach them and then to effectively communicate with them. Even in a shifting economy, people still spend money, buy products, and use services. The economy may take a downturn but it will eventually start to go up again. You not only want to be prepared for the upswing, you want to use strategic marketing and promotional tools now to find your clients and build your business, even during the most challenging times.

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Public relations is an important marketing component for nearly any company or product, but when it comes to fashion, beauty or style, an effective PR campaign is not an option, it’s a necessity. Think about it, fashion and style is directly linked in our culture with celebrity and fame. When Entertainment Tonight or In Style feature the latest singing sensation or movie star, it’s not just the person who is being spotlighted it’s also what he or she is wearing including what bag, jewelry, blouse, pants, skirt, scarf or coat they are sporting at the time.

When Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt prance down the red carpet, they’re not the only ones being scrutinized, the magnifying glass is also on their shoes, their blouse, the sunglasses – everything they are wearing is now suddenly in the grip of the star making machine. A fashion designer we were working with had one of her designs worn by Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson in the same week. That opened the door to the People magazines and In Style’s of the world. That is a definite plus. As a designer you want celebrities to wear your clothing. It helps media-wise, there is no doubt about that. But a mistake that designers often make is that they place their primary focus on chasing down celebrities and celebrity stylists thinking that the only way to establish themselves in the world of fashion is to get the latest A, B, C (and if all else fails) D-list celebrity to wear their designs.

As I mentioned, that helps, but your primary job is not to chase down Hollywood’s latest flavor of the month. Your job is to create the best fashions you can. You want to develop a line that the public reacts to. The bottom line is you want your creations to be your star, not the celebrity that wears them. So, how do you do this?

Here’s your exercise, forget (for a bit) that celebrities exist. Put aside your desire to have the latest celeb wear your designs.

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Tip 1: Make a list of objectives that you want to achieve before starting the process. You don’t want to limit your idea and thought process, but you do want to define objectives to accomplish. When it comes to PR brainstorming, your goal is to come up with a list of the most important story ideas including new business concepts, the unique value you offer, important information you can give, and anecdotal stories. Also spend some time focusing on how and why you can be presented as an expert regarding your company, your business, and your overall field.

Tip 2: This is a group process. Don’t simply brainstorm on your own, set up a brainstorming session with your PR consultant, or, if you’re doing this in-house, meet with members of your staff that understand your business. If you’re a one man, or one woman show, bring together some friends or associates who understand your business. You want people you can bounce ideas off. You want feedback, plus you want energy. Make it fun; make it a game, but one with a purpose.

Tip 3: Allow everyone involved to speak freely. Set up an agenda but let the information flow. Start with a list of the obvious stories, then drill down to more unique stories; also review different ways to present stories. You don’t want to spend the bulk of your time on concepts or stories that are too left (or right) of center, but do let it get a bit crazy. Think out of the box. Be creative. Remember you don’t have to use all of these stories or ideas, but the deeper you drill, the better the chances of finding a great story, so let the ideas fly. Let yourself bandy about story ideas that chances are you’ll never use. You never know, those might actually turn out to lead you to some golden PR nuggets.

Tip 4: Once you’ve created a list of possible ideas, now start thinking like the media.

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Even in a down economy beauty sells. The cosmetic industry was born in the Great Depression. This is one industry where it pays to promote when things are good, but pays even more to market aggressively when times are tough. As in the fields of entertainment and fashion, a strong public relations campaign is critical when it comes to establishing a beauty product or cosmetic brand. It’s important to develop a basic game plan and work it on a weekly basis.

Initially, your most important job is to come up with compelling, interesting stories. How is your product different? Do any celebrities use your product? How does it make your customers feel? Is there an interesting story around how you developed and launched the company that you can use? Come up with as many angles and pitches as you can. Make sure to have good visuals both of the product and of people using your products. Strong before and after photos are always a plus. Once you have your stories ready to go, come up with a target media list.

When we launch a beauty-oriented PR campaign, we generally start with local print media, we then branch out to the national beauty and style-oriented publications followed by print publications in Los Angeles and New York. From there we drill down to other regions.

As the brand builds and you are able to develop compelling, visual stories, you want to start focusing on TV coverage, from local NBC, CBS and ABC coverage to the cable networks such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox, to the national outlets such as the Today Show, Good Morning America and the View.

As you start to land print coverage in magazines and newspapers, utilize that media online via social media and blogging to magnify that coverage and generate media interest and start establishing the brand. Do some brainstorming and develop a social media strategy, to capitalize on your TV and print media coverage.

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Physicians, more than most professionals, need to be aware of how they are perceived by the public.  A person’s health is his or her most valuable asset, and to most there is nothing more important than picking the right healthcare practitioner.  No one wants to put their health in the hands of someone they don’t trust.   This is one reason why (in the health and medical world) although advertising and direct mail promotions can be successful, they can also backfire.  A prospective patient does not chose a physician,  healthcare provider, or a hospital, the same way he or she chooses a new Smartphone or a new set of tires.

Marketing a medical practice via a print ad or TV commercial has inherent risks.  A physician does not want to be viewed as though he or she is actively selling; no prospective patient wants to be sold.  Patients want to see someone they trust, someone they feel is the best in the field, and that’s why a well planned public relations campaign is so very important to building a medical practice.

The healthcare field is learning how to utilize public relations and social media as ways to connect with and communicate to the public.  In over two decades working in the healthcare PR field, I’ve seen firsthand how important media coverage is to physicians and hospitals.  We’ve placed physicians and healthcare practitioners in a wide range of media outlets including Time, Newsweek, Oprah, the Today Show, the Wall Street journal, the New York Times, the BBC, and hundreds of other local and national media outlets.  Those placements have helped build practices and establish medical experts.

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Getting a merchant account is very easy – understanding it is a different story. There can be a lot of different fees associated with a merchant account:

• Discount rate (Visa / MasterCard / Discover Card): 2:15% – 2.39%
• Transaction Fee – 20¢ – 50¢ per transaction)
• Batch Fee – Free to 30¢ per batch
• ACH Fee – Free to 25¢ per deposit
• Address Verification Service (AVS)- Free to 15¢ per transaction
• Electronic Gateway Fee – $10.00 – $100.00 a month
• Statement Fee – $0.00 – $20.00 a month
• Customer Service Fee – $0.00 – $20.00 a month
• Monthly Minimum – $0.00- $50.00 – for example, if your discount rate is 2.5% and you sell $1,000 that month, your charge is $25.00. If you monthly minimum is $25.00, you have met that requirement, and should not be responsible for that amount)
• Application Fee – $0.00 – $1,000.00
• Merchant Account Set-Up Fee – $0.00 – $1,000.00
• Electronic Payment Gateway Set-Up Fee – $0.00 – $1,000.00
• Membership or Annual Fee – $0.00 – $1,000.00
• Virtual Terminal – $0.00 – $25.00 monthly

As you can see, there can be a lot of charges. The two basic components of an Internet merchant account are a merchant account provider and an electronic payment gateway.  The electronic payment gateway is similar to the point-of-sale (POS) terminal in the grocery store.  The main U.S. gateways are Quantum Payment Gateway, Authorize.net, Payflow (owned by Paypal) and LinkPoint (aka YourPay or First Data Global Gateway).  All three of these companies cannot process credit cards without the aid of a merchant account provider.

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SALES GROWTH – Every business needs sales growth. When the company bottom line is lacking and cash flow is deficient a business owner may pour thru his/hers monthly financials or spreadsheets reviewing line entries to find out where the business is and to find any glaring problems. Most often this analysis results with the same outcome.

INCREASE SALES or DECREASE EXPENSES – I, and many other business owners, recognize that reducing expenses is always a good thing, and during an economic downturn such as the one we are presently experiencing it is more than necessary. But my experience is that you can only reduce expenses so much. It helps your situation month after month to attempt to reduce your expenses to improve your bottom line, (and is a great business discipline), yet at some point you get to the place that you cant really reduce expenses much more, YOU NEED TO GROW SALES. Sales growth also occurs across many different efforts, but these different efforts can be simplified to categorize sales growth as:

1. Internal Sales Growth (or referred to as organic growth)
2. Growth thru Acquisition

Companies may tend to use just one of the above means, or both of them. In my last business our sales growth came thru a combination of both internal growth and growth thru acquisition. Both means have advantages and potential disadvantages. But both should be considered. The longevity of the business may also dictate what means to utilize for sales growth. Speaking from personal experience of growing and running a business for 20 years here are a few of my findings.In the early years annualized sales growth of high double digits and or low triple digits was very attainable thru internal growth. But as your sales grows and your year over year comparisons are based on higher sales numbers attaining the higher sales growth figures became more difficult.

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