So far, and we are not done yet, the investment in your "Smart Merchant Guide" is among the best I have ever made for my 29-year-old company. I am a believer in self-empowerment and your book provides a great foundation for merchants to stop being victims of the confusing practices on the part of credit card processors. I appreciate your help and will not hesitate to contact you if we need more support in the future.
Cynthia Scherer, CEO of Desert Alchemy.


The Do-It-Yourselfer's Most Effective Way To ReduceMerchant Credit Card Processing Fees

Get the eBook and companion video that'll help you save hundreds of dollars on your next statement.

Want a sneak peak?
Check out the ebook here.
Check out the video here.

Seen enough?

So...You want to lower your processing fees or maybe you want to begin accepting credit cards without falling into the myriad of pitfalls and money draining traps that most businesses unknowingly end up in.

Well, you have 4 options...

Option #1 - Do Nothing.

That’s right, nothing! Sounds crazy but would you believe this is the road most traveled? You can expect the unsettling feeling of not being 100% certain that this cost has been minimized. Our research shows that on average a small business owner lets the equivalent of two family Hawaiian vacations seep out of their take home pay every year.

Option #2 - Shop For a New Processor.

You can expect to spend 4 to 6 hours researching, gathering proposals, and sitting through sales presentations. The best case scenario is that the competing processing companies undercut your incumbent processor just enough to make you want to move, yet you'll still be leaving money on the table because their primary objective is to maximize their margin. Since the other side will know more about the intricacies and nuances of credit card processing than you, you should expect poor to mediocre results at best but with a false sense of having shored up this cost. Until you know as much as the other side, you can expect to pay more than you should.

You should expect no help from your processor with identifying and correcting transactions that could qualify for more favorable Interchange. Don't expect your processor to identify alternative payment methods that could save you money because that would be a conflict of their interest. Unless you regularly keep up to date with the payment industry trade journals, association trade shows, and emerging industry news, you can expect opportunities for increased savings and efficiency to pass without being noticed.

Option #3 - Call Your Processor and Beg For Mercy.

At which point, they'll probably give you a "rate review," and most likely only offer you a small rate reduction. For instance, if your processor is making $800 in profit each month from your account, expect them to cut your costs by about $50 or $100 per month, still leaving over $600 per month unknowingly leaking out of your business that you could have gotten back if only you had knowledge of their break even costs, mark up and inside industry pricing tolerances. Although you will have unknowingly left a fortune on the table you should still expect your processor to try to convince you that you have a "really good deal" now.

As with shopping for a new processor, you should expect no help from your processor in optimizing your Interchange qualifications. Unless your processor stands to profit from it, don’t expect any unbiased consideration or advice that includes alternative payment methods or emerging technologies which could add even more savings and efficiency to your business.

Option #4 - Learn How To Do-It-Yourself.

With "The Smart Merchant's Guide to Reducing Merchant Credit Card Processing Fees."

  • The pricing terms you must insist on and why.
  • The tricks of the trade that the processors don’t want you to know.
  • How to qualify for the most favorable Interchange categories.
  • The 4 deadly downgrades and how to avoid them.
  • Special reduced Interchange programs that your business may qualify for.
  • The litany of junk fees and how to avoid them.
  • Common pitfalls that most merchants find themselves in.
  • And more...

Who am I and Why Should You Listen to Me?

My name is Adam Pflaumer, and I help merchants minimize their credit card processing fees for a living.

I began my career in the payments industry in 1994 selling merchant accounts to mom and pop merchants. I fell in love with this dynamic industry and over the last 17 years I have worked with such industry leaders as First Data, Global Payments, Union Bank, and Connect Merchant Payment Services. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have worked within nearly every facet of the payments value chain. From sales, to underwriting, risk management, operations and prior to starting EP Consulting, I served as president of Connect Merchant Payment Services.

I started EP Consulting in 2007, one of the first consulting firms within the payments industry dedicated to helping small and mid-sized businesses minimize costs relating to payment processing from an unbiased or "processor neutral" standpoint.

I wrote this guide to take what I know about merchant credit card processing and put it to use on the side of merchants to help educate and empower them to minimize one the fastest growing and often times confusing expense categories - merchant credit card processing. It will provide you with some of the easiest ways that you can take immediate action to cut costs and add profit.

Sincerely Yours,
Adam Pflaumer - EP Consulting

The Smart Merchant’s Guide to Reducing Processing Costs eBook & Video - $97.

What you need to know and do to minimize your merchant account fees.

In the 147-page eBook and interactive companion video you'll learn:

  • The secrets the processing companies don’t want you to know.
  • The best pricing and how to get it.
  • Ensuring your transactions clear at the lowest cost processing method.
  • Pitfalls to avoid.