It's a proven fact that mail order marketers can increase sales substantially by offering their customers a credit card option. Some marketers enjoy increases of 10% to 30% in sales when they get up with a Visa/Mastercard merchants account. Others have reported increases up to a whopping 100%, or even more! If all of your sales are made by mail, you can expect to up your total sales by at least 10%, and more likely 15% to 30% simply by offering the credit card option. If you plan to use the telephone a great deal as a marketing tool, offering a credit card buying option could double or triple your sales. Credit card buying is seductive. Many people like the option of buying something today that they won't have to pay for until later. Also, most consumers tend to spend more using their plastic, than when they're writing a check, or paying cash. REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BECOME A CREDIT CARD MERCHANT There are many good reasons why you can benefit from securing credit card merchants status. Here are some of them... * People with credit cards are more affluent than those without plastic. They can afford to spend more money. * They tend to be better "credit risks", if you want to sell "open account." * Overall, they buy more by mail than those without cards. * You cannot effectively sell from commercials on radio or TV without offering credit card purchasing. Visa and Mastercard are by far, the cards most consumers have. * They often will make credit card purchases even when they are short on cash, and/or when their checking account balance is low. * You can sell on installments, obtaining permission to charge the buyer's card on a monthly basis. * You can ship goods with the secure knowledge that payment has been secured before shipment is made.