Tanuu Blog

Those of us lucky enough to be around in the 70s when this fantastic car came out drool everytime we think of it. Imagine getting a car from the factory with a 455 cubic inch engine
init!This car kicked butt! Then if you did some work, like we did to ours, as in having the engine blue printed, balanced and a lot more, it did even better. Let’s just say it was doing much better then one horsepower per cubic inch!

This was the era of Smokey and the Bandit movies. Good ole boy Burt Reynolds drove a black Trans Am in the movie and everyone and his uncle all of a sudden wanted one. Of course, by that time the ones they were selling were watered down versions with no where near the power of the original ones.

Since we’re not sure of the statute of limitations, let’s just say that any stories are assumed to start “Once Upon A Time”.

One of our favorite stories is when we were getting onto Sunrise Highway late one evening and a Camaro rolled up next to us and started revving his engine, well you can imagine the rest.Here was a poor soul who had not a clue of what was in store. Since we do not believe in street racing, it was a good thing we were both going onto the entrance ramp. Once we were satisfied that no one was on the parkway at that time of night, we let the Beast Out To Play. We never did see any more then his fading headlights.

One of the funniest moments was when we lived in upstate NY and my husband went to the store to pick something up and this guy in a Mustang 2 pulled up next to him and my husband had some fun (hey, we are all entitled sometimes). As Chuck tells it: You see at that time a local car dealer was running a TV spot featuring a Mustang 2 just destroying a Trans Am. So this gentleman pulls up next to me, gunning his engine for all he’s worth. The light changes, he chirps his tires and flashes me a big grin as he takes off. Well, I idle away from the light,give it just enough gas in first to pull even with him, then drop the hammer, lighting up both tires, throw second, light them up again and then ease off. Drive down the road to the store.

When I come out of the store this guy has finally got there and is waiting for me and says,”but the commercial says Mustangs will beat the pants off the Trans Am.” I very blithely replied,
“Not this Trans Am!”

They don’t make them like this anymore. It’s sad when you think about it! Those of us who lived and grew up in the era of the muscle cars, street rods, Saturday night cruise nights were very,very lucky. I feel sorry for the youth of today that they missed out on all of

Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by credit card. If you want their business, you must be able to accept their credit-card payments.

In part one of this series we will discuss why you should accept credit cards, and the basics of getting merchant status. Part two will deal with objections you might get, which credit cards to accept, and the check paying option.

Obtaining merchant status, which allows you to accept credit-card payments, might seem like an unnecessary hassle, especially for those in business where the majority of their customers pay by cash or check. But by not accepting credit-card payments, you lose sales. This is especially true if yours is a mail order business, or consulting business. Just look at the majority of business today, all of them accept credit cards, and becoming more and more popular all the time are debit cards.

As many businesses have found, up to 70 percent of people never mail the check, so accepting credit cards is crucial. When the customer places an order, he’s excited and eager to buy. Faced with the prospect of sending a check, waiting for it to clear and then awaiting shipment, his interest is likely to wane. In the meantime, you lose sales.

The Basics of Merchant Status

In order to accept credit cards, you need to work with a bank that will transfer the money into your account within a day or two of the sale, and then collect the money from the customer. In return, you pay the bank a commission of 1.5 percent to 5 percent for each credit-card transaction; a set, per-transaction fee; and a setup fee. You will also have to pay monthly support or equipment-rental fees for a point-of-sale terminalthe machine used to swipe the carddepending on the contract.

The fee is based on two things, the average amount per transaction and the total volume for the year.

When you apply for merchant status, the banks evaluate your business based on its sales track record, the type of business it is, your credit record, the business’s credit record and your overall financial picture.

Apply for merchant status when you get your start-up financing. This accomplishes several things. First, it shows that you’ve thought ahead. And you will probably have customers that you wouldn’t have otherwise. In fact, some people don’t pay with anything but credit cards.

Second, you show you’re taking steps to minimize the time and expense involved in recovering bad debts. If someone writes a bad check, for instance, it will cost you time and money to recover the loss. If you swipe a customer’s credit card through a point-of-sale terminal, you can be sure you’ll get paid. The machine contacts the issuing bank to authorize the transaction and runs the account numbers through a variety of fraud-protection procedures.

In part two of this series we will deal with objections you might get, which credit cards to accept, and the check paying option.

Copyright 2004 DeFiore Enterprises

Interested in having your own successful,

“In the factory we make lipstick; in the drugstore we sell hope.” That’s what Charles Revson, Revlon’s founder, supposedly said.

Often self-help guides work the same way. They promise a new life, easily and effortlessly, starting tomorrow.

Take Marsha Sinetar’s best-seller, Do What You Love — The Money Will Follow. Everybody remembers the title, but Ms. Sinetar’s text spells out the reality. Sure, the money will come — but not soon and not a lot.

Or consider Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star, filled with inspiring stories of successful career-changers. Each story also includes a line or two like, “It was hard at first. Money was tight. But now…”

Of course, moving to your dream may also allow you to simplify your life, saving money, time and hassles.

Tama Kieves, author of This Time I Dance, says she bought objects to fill the empty space in her previous life as a frustrated lawyer. As a fulfilled writer and artist, she no longer craved shopping sprees at the mall.

“Dressing for comfort” has always been part of my own dream. I suspect there’s a dry cleaner somewhere in Silver City, but I couldn’t tell you where. I’ll wear a suit for a paid presentation, but my everyday uniform consists of shorts or jeans and very, very comfortable shoes.

Can you pay the price? Only you can decide.

Some of my clients could move from a palace to a hut with no regrets. Others feel deprived when they have to sell the yacht or give up one of their two full-time servants.

Your family pays a price, too. Relocation typically includes family members who move and those who are moved, such as the “trailing spouse.” A career change also creates a “trailing family.”

One of my former colleagues was reluctant to change careers because, “My partner likes being married to a college professor.” Yet other career changers hear their families say, “We’d rather have a happy breadwinner than a rich one.”

The highway to your dreams is guaranteed to include some bumps and detours along the way. You may welcome the detours and get a laugh out of the bumps. You may actually enjoy changing a flat tire now and then.

A few people do move to their dreams in a chauffeured limo with champagne in the minibar and soft music coming from the speakers, as they zip along a recently-paved express lane.

But if rattling along in a bus signals torture, not adventure, wait till you can afford the limo. Resentment will cause your journey to grind to a halt, and you might be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294