One challenge we hear fairly often from businesses we work with—especially contractors, construction companies, remodelers, flooring companies, HVAC businesses, landscapers, and other home improvement professionals—is:
“I’d like to take credit cards, but how do I actually do that when I’m working in the field?”
For a business that spends most of the day traveling between customers, job sites, estimates, and service calls, a traditional countertop credit card terminal doesn’t always make much sense.
That’s one of the reasons we like Square for small businesses that need the ability to accept payments on the go.
Accept Payments Right at the Job Site
Square makes it possible to accept credit and debit card payments without needing a traditional retail checkout counter.
Depending on your setup, you can use your phone, tablet, or a Square card reader to take payments while you’re:
- At a customer’s home
- Finishing a remodeling project
- Completing a repair or service call
- Collecting a deposit
- Working at an event or trade show
- Meeting a customer away from your office
- Closing out an invoice at the job site
For businesses in construction and home services, that flexibility can make getting paid much easier.
Instead of telling a customer to mail a check or remembering to send payment instructions later, you may be able to take care of the payment while you’re already standing in front of them.
Accepting Credit Cards Could Help You Win Jobs You Might Otherwise Lose
There’s another reason contractors should consider accepting credit cards: not every customer can or wants to pay for a large project with cash or a check.
Imagine giving a homeowner an estimate for a $3,000, $5,000, or $10,000 project. They want the work done and they’re ready to move forward, but they don’t have that amount sitting in their checking account today.
If your business only accepts cash or checks, that can become a barrier to closing the sale.
If you accept credit cards, that customer may have another way to move forward with the project.
That can be especially important for:
- Emergency home repairs
- HVAC or furnace replacements
- Garage door repairs
- Flooring projects
- Roofing and siding
- Remodeling projects
- Plumbing and electrical work
- Appliance or equipment repairs
- Unexpected repair bills
Sometimes a customer isn’t choosing between you and another contractor.
They’re choosing between doing the project now or putting it off because they can’t pay for everything with cash today.
Giving customers more ways to pay can help remove that obstacle.
It can also prevent you from losing a sale to a competitor simply because the competitor accepts credit cards and you don’t.
You still need to consider processing fees, pricing, chargeback risk, and whether accepting cards makes sense for your particular business. But for many contractors and home-service businesses, offering another convenient payment option can potentially help turn more estimates into paying jobs.
Make It Easasier for Customers to Say Yes
Consumers have become accustomed to paying with credit and debit cards.
Even customers who have money available may prefer using a card because of convenience, rewards, purchase tracking, or simply because they don’t normally carry a checkbook.
Think about the entire sales process.
You spent money getting the customer to find you.
You answered the phone.
You drove to the property.
You looked at the job.
You prepared the estimate.
The customer says they want to hire you.
The last thing you want is unnecessary friction when it’s time to collect the deposit or payment.
The easier you make it for customers to pay you, the easier it can be for them to say yes.
You Don’t Need to Be a Technology Expert
We have worked with plenty of excellent business owners who know construction, flooring, HVAC, remodeling, repair, landscaping, and the trades inside and out.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they want to spend their evening figuring out payment processors, card readers, apps, invoices, and account settings.
That’s where Battle Map Local Marketing can help.
If you’re already working with us and want help looking at ways to accept credit cards, we can help you get pointed in the right direction and make the technology side less intimidating.
Or, if you’d rather jump in and try Square yourself, you can use our referral link.
Try Square and Get Up to $1,000 in Free Credit Card Processing
Businesses interested in trying Square can sign up through our referral link:
squareup.com/refer/TECWARRIOR
Using the referral offer may qualify you for up to $1,000 in free credit card processing, subject to Square’s current referral program terms and eligibility requirements.
If you’ve been putting off accepting credit cards because you weren’t sure how to do it in the field, this may be a good opportunity to give it a try.
Credit Card Processing Is Part of the Customer Experience
At Battle Map Local Marketing, we spend a lot of time talking about websites, Google visibility, local SEO, reviews, branding, directories, and getting businesses in front of more potential customers.
But marketing doesn’t stop when the phone rings.
Getting leads is only part of the battle.
You also have to make it easy for those leads to become customers.
Your customer’s experience includes discovering your company, visiting your website, requesting an estimate, scheduling the work, receiving the service, and ultimately paying you.
If someone wants to hire you, you don’t want the method of payment to be the reason you lose the job.
For contractors and home-service companies that spend most of their time away from a traditional office, mobile payment solutions such as Square can help bridge that gap.
Want Help Getting Started?
If you’re a local business owner who isn’t sure how to start accepting credit cards, Battle Map Local Marketing can help you work through your options.
Or, if you’re ready to give Square a try, visit:
squareup.com/refer/TECWARRIOR
and see whether Square is a good fit for your business.
Battle Map Local Marketing
Helping local businesses get found, win more customers, and build better systems for turning leads into paying jobs.
Referral disclosure: The link above is a referral link. Battle Map Local Marketing and/or an affiliated business may receive a referral benefit if you sign up or qualify through the link. Promotional processing offers are controlled by Square and may be subject to eligibility requirements, limits, expiration dates, and other terms.
