Accepting Credit Cards at Shows

There are several ways to accept credit cards at shows these days. And they are a great way to open the door to more sales! People like to ration their cash at shows because they usually only bring so much with them to last them the day. When they realize you accept credit cards, they are able to spend more and not wait to by til they have seen everything at the show. So, how do you get started? I first started with a Propay account. And as an Etsy seller, you can get a discount for the annual fee. This service works well, but there are some downfalls. Most shows don't have WIFI, so you have to process the cards when you get home and hope they are approved. You also have to make sure you get all the proper information written down or the card will be declined. I had to learn this the hard way when I got a wrong zip code (and no phone number!). Of course, if you have WIFI on your phone, you can process cards that way. Another downfall (compared to other services) is the fees. Propay charges an annual fee, as well as a fee per transaction. They also charge for their card readers as well. I recently got a smart phone with full internet access. One of the main reasons I wanted this phone is so I could get a Square reader. I have used my reader at two shows now and both times have been a huge success. The reader so easy to use. You just plug it in to the top of your phone, download the app and swipe the card! People sign their name with their finger and you're all done. You can even email them a receipt as well! You also get instant approval with the Square. And the best part...the reader is free and the transaction fees are as low as 2.75%! The one concern I had was that people would not be comfortable with me using my phone to process their card. My concerns immediately went away when I saw how excited people were about the reader! People were fascinated with it and not a single person had a concern :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So I encourage you to start accepting credit cards at shows if you don't already. It is a great way to increase your sales and your customer service level. And the Square reader is great if you do home shows as well! It is so portable and easy to use...go check it out!

Business Decisions

I've been doing some behind-the-scenes work on my business lately. I wish running a business were all about creating and selling, but there are other things to consider when running a business. Here are a few things I've been doing for my business:

1. I got business insurance. After purchasing my laser, I knew I wanted to get additional insurance for it. I thought I would just get a rider on my home owners policy, but after talking with my insurance agent, he recommended business insurance. I got a very affordable policy for a little over $300/yr. This gives me $15,000 in personal property and $500,000 in liability. Some larger shows require you to have this much insurance, so I went with the larger amount. He mentioned something as simple as someone tripping over your power cord at a show and getting hurt. Gets your mind thinking!

2. I purchased a credit card machine and set up a Propay account. I have read for a long time that accepting credit cards at shows will get you more sales. I knew I would be doing quite a few shows this year, so I took the plunge. I'm not very happy with the machine I purchased (you get what you pay for) but I am happy with Propay. I've already processed 3 transactions and all were simple and painless! Time will tell if this is something I want to continue using.

3. Using downtime wisely. I haven't had too many custom orders lately, so I've been staying busy doing research for my business. I've looked into new things I can create with my laser. I've looked into new techniques and read tons of tutorials! As I said before, there is so much more to running a business than just creating and selling. Use the slow times to do the other things that will help your business. The next step on my list is to create my own website. This won't happen overnight, but it is the next big thing on my todo list. I want to start marketing to other businesses, corporations, schools, cities, etc. I want to get into the awards part of engraving and I feel a website away from Etsy would be the proper way to do this. I also need to create brochures for each type of business I want to market to. What behind-the-scenes work have you been up to?