I get asked a lot of questions about how to run a service business. One of the most common questions I get is, "How do you get your Clients to pay you with a credit card?"
It actually doesn't take as much work as you might think. I've had to go through this process with my businesses, and each time I learned something new.
So here are three simple tips for you to get your Clients to pay by credit card.
1. Be Confident - If you only have time to read one thing in this post, make sure you read this.
When you start telling your Clients that you will only accept credit cards, you have to be confident about it. You have to tell your clients,
"This is how our team does it."
The end. That's all you tell them. Make it as simple as possible, and you'll get fewer complaints, fewer arguments, and fewer questions.
If they DO ask you questions, answer them, but keep it brief, and STAY CONFIDENT. Resist the urge to over-explain. This is a good decision, and it's going to help your business grow, right? So don't worry about losing one or two Clients. Chances are, they were your problem Clients anyway.
2. Charge Cards A Week After Completing a Service - This is one I've been toying with for a long time. I eventually settled on charging my Clients' cards a week after my team performed the service. I'll explain.
My Techs are out there in the field, and they're working hard all day. Maybe they miss a spot, or maybe they mess up some other way, but accidents do happen.
Now, if we mess up, we always go back out there and fix it. Sometimes, it takes a few days because our schedules are so full. How do you think a Client's going to feel about paying their bill when I haven't had time to fix these errors? They're going to hate it.
So after working on this for a few years, I've found that waiting a week to charge Client's card seems to work the best. This gives you plenty of time to fix any errors or clean up any messy spots - and your Clients won't feel like you're trying to take advantage of them.
3. Make No Exceptions - Of the three tips in this post, this one is going to be the hardest to implement, especially if you've got older Clients who are more resistant to change.
You can't allow people to walk over you. You have to tell them that you are ONLY accepting credit cards. No exceptions. If you give ANYONE an inch, EVERYONE will want to take a mile.
Payment Changes Aren't Easy! It's true. This might be tough. But hopefully, with these few tips, you'll find yourself switching to credit card payments FULLY in no time and see the benefits - and charging credit cards works in every market.
If you do this right, your payments will become so much easier.
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Tags: Business Operation
