Okay, maybe it's not the "battle of the century" (hey, how exciting is postage anyway), but it is something your small business needs to consider. Many companies still use stamps to send out their mail. Maybe they don't think they're big enough for postage machine or maybe they don't understand the value behind it. The reality is that the postage meter may pay for itself many times over every month.

One of the great savings with postage meters is that you avoid "over stamping" your envelopes, which all of us have done at one point or another. Basically, this means that you're paying the post office more than you have to send a piece of mail. You may be estimating if the weight of the letter, falsely thinking it's heavier than it really is, and applying extra stamps. You can also be "rounding up" your postage and overpaying by applying too much postage. For example, a two ounce letter is $.61 a 3 ounce letter is $.78. Most people would simply apply two $.44 stamps to the letter, literally throwing money down the drain.

Another frequent problem is under-stamping. Some people think that $.44 "is enough" for a every piece, when in fact it is not. Unfortunately, it can take days or longer for that mail piece to be returned to you. In the meantime, you have partners who have not received your invoice, creditors would not received your payment, late fees and interest charges building up and other similar issues-all because you missed the right postage by $.17.

By renting a postage machine in your office, such as a Pitney Bowes postage machine, you get all the flexability for under $20 a month. You do not have to drive to the post office to refill your postage meter; instead, easily connected to a phone line and hit the refill button. The machine will call in and download as much postage as you select. Within a second, you're ready to go.

Several postage machines will let you integrate your logo into the postage mark. This gives your mail a custom flyer and, for virtually no cost, how to brand yourself. It also makes your mail look more professional as it is sent to your vendors and prospects

The postage meters is simple-it only takes six minutes to sign up. They are sent to your door and activated within minutes.