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Let’s say you sell templates, or maybe WordPress plugins, or maybe your own web development services, and you’re at a convention telling someone about how great your template looks, or your plugin works, or how you can help them build their website. The guy says… “hey that sounds like something I could use.” And you say? Well: “Dude, just buy it from me on your phone.”

That’s right, anywhere you are now is your own personal check-out counter for your product or service — if you’re ready for mobile phone business, that is. There are a couple of ways to accept payments, these days — with a site set-up with a mobile ready check-out system, or by simply accepting a text payment. We’ll look at both here.

And, it’s not just online service and product providers who should take note. Artists and craft persons — especially those that sell at “Saturday Markets” — now have the opportunity to make that extra sale. No need to sign-up for an expensive merchant account with a bank, and try to hook up a payment acceptance terminal. Your phone is the terminal! How would this work? Let’s say you’re an artist, but you did not bring all your work to a show, and/or you have the ability to send high-quality prints direct to a customer. Just carry a portfolio, and when a customer wants an item — tell them how to pay with their phone! You can write them a receipt on the spot. Ok. You’re a web developer? Then this represents a big opportunity for you to help your clients get ready to sell their wares over the phone. Remember, “text to buy.” That’s all they have to say.

How do you get your site ready to accept payments?

Assuming you have a product and/or service to sell, then you need to sign up for a service, like Google Checkout, that accepts mobile payments. Next — make your site ready. How? XHTML (click for my article series and a handy XHTML chart you can download).

Is helping customers buy from you via their phone a new concept for you? It shouldn’t be. “Text to Buy” is appearing on lots of national ads, billboards, and magazines. A recent post on the Google Checkout Developer’s Forum offered these steps to make your site ready to accept mobile payments:

1. Route mobile users to a dedicated “mobile” version of your website.
2. Use valid mobile markup (XHTML Basic and XHTML Mobile Profile are both commonly used).
3. Use an XML header and DOCTYPE, and specify character encoding.
4. Validate your markup. The W3C has a new Mobile code validator (in BETA).
5. Keep page sizes small; less than 10KB if possible.

Dude… Pay Your Pal…

What if you haven’t yet developed your site (c’mon… get it XHTML ready) to make it cell-surfing friendly? No problem — just use a person to person, PayPal mobile payment! That’s right… if your new contact says to you, “dude… I’d like to buy your stuff on my cell phone,” and you’re not yet “check-out” ready, then you just say, “dude… send it using PayPal… on your phone.”

How does that work? Activate your SMS-enabled phone, then text a message to 729725 (PAYPAL) with the amount and the phone number of the person to whom you wish to send money. For example, “send 5 to 4150001234.” You can also make a voice call to PayPal at 1-800-4PAYPAL, enter your PIN then follow the instructions to enter amount and the recipient’s cell phone.

One last tip: When your friend Bob stiffs you for the fifteenth time at lunch, asking, “dude, can you cover me — I’m a little short today?” You say? Well… I think you get it.