Merchant Sales Podcast

Big opportunities await in merchant services as retail re-opens. One big opportunity in the payments space is worth a lot of money right now. Help local businesses re-open while building a rock-solid portfolio.

Two Tips for Overcoming Any Objection Use these two tips and learn to overcome any objection. Making the rebuttal is the most fun part of sales, other than making the sale. If you go negative, you might win the conversation. But you won’t get the sale. People want to buy because of excitement, not fear!

It's time to start thinking strategically about our shifting marketplace and how to adjust business models for future growth. James and Patti offer some insights to help jump-start the process.

Cash discounting & surcharging ARE poised for take-off. Jump on board or lose BIG! Make money when you can make money by providing a unique service. Seize the moment; be ready for take-off of cash discounting and surcharge programs. Make some money; make some sales; help some merchants.

Visa and Mastercard plans for revising interchange, originally scheduled for April, now appear to be on hold, probably until October. Sal Rehmetullah, Founder and President of Fattmerchant, explains how many of the planned changes aim to broaden card acceptance, particularly in merchant categories dominated by cash, check and ACH payments. Patti reports on how consumers and merchants are embracing contactless payments, and James describes pricing strategies for cash discounting.

Seize the biggest opportunity since EMV! You can help small business owners AND grow your portfolio, starting today. Leverage the current situation of anxiety in the business world; give support and bring confidence back to business owners. Click HERE to Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/tap-and-go-the-biggest-opportunity-since-emv/

In times like these "out of the box thinking is more important than ever," says Bob Lovinger, President of Flexxbuy. Learn how Flexxbuy works with ISOs and agents to help their merchants drive more sales with consumer financing options. Plus Patti provides updates on card transactions and state telemarketing rules, and James discusses the pros and cons of being a registered ISO.

Adam Bloomston, President of Payroc, describes what his company is doing to help small business clients cope with the financial fallout from COVID-19. Plus, Patti reports on how contactless payments may become the new normal for card-present transactions, and James explains the importance of geography when planning prospecting strategies.

Gas stations offering pay-at-the-pump must make those pumps EMV compliant by October 1, or risk fraud liability. Eric Goldberg, Vice President of Sales at Sound Payments, explains how ISOs and agents can resell a cost- and time-effective solution that retrofits card-accepting gas pumps for EMV compliance. Plus Patti discusses an email template for merchant outreach, and James describes the 2-phase approach needed to successfully sell by phone or social media.

The economic upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is already causing a spike in card chargebacks, particularly in the travel and entertainment sectors. Suresh Dakshina, Co-Founder of Chargeback Grurus, explains what the card brands are doing, and what ISOs and agents can do to help merchants avoid losses from disputed transactions in these crazy times. Plus, James and Patti provide an overview of how ISOs and agents can put the federal government's $2 trillion stimulus package to work for them and their merchants. And James explains how to leverage Facebook for merchant outreach. Details on SBA Loan Programs available here. U.S. Treasury Department Resources available here.

The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has many ISOs and agents rethinking their sales strategies. James and Patti discuss ways to sell even as social distancing keeps many off the streets. Plus, they interview Joe Oglesby, President of Premier Processing Systems, on how the pandemic could impact portfolio valuations and ISO acquisitions.

The coronavirus is impacting restaurants. You can help your small business community. In this special episode, James shares a few tips for merchant sales representatives and ISOs on our approach to the Coronavirus pandemic and talks about the effect on the payments industry. Dave Humphrey, President at Bryte Payments talks about the unique challenge facing restaurants and how you can provide a risk free online ordering solution to help them stay in business and provide food to their customers. Click HERE to learn More:

Alex Bellini, Co-Founder of Fuze Financial, describes how ISOs can drive more value to their merchants with proven text-based customer review and marketing tools that integrate with any POS device. James explains why ISOs and agents need to understand state laws around cash discounting and surcharging, and educate their merchants on how to do it legally. And Patti reports on why faster payments aren't making a beeline to the point of sale.

Correct Response to Consumer Complaints is Crucial! Get this crucial concept for the continuing success of cash discounting and surcharging. Increased market saturation means the percentage of consumer complaints is also higher. Take these 3 steps and get ahead of the issue of customer complaints. Click HERE to Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/customer-complaints-in-cash-discounting-and-surcharging/

Travis Powers, Vice President of Partner & ISO Relations at CrossCheck, describes opportunities for selling check guarantee services to merchants transacting large-ticket purchases. Plus James wraps-up his series on Building a Merchant Sales Team, focusing on steps and strategies for activating sales reps. And Patti reports on upcoming changes to interchange rates.

Get rid of your sales slump once and for all. Solve the REAL problem by implementing this obvious solution. Click Here To Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/how-to-sell-more-merchant-accounts/

Learn about challenges small ISOs face when scaling up, as well as tools and processes that can help. James and Patti kick off the discussion with Ben Griefer, COO at Maverick Payments. James offers additional insights, homing in on elements of a successful training strategy. And Patti reports on how banks and the card brands are seeing double-digit growth in interchange revenues.

Give your sales team a framework for success. Is your management profitable to your sales team? Do you know how to motivate and guide them to achieve their goals? Don’t spend all your time putting out fires; learn the framework which will motivate your team to close more deals. Click HERE to Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/framework-for-sales-team-motivation/

What is reverse surcharging? Five statements about reverse surcharging. Find out why I HATE the term “reverse surcharging.” What is it and how is it relevant to our industry? Click Here to Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/what-is-reverse-surcharging/

Learn how to leverage POS data from Clover and other solutions for social media marketing with Adszy. In today's episode, Jon Grayem from Adszy explains how his software allows your merchants to easily create facebook and Instagram ad campaigns and then track the ROI from in store purchases. James talks about agent recruiting and Patti talks about mobile and contactless payment trends.

Industry Veteran Marc Beauchamp offers insights from his new book, Survive and Thrive in the Merchant Services Industry, and describes frameworks for agent success. James kicks off a series on ISO strategies for building successful sales teams, and Patti reports on the Federal Reserve's latest payments study.

Quality or Quantity? Generating the Right Leads for the Sales Team Understanding quality vs. quantity in lead generation. Are you focusing on the right mindset about lead generation? Is quality more important than quantity? Let me help you understand this sometimes confusing topic. Click Here to Learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/quality-or-quantity-generating-the-right-leads-for-the-sales-team/

Feet on the Street or Callers in the Seat. Discover elements of successful strategies for direct sales in the payments space. Plus Patti reports on surcharging trends in e-commerce. And James answers an agent's question about selling to owner-operators, like barbers, auto repair shops and dentist offices.

Make a way to stop leaving big money on the table! Wake up, people! We must learn how to leverage capital to close big deals. Too much money is being left on the table. This is a sad trend in our industry. Here are some tips to solve the dilemma.

Nick Melnyk, Director of Business Development at Mynt, explains how Mynt POS systems can be optimized for most verticals. Best of all, Mynt's feature-rich out-of-the box POS systems include support for cash discounting and surcharging. Upwards of 80% of merchants using Mynt POS systems offer cash discounts, he tells us. Plus James wraps up a mini-series on killer phone scripts with pointers on getting merchant commitments, and Patti reports on how retailers are challenging the card brands over EMV.

Are you up for a new challenge? Get my tips on this unique approach for selling monster merchant accounts. After some experience in the industry and understanding merchant statements, try this advanced concept.

The recent legal opinion overturning Oklahoma's no-surcharge law leaves just 4 states with laws banning surcharges. Jonathan Razi, Founder & CEO of CardX and a Harvard-trained attorney, explains the implications. Plus James offers additional insights for creating Killer Phone Scripts.

Things are changing! Non-cash adj and service fees not on receipts any longer. THE LATEST TREND – WHAT IS IT? I believe it’s a great way to reduce consumer complaints and make technology more compliant for cash discounting programs.

Find your niche and dominate your market in 2020. Jaron Rice shares why his local ISO is focusing on Card Not Present in 2020 and why you should find your niche as well. Patti talks about new MasterCard rules with free trials and James shares tips and strategies to get past the gatekeeper on the phone.

Offering the right solution to the right merchant doesn't guarantee success. Learn how to sell! In today's episode, I share three unique experiences I have had over the last few weeks with top agents and ISO's that has proven to me once again that sales ability is still a major factor in success. Planning what you will say and how you will say it, then taking time to think about your approach will dramatically impact your results.

Donnie Troy describes how he's been building a successful book of merchant business as a one-man show. Plus, James offers insights on developing killer phone scripts, and Patti reports on an American Express play for boosting merchant acceptance.

Smart Terminals are taking over Cash Discounting and Traditional Processing. Dave Humphrey at Bryte talks smart terminals and the process of integrating Cash Discounting into POS Systems. Patti explains Kabbage Payments and how this new offer fits into the competitive landscape, and James gives tips on competing with Square, Stripe and other disruptive payment providers.

Erik Nicholson from Card Connect on ISOs and Agents staying relevant as the payments industry evolves. In this episode, Erik Nicholson, SVP Partner Channel at Card Connect talks about the fast changing payments landscape and how agents and ISOs can stay competitive. Also, James shares specific tips on targeting small business owners with facebook ad funnels, and Patti explores payments trends from a recent Nielsen report.

This week James offers encouragement for growing your agent and ISO portfolios in 2020. Recommendations include: embracing online marketing, getting out there and selling cash discounting, partnering with integrated solution vendors, and getting serious about sales training.

John Johnson, Chief Development Officer at Approval Payment Solutions, shares strategies for motivating agents with powerful sales meetings. Plus, James kicks off a mini-series on killer sales scripts, and Patti reports on credit card surcharging developments.

A super-simple concept for quick success. Grab this ultra-simple concept and double your prospecting success in 30 days! Don’t trip over the simplicity. Let me help you see the logic…

Guiseppi (Joey) Marzelli, Co-Founder of Boomtown, explains how ISOs and agents can drive stickier relationships across verticals with smart terminals, like Poynt. James describes how to create marketing funnels that work for merchant services. And Patti reports on credit and debit card fraud trends.

Learn how Sundance Payment Solutions works with new and experienced reps to build strong merchant relationships. "It's not just about getting deals boarded, but getting the underwriting done correctly," explains Erik Martinez, Director of Sales. Plus, James describes how ISOs can maximize sales team performance by getting top performers to shine. And Patti and James discuss cash & mobile payment trends. Discussion

Learn how Park Place Payments is changing the playbook for credit card processing sales. Its sales staff is made up of account executives, not agents, and "we're obsessed with ongoing training," says Founder & CEO Samantha Ettus. Plus, James continues his series on techniques for managing a merchant sales team, with insights on how to activate new sales reps, and Patti reports on prepaid and gift card usage trends.

Shocking trends that bode well for the future of cash discounting. 3 hurdles successfully crossed have been a shock! What seemed controversial at first has generated hardly a ripple. What IS the future for passing costs of processing to consumers?

Learn how Koreana Holmes has been building a successful book of business as The Credit Card Lady in Phoenix, AZ. It's all about networking, referrals and perseverance, she says. Plus James offers advice on building a winning training regimen, and Patti has tips for building your book during the holiday season.

Grab business owners’ attention AND focus on one thing! Get a new perception that is key to selling exciting, new technology to small business owners. Are they always interested but not moving forward? Pinpoint the one thing that will dramatically increase value for your prospect.

Learn how Flexxbuy helps ISOs and agents provide customer financing options for all manner of businesses. It can be a merchant acquisition play as well as a residual play, explains Bob Luvinger, Flexxbuy's President. Plus James counsels managers on how to recruit high-performing sales reps, and Patti reports on an analysis of spending trends at U.S. small businesses.

Get more sales by leveraging telemarketers. How much info do you really need from telemarketers? Get rid of unrealistic expectations. YOU are the sales professional. Here are 3 ways to leverage telemarketers.

Help merchants to not leave money on the table when running B2B transactions...without hurting your margins. Eric Jenks, National Sales Manager at PayTrace, explains how. Also, James shares a proven strategy for getting referrals from accountants and attorneys, and Patti reports on trends in consumer payment preferences.

Who should pay the sales tax on service fees? Here are some tips to keep your merchants compliant with state sales tax. Whose income IS the cash discounting service fee? Continue reading to explore this interesting concept.

Danny Mikhail describes how his company, Zuza, has developed an integrated POS solution, jam-packed with features, that ISOs and agents can label and sell as their own. James explains the pros and cons of different approaches to cash discount pricing. And Patti reports on legislation that could pave the way to banking cannabis businesses.

4 steps to implement a big-winning strategy for selling without cold calling. Here’s the first of two strategies to sell more merchant accounts without cold calling. This one is for you if you love networking and/or producing content. Follow these four steps to implement this strategy successfully.

Payments Attorney James Huber describes traps to watch out for when scaling up your ISO business; also what agents can do to protect their residual streams. Both require detailed agreements. James explains how to leverage your portfolio to grow your business. And Patti provides an update on ecommerce security.

SO, you want to sell without cold calling? Here are 4 prerequisite warnings, then 2 successful strategies to come. You COULD sell without cold calling. I’ll even help by giving two strategies for it. But first, consider these disclaimers on the results.