Merchant Sales Podcast

In this episode, Ryan Malloy from North American Bancard shares tips on competing with Square. We dive into technology and cash discounting. Patti discusses how large merchants continue to fight against interchange fees. In questions from the field, James talks about what he believes will affect merchant sales residuals the most over the next 24 months.

Learn first-hand how Rev19 has been building sales partnerships with outside agents that drive growth. It's all about trust, explains John Buchanan, VP of Sales. Plus, Calvin Francis, an agent and regular listener, shares his successful approach to selling cash discounting to larger merchants. And Patti reports on promising sales growth data from the U.S. Commerce Department.

How to communicate with large companies. Use different verbiage for bigger merchants than smaller ones. Here are some tips from a communication point of view. These will get you to the decision maker at the right time.

Discover why Dustin Magaziner, Managing Partner at PayBright, believes truly free terminal placements are the future of merchant sales. Plus James has advice for keeping cash discounting clients happy long term, and Patti explains why ISOs and agents should be diligent about keeping bad actors off the payment networks.

Understand how debit transactions work. Use these tips to help clear the confusion about debit transactions and the Durbin Amendment.

Learn how Josh Carper, Business Development Chief at Gorilla Technologies, made the transition from just selling credit card accounts to selling cloud-based POS technologies. Then Patti reports on changes to consumer payment habits brought on by COVID-19, and James has advice for getting statements from reluctant merchants.

How To Choose the Right Point of Sale System for Your Merchants How to choose the right POS for clients - a big question. Use these two models to help your clients choose the right point of sales system. Put in the work. Know the options.

Gain insights on what to do and not do when taking business to the next level. "It's important not to cannibalize what you're currently doing," explains Kyle Morgan, CEO and Head of Product at Mercantile Processing. Plus Patti reports on changes in the way people choose to pay, and James fields a question from the field on branding strategies.

There’s no excuse for ignorance in our industry! Here are some tips to help you sound more confident; feel more confident; and sound more professional. Stop making a bad reputation for the rest of us!

Learn how Swipe4Free has overcome the challenges of recruiting and training new agents, and built a successful team of cash discounting sales reps. "It's really simplified the industry," says Chris Benabu, Swipe4Free Co-Founder and COO. Plus Patti reports on welcome changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, and James offers strategies for approaching resellers and ISVs as partners rather than as competitors.

ISV integration is within your reach. How do you accomplish integration with an ISV? Merchants are going in the direction of integration; don’t get left behind.

The key to success in this industry is being able to touch as many merchants as possible, which requires a phone sales team, explains George Csahiouni, President and COO of Swoop Payment Solutions. Learn how he's put this philosophy to work successfully at Swoop. Plus Patti reports on consumer shifts to contactless payments and James answers questions about EMV compliance.

Leverage expertise to sell large accounts with this model. How can you get your foot in the door of large merchant accounts? Try this unique model to convert your knowledge into value. Click HERE to learn More: https://www.ccsalespro.com/how-to-sell-subscriptions-to-large-merchant-accounts/

The COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting impacts, says Chris Kronenthal, President & CTO of FreedomPay, who explains how "touchless commerce" solutions can improve the merchant value prop going forward. Also, Patti describes the up- and downsides of rising ecommerce traffic, and James provides a tutorial on understanding agent agreements.

Are you missing this big opportunity? BIG TIP for ISOs selling cash discounting: Discover how to increase your average volume of merchant accounts AND help long term with attrition.

This week Austin Mac Nab, Managing Partner at VizyPay, explains that company's unique approach to cash discounting and how it resonates with merchants. Plus, he discusses the Look Local First program, created by VizyPay to encourage consumers to spend locally. Then Patti reports on the card brands extending the EMV compliance deadline for pay-at-the-pump devices, and James offers proven strategies for overcoming merchant objections.

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.