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In 2012 there are 6 things that will cost you more money.  This will raise the cost of your personal lives as well as the costs to run your business.

1. Airfare- A finance professor at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration in Boston is projected at 10% to 15% rise in the cost of airfare.

2. Restaurant Dining – at least for meat and fish.  Food prices in general are expected to rise 4% in 2012 after an 8% increase in 2011 – meat and seafood prices will rise more.  These price hikes will take their toll on already cash-strapped consumers and they will add costs to running your business if you like to take employees out to lunch or bring in catered food for your company, customers & prospects.

3. Coffee – Expect an 18% rise in the cost of coffee in 2012.  This is an important staple for just about any business – its the fuel of productivity after 2:00 in the afternoon.

4. Gas – Gas prices are poised to go up substantially in the months ahead – especially due to tensions with Iran and in the middle east.  Gas prices will easily hit $3.50 per gallon this year.

5. Mail – Starting on Jan. 22, the cost of a first-class stamp will rise to 45 cents,  priority mail prices will jump 3.1% and the cost of using express mail will jump to 3.4%.

6. Clothes – Expect an 8% to 10% rise in the cost of clothes in 2012.

What can actually decrease in cost for you in 2012? Mechant Services.  With the passage of the Durban Amendment most companies can find up to 30% savings in merchant services credit & debit card processing costs in 2012.

CNNMoney recently ran an article about 5 Smart Ways to Market Your Business.

Here are their top 5 suggestions:

1) Find new ways to do free.
For example, Charge $10.00 for your free download.  Then have 100% of that $10 donation go to “Feed The Children.”  You will then see your company name skyrocket across groups like Facebook, Link In & Twitter & forwarded referral emails.

2) Off beat invites For example, send Potential clients heart shaped “Love Notes” and write about how much you would love to do business with them.

3) Get really crazy.  For example, host a flash mob at a local mall and have them promote your product by giving them jackets with your company logo on it.  Record it, and then promote that video everywhere you can online.  Watch your campaign go viral in a few days!

4) Explore social network niches.  For example, find a twitter group or a linked in group that talk about what your company has to offer.  Then simply go there and answer questions.

5) Kill them with courtesy.  Go above and beyond to give crazy good customer service and your net promoters will give you more referral business than you know what to do with.

There are 5 great ways to market your business.

The Omni VX570 offers everything that you could need for swipe merchant services processing.  The VX570 retails for $378.00, yet Choice Merchant Services offers it for free to our merchants.  We do this becuase it is a robust, fast, credit card procccessing terminal that is user friednly and offers quick downloads into most accounting systems.

What are the Omni VX570 Key Benefits?

• Accept credit & debit cards, echeck, and gift cards from one terminal
• Secure. It is PCI compliant.
• Offers a built in thermal printer
• Fast processing time
• Small terminal that uses little counter space
• Secure. It is PCI and PED compliant.
• Quick upload into many accounting systems like Quickbooks.

Want to know more about the Omni VX570 and merchant services from Choice Merchant Services?  Learn about our merchant services solutions.

Choice Merchant Services would like to wish you a happy new year and a prosperous future in 2012.

Petroleum Merchant Services have evolved over the past 10 years.  Pay at the pump merchant services technology is the only way to go.  Gas stations that offer the convenience of paying at the pump see an increase in gas sales of in excess of 40% compared to gas stations that do not offer this convenience.  It is a necessity in today’s petroleum business to consumer as well as business to business industry.

The question is, how does a gas station keep up in-store sales while at the same time increasing gas and diesel sales at the pump with pay at the pump technology?  Here are two solid ideas to increase your sales and profits:

1) Sell merchandise at cost in the gas station store to get people in the door and then advertise this at the pump in an at pump display and on the gas station door and windows.  An example of this is sell a $0.50 hot dog and $0.50 king size candy bar.  This will get consumers inside your store.  When they are there they can then purchase higher profit items like fountain drinks, chips, snacks, tobacco, lottery, or alcohol.

2) Then in your convenience store accept payment through the First Data FD100, Hypercom T7P, or the Omni VX570.  This merchant service equipment can save your petroleum station a lot of money in processing costs and the best merchant equipment providers will provide this to you for free – especially if you are in need of petroleum merchant services.

3) Another way to beef up sales is to put a Subway or Jimmy John’s franchise inside your convenience store.  Sheets has learned how to grow sales dramatically with the MTO sandwich shop inside the store location.  You could do this as well.  If you are at a gas station that already has a lot of foot traffic you may want to strongly consider this as adding a Subway or Jimmy John’s will create an additional very strong profit center for your company.

Yesterday, we talked about using the iPhone to accept credit cards wirelessly anywhere you can pick up a wireless internet signal.  Today, we are showing that you can do the same thing with the iPad2.  What this 30 second video about how to use your ipad to accept credit cards wirelessly.

Wireless merchant services just got easier with the iPhone.  This setup gives you the power to credit cards from anywhere you can get a signal on your iPhone.  You can do both swipe and keyed credit card transactions on your iPhone.  In addition, you can then print out a receipt on the spot or get the email address of your customer and email them their receipt. 

For a business that works in the field this is a cost effective way to accept credit cards as your merchant equipment can essentially be built into your iPhone, your wireless Internet that you need to accept credit cards is included in your iphone’s data plan, plus you can use your iPhone as a mini-PC, and phone all at the same time.

Watch this 2 minute video to see how the iPhone mobile credit card reader works on the iPhone4.

This four minute video from PPC Hero shows you some simple steps you can take to grow your business through display marketing.

Strategies like this can help your business grow like the growth we have seen at Choice Merchant Services.

In business we are often faced with a decision on if we should find an expert, or an outside consultant to help us find the answer to our question of the day.  Sometimes these questions are significant to the future of our business.  Other times, the questions are important but not as significant.  Yet the answer as to when to find and expert and when not to may surprise you.  In this video Noreena Hertz gives us insight on how to know when to use experts and when not to.  Watch How to Use Experts & When Not To and learn.

This morning at 8 AM, my grandmother of 97, almost 98 years, passed away.  She had been suffering from the effects of a stroke in a nursing home for about 4 years.  Yet through it all, although human, she smiled, was a joy to be around, and had an enduring and very real faith in Jesus Christ. 

Yesterday, suddenly, she suffered a major stroke which put her unconscious.  Our family was called by the nursing home staff and we came to see her.  Her family came to see her and many of those out of the local area called to pray and tell her that they loved her. 

Around her deathbed were many members of her family who stayed with her for hours praying, talking to, and being with her.  During this time of prayer there were many Rosaries said, many Divine Mercy Chaplets prayed, the Anointing of the Sick, Litanies of the Saints, Prayers for the Dying, and reading of scripture.  We loved her deeply and we were very sure that God was there to protect her and bring her home.  I am also sure that her late husband of 20 years was there waiting for her as well, yearning to be with his beloved wife once again.

Yet, as I saw my near 98 year old grandmother lying in bed and struggling for life, I reflectively saw her as a little girl, skipping, jumping, and being an adorable and playful child.  Then I snapped back to the present moment, and I saw my grandmother covered in the love of her family and the faith that she had taught us through her example.  As it winded down to near 11 at night, quietly, and reflectively I kissed her forehead, thanked her for being a great mom to her kids and grandmother to her grandkids and I told her that I loved her – knowing this would probably be the last time that I would be able to do so.

As I drove home, a bit overwhelmed in emotion I reflected. 

First, I rejoiced in the love and faith that surrounded her as she lay dying.  As I talked with my wife when I got home, I told her that I hoped that when she died some day, I wanted nothing more for her than what my grandma had – to be surrounded by those that love her and those that are praying fervently for her. 

Second, her life made me want to give that gift of love and faith to a child, maybe a child without a Mom or Dad, because I knew that those gifts are the best gifts anyone can receive and my family is always there to give it in a deep and profound way.

Third, her dying moments taught me the same thing that she taught her kids, grandkids, and everyone around her – nothing is more important that faith & love.  If you have faith & love and nothing else – you have everything.

Thanks Grandma.  We love you.  We’ll see you soon.