Photo Credit: Bopeepo

I’ve been dieting for 10 days now and Sundays are traditionally a diet cheat day for my wife and I.  So after being good for the last week and a half I figured I’d stop in at a local donut shop and gorge myself on an apple fritter, a custard donut and anything else I could get into my gullet.

After opening my wallet and seeing only $2 cash, I asked the dreaded question:

“Do you guys take cards?”

“No, but you can go to the market across the street and use their ATM.”

So I did, well I tried anyway, but the ATM was out of order.

I then went to the only cashier working and asked if they offered “cash back” on debit card purchases.

I bet you know where this is going.

Of course not!

So I walked back over to the donut shop where I hopped back in my car and left.  Now I may have only purchased $5 or $6 worth of donuts but today 2 businesses lost a customer.

I didn’t really sit down and write this to bitch about not getting any donuts. So here’s why I saw fit to spend my early morning blogging instead hunting down some more damn donuts.

Where these businesses lost their opportunities.

I don’t want to sound uppity, but at any time, either of these businesses could have asked me to build them a website, or start a SEO campaign for them, and I could have accepted a credit/debit card deposit from them right then on my phone.  On the spot. At 7:45 in the morning in a mountain resort town.

I use Intuit GoPayment for all credit card processing.  Either of these merchants could easily and cheaply use Intuit’s Merchant Terminal service for next to nothing.  (Not an affiliate link)  They or their accountants probably already use Intuit’s most famous product, Quickbooks.

For the donut shop to gain my business it would have cost them 1.64% + $0.27.  On my $6 worth of donuts that would have been a grand total of $0.37.  Thirty Seven Cents is what they just “saved” by not offering me or anybody else the option of using a card.

The local market missed out on me buying a soda or an energy drink that I didn’t want or need because they didn’t offer cash back.

The ATM owner missed out on whatever their portion of the $2.00 or more ATM fee.

Make it easy for the customer.  We are pickier and more fickle than ever.

These are the things that I was willing to do to buy a few donuts this morning:

1. Walk across the street in search of an ATM.  Knowing I would have to pay at last $2.00 extra to be able to pay cash.

2. Buy a soda or energy drink, that I didn’t want, for an extra $1.50 – $3.00.

I, as a customer, was willing to pay $1.50 to $3.00 more for those donuts.  Neither business understood this, and probably still don’t.  How many customers a month do you think either of these businesses lose or alienate?

How many customers a month do you lose or alienate by not making it easy for a customer to buy your product or service?

Make it easy.  You have spent so much time and effort marketing, advertising and building a reputation.  The last thing you want to do is alienate the guy who just wants to buy some of your fucking donuts.