Payment ProcessingIn order to do business online, you will need a merchant account. While traditional merchant accounts often require pre-approval (and even business credit checks), you can save time and money by simply creating an account with a third-party processor

One of the most commonly known is Paypal.com and the beauty of this service is that it’s affordable, simple and requires no paperwork, credit checks or approval.

It only takes a few minutes to create your account. 

Here’s a quick walk through of how to get started:

Begin by clicking on the “Sign Up” link from Paypal’s main page. You will then need to choose to create a Personal, Premier or Business account.  Now here I’d recommend choosing a Business account if you intend on doing a lot of business – and you do! :-)

Reasoning:  With a business account, customers will see only the business name that you enter rather than your personal name. You will also have no transaction limits or withdrawal limits. 

Next, you will be asked to indicate the type of payment solution you are looking for – Here choose ”Website Payments Standard” and continue.  Next you’ll be asked to create your Paypal merchant profile, which includes entering in your business name, address and email address.

Note that you will not be able to change the first and last name associated with your Paypal account, however you will be able to change the Business name associated with your account later on.

And that’s pretty much it…  Once you have created your merchant profile, Paypal will send a verification email to the email address you included. You will need to click on the link contained within that email in order to complete the sign up process.  You should take some time to explore your Paypal account area, including adding a bank account and credit card to your account so that you are eligible to participate in all of Paypal’s advanced features as well as remove any sending or receiving limits.

Now there’s also another service you should create an account at - 

ClickBank…  ClickBank is great, especially if you intend on selling digital products online. ClickBank is the Internet’s largest digital marketplace and they make it exceptionally easy to list your product for sale as well as recruit affiliates who will eagerly promote your product.

ClickBank ultimately serves as an intermediary between a customer and merchants who have chosen to feature their information products within ClickBank’s ever-growing marketplace.

ClickBank is one of the easiest and cost effective methods of connecting your product with its target audience by offering all vendors with the opportunity to promote their product within their marketplace for a one-time, low fee of only $49.95, (a wise investment for anyone who is serious about taking their business to the next level).

Note: This set up fee is payable only after your first product has been approved and ready for placement within the marketplace.

ClickBank is also an incredibly valuable asset in yet another way. Through your marketplace listing, you are not only able to connect with potential customers, but can also recruit affiliate partners who are willing to promote your products and services in exchange for a commission, determined and controlled by you, the vendor or publisher.  (You are in full control of the commission percentage that you offer, however ClickBank sets a maximum commission amount of each product sale to 75%.)

To set up your Clickbank account, visit http://www.ClickBank.com/sell_products.html to begin.  Fill out the sign up form, including your Payee Name. This name will be visible to customers during the checkout process, and needs to be a name that you have registered as a business (unless it is your own name). You can change this at any time from within your account’s administration panel.

You will also have to choose a nickname, which becomes your ClickBank username as well as part of your payment link, so make sure that you choose carefully. You are limited by choosing a username that is 10 characters or less.

Read over the Client Contract agreement and click the “Submit” button to complete the sign up process. You will receive an email from ClickBank confirming your registration that will also include an 8-digit confirmation code.  (You will need to click on the verification link contained within the email and enter in this code before your account is created.)

Once you have activated your account by clicking on the link and entering in your code, your account will be created and you will be sent to a page that provides your username and password combination.

NOTE:  This is the ONLY time you will see your password, so make sure that you write it down and store it in a safe place on your computer. (Your password is not emailed to you nor is it contained in the ClickBank welcome email).   Furthermore, your password is auto-generated by the ClickBank system and is not one that is chosen by you, so make sure that you write down both your username and password before closing the page.

And that’s it – In less than 30 minutes you can be all set up in preparation of accepting payments on your website.  Easy Eh?

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