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Questions about US businesses

by DigappMaster
4 replies
Hey guys,

I'm running a digital marketing business based in Canada and I'm going to promote my services to US market. I'm asking for help to answer a few questions:

1. My prices are by default in CAD and they are shown on the website. Do Americans accept to deal with CAD? Is it something normal, awkward or bad? Or should I set up a new USD pricing for them(in an Excel sheet)? What do you advise me to do?

2. What is the best way to collect payment from US businesses to Canadian businesses?

3. My company offers monthly hosting(recurring fees), but the customer can cancel at anytime. Besides the invoice, what kind of papers do I need to provide to US businesses? detailed contract(long 5 page document), short service agreement, any specific document that need to be signed?

Thanks so much for your help
#businesses #questions
  • Profile picture of the author zdebx
    It makes sense to collect payments in the currency of where the customer resides. So if you are selling services in the US, then ideally you want to collect payments in USD.

    As for payment collection, how do you process payments with Canadian customers? Possibly your payment method could identify customer's location and change the currency on the website to match customer's country?
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  • Profile picture of the author James Clifton
    1. Based from your post, it seems like you are having troubles with the currency you use for your products. I’ve dealt with the same problem before, and I believe the best thing for you to do here is to provide your target audience a list of the products you offer using a language they can understand. By ‘language’, I also mean the currency they use. It only takes a few seconds for online shoppers to decide on whether they should stay on your page or not, so it is best that you exert an extra effort in eliminating any possible confusion.

    2. I understand that payment collection can be difficult, especially if your buyers are from a different country. Thanks to PayPal, you can now transact effortlessly no matter where you are. For starters, you can try out Braintree, a Paypal company that is readily available for merchants in Canada and the US.

    3. I actually had the same questions when I first started up my business a few years back. Basically, since you are not selling tangible goods, the documentation process is quite simpler. Aside from not having to deal with travel documents and fees, you can expect fast payments, thanks to Paypal and other payment methods. However, it is always best that you create a detailed contract and a service agreement clearly stating the scope of services, the contract amount and the date when the payment is due. This way, you and your clients can gain the sense of security you need. I hope I was able to answer your question.

    Good luck & all the best!
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    Knowledge is Power. Knowledge is Wealth.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Remember, online business is not about you . . . it's all about your customers and how you can serve them.

    Make everything related to financial transactions intuitive, safe, smooth, and as easy as possible for your customers. There are a number of solid well known payment alternatives that will support multi-currency sales.

    If buyers feel at all insecure or hesitant about your financial transaction process they will move along to purchase from someone else.

    I can't tell you what is best for your situation since I live in the U.S. But doing your homework and speaking with reps from payment systems should give you the answers you need. Just be sure to make your system smooth, secure and easy for the buyer.

    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

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  • Profile picture of the author Rafee Azad
    Some tips...of marketing
    1. Identify and follow the policies of Bing, Aol!, and Google look for ads before jogging your campaign while all have a little different formats.

    only two. Optimize the URL displayed as part of your search ad to ensure it’s relevant to the services or products you are endorsing.

    3. Include target keywords as part of your headlines and backup that either go with or closely go with the keywords anyone bid on so as to boost the chance that your particular ad appears for the people terms.

    4. Write strong cell phone calls to action for ones search ads that will directly state what you look for consumers to accomplish. For example “Contact for the Free Estimate” as well as “Get a 50% Voucher. ”

    5. When you use a click-to-call off shoot, consider using a new tracking number to help you identify and evaluate which ads perform the top.

    6. Don’t spend important text ad character trust your business brand. It should already have your optimized WEBSITE.

    7. Do capitalize the 1st letter of major words as part of your ad. Don’t (go through “NEVER”) get crazy with most caps.

    8. When you use correct punctuation throughout text ads? Of course! It just makes good notiion.

    9. Using trademarks throughout text ad copy is often a no-no unless, naturally, you own these people. You can, on the other hand, bid on terms tightly related to your business.

    10. DUUA (don’t employ unknown abbreviations). As it could pique the eye of a number of searchers, why get that chance?
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