Don't erect barriers

I was passing a local shoe store this morning and spied the notice in their window:

This is an e-store

We only accept eftpos or credit cards

Hang on; You mean - 'we don't accept accept cash, coin, our legal tender'?

The swift confirmation was received. Correct - you are not welcome to pay with anything other than cards. Wow!!

Now I am the card carrying member of the 'e-society', and in fact 9 times out of 10 I will pay bills with eftpos or over the Internet, but why place a limitation on how people can pay you? Particularly when the payment method you are ruling out is the one that the vast majority of the populace are most comfortable with??!!

There are a number of cardinal rules with small business:

1. Maximise your sales (and sales opportunities)
2. You can't get paid unless you invoice (so make sure you invoice as soon as you can)
3. Convert your sales to cash as quickly as you can

A subset of rule number '3.' is - allow your customers to pay in any way they choose as long as it is economically feasible.

The shoe shop is placing unnecessary barriers between their potential customers and a sale. They will put people off buying in the first place and they are making it difficult for customers to pay. Why? Business is difficult enough in the current circumstances without introducing further unnecessary difficulties.

I pay almost all of my bills now over the Internet. I notice that I receive all of my payments in the same way. Yet, as I have previously commented, I am astounded by the number of small businesses who fail to put their bank account details on their invoice. Make it easy to pay and people will do so. Make it difficult and people will use it as an excuse to prevaricate.

No business should erect a barrier to a sale or to receipt of a payment - particularly in the current climate.