Hi guys and Gals!

So I ran in to a bit of a snag with a prospective order today!  I was contacted by a cousin of my best client, and right off the bat, I knew we were going to have issues because there was a language barrier (she spoke VERY little English, and I speak VERY little Spanish o.O).

Long story short, they live in a city about 40 minutes away from me, and I told them that since it was a last minute order, that I would need the payment either through PayPal or by Credit/Debit card via Square as I wasn't going to be able to go out of my way to meet with them.

As most of you might know, in order to charge a card through Square, if the card isn't physically present to swipe, you need the card number, the expiration, and the CCV.

As soon as I gave them those two options all hell started to break loose, as they most likely felt that I was trying to scam them out of their money.  Eventually they relented, and placed the order over email, however what can I say to lessen the worry that people have about disclosing information like that?!

Unfortunately not much.  Your best bet would be to gather a list of references to use in the future.  Folks who would be willing to speak with someone over the phone about your work.  In my experience, a conversation with a satisfied customer can go a long way to ease any worries.

AYou could just send a PayPal invoice with the order spelled out in it. If I didn't get payment in a couple hours, I would cancel it and forget about the order.

Or demand cash, and tell them they have until the end of the day. Nicely! They will just give you the card info then :-)