It is a good thing that accepting credit cards has proven to increase the amount of money that customers spend at most businesses! The complex pricing structure and numerous fees associated with the credit card processing industry, have always been a concern to businesses. Most merchants in the U.S. are about to repay some of the savings they realized from the Durbin amendment that became effective October 2011. Beginning with April 2012 processing volume, Visa is implementing new fees and increasing some interchange rates that will cost most merchants from a few dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars per month. It is important to communicate with your processing company to determine the impacts on your bottom line. The most significant of all the new fees and rates

We do multiple training sessions each week for our referral partners across the country. Our goal is to arm our referral partners with a basic overview of the industry so they can be of service to their Members. Often times, we are asked what makes us different? Why will our referred Members/Clients/Merchants benefit by working with Total Merchant Concepts? The very best way to answer these questions is educating them about the Merchant Services Industry as a whole. Knowing what you DON’T want in any relationship is just as important as knowing what you DO want. Thank you for reading our Blog and getting a better understanding of why we do what we do. We love this industry. It has afforded us the opportunity to help create and

How are you with technology? For most of us, technology is something that resides peacefully in the background of our lives until one day- IT BREAKS! Last week, we experienced one of THOSE days!! It started with the Internet slowing to dial up speeds (the nerve!) and then our phone system began to receive mysterious calls- we would answer and no one would be on the other end of the line until the big ‘event’ occurred and then……….there was silence. Now normally, silence can be a good thing but when that silence means that no customers are calling and all of the work stations in your company are limping along without the use of a telephone- silence is certainly NOT golden! Way back before the internet, high speed

As a small business owner, I have always been told that ‘the customer is always right’. As a consumer, I am well aware of the fact that many businesses do not live by this rule AND- it is in fact possible that I am NOT always right (OUCH!!). So what is the answer? YES– the Customer is always right? NO– the Customer can certainly be wrong? Or does the answer lie somewhere between the two? Let’s look at both sides and then we can all decide for ourselves!! ORIGIN: In order to determine the accuracy of the statement, we need to know WHERE the phrase came from so read on for some historical data! The slogan has been used since the early 20th century. In the USA it

Every time you turn around, someone’s credit card is being compromised- CREDIT CARD FRAUD is organized crime (A 52 Billion Dollar Industry) and as business owners we need to take the necessary steps to protect our clients and our businesses. STOP fraud by being aware! Know the things you can do to prevent fraud BEFORE, DURING & AFTER the sale. Have a great week and let us know if you have any questions related to credit card fraud- we are here to help! Cheri PerryMonday, March 19, 2012

There are 120 hours in a 5 day work week and we spend 1/3 of those hours with our Co Workers. So it is no surprise that TEAMWORK is a huge topic of discussion within the business world. Here are 5 things you can do to increase, encourage and improve TEAMWORK– where you work! 1- Keep The Bar High Working in an atmosphere where Excellence is the name of the game- encourages staff members to perform at their best. Since each member’s performance impacts the overall TEAM performance- setting high standards is one of the best ways to encourage TEAMWORK! People love to be involved in something larger than themselves and being part of a successful, excellence minded company can produce great results both individually and as a