Sep

Let ‘Em Pay Easy

Filed Under (Tips, Website Conversion) by Traffic Guru on 09-09-2009

This is a concept you’ve probably heard many of the big marketing gurus from Jay Abraham, Frank Kern, Eben Pagan, Rich Schefren, Dan Kennedy and more all talk about.

And it’s the concept of having multiple payment options and making it easy for your customers to give you their money in exchange for your products and services.

It’s absolutely essential to have on your website a way to take credit card payments because something like 83% of all transactions on the Internet are done using a credit card.

With the proliferation and vast reach of PayPal it’s also now recommended to have a PayPal button on your site so people can use this service.

Most of the time if a website doesn’t offer PayPal as a payment option I won’t buy their products as identity theft is too easy to do and PayPal is the best, most secure way to buy things on the Internet.

So obviously, I recommend offering a PayPal option as well. The only time this doesn’t work is if you’re doing a subscription type product or service where you have to take monthly payments and in this case you’ll have to get their straight credit card information.

It’s also suggested you have the option for off-line payments like allowing them to call in and do a credit card or check by phone. Also, to have a mailing address where they can mail checks or money orders.

I believe it was Corey Rudl and Derek Gehl of the Internet Marketing Center where I read some information about how there’s no reason to turn away 15% to 17% of extra sales just because you won’t let your customers mail in their payment or phone it in.

This concept became painfully clear to me the other day when I went into the Geico office to pay my car insurance bill for the month.

Being a busy Internet entrepreneur I hate balancing my checkbook and so write very few checks. It’s probably been over a year since I’ve written a check.

So I went down to my bank and got the cash to go into their office and pay the bill for this month.

Much to my surprise when I get there the person at the front desk tells me, “We don’t take cash as payment for your monthly bill.”

This was news to me because this is the first installment payment and since Cash is King every business takes cash. Apparently not.

She gave me a couple of bogus BS reasons why they don’t take cash in that they don’t have a safe and they’ve been burglarized.

Seeing how frustrated I was she suggested I drive up the street 1/10th of a mile and get a money order from the Money Box.

So it took an extra 10 minutes of my time and it reminded me how important it is as a business to make it as easy for your customers to pay you as possible.

If this hadn’t been some state-mandated law I definitely would have canceled their service never to return. I’ve always felt insurance was a phantom scam product anyway because you pay them money every month and they do nothing for you.

I know this is just how it feels because there is a contract and they are taking on some of the risk of your behavior in exchange for this monthly payment.

The feeling is further reinforced though when you actually call them make a claim and they run you through the ringer, the insurance adjuster drags things out and nitpicks every little detail to reduce the payment you get, and finally when you do get paid after the long drawn out process it’s almost never what you expect.

So give your customers multiple ways to pay and make it easy for them to do so. There is much data supporting it and it will definitely increase your sales and your profits.

Originally posted 2008-12-09 17:30:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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