Month: March 2024

If I were to ask you to describe someone that truly believes in themselves, what would you say? 

I think immediately the description would be that when they enter a room, people notice them. 

When they speak, people listen to them.

They definitely have strong body language. 

Most people would say that these type of individuals have no insecurities at all. 

The truth is, everyone struggles with some sort of self doubt. The key is to learn how to overcome the self-doubt.

Not everyone feels confident all the time. What separates successful people and those that are not as successful is the way those feelings are dealt with. It’s OK to be afraid, but we must not allow that to stop us. 

Your philosophy should always be, “I may have fear but I’m going to do it anyway. Nothing is going to stop me.”

Doubting oneself is basically a learned behavior. Most of that comes from the opinion of others and life experiences. 

Self doubt is driven by fear and stops us from achieving great success. The key to learning how to get rid of self doubt is to figure out how to overcome those fears.

The first step is to find out what are some of the beliefs that you may have that are holding you back. 

It’s a good idea to break out a sheet of paper and write them out. Once you identify what is holding you back, you can then change your belief system. 

The power of the mind is an incredible thing. You can definitely change your mindset from unlimited beliefs to absolutely believing in yourself and your abilities.

It’s also imperative to make sure that the way you talk about yourself and the way you talk to yourself is nothing but positive going forward. Do not be self deprecating even if you think it is funny. Changing your self talk is a powerful way to turn self-doubt into self-confidence.

Take a look at the people you are surrounding yourself with. 

Are people bringing you down or are they lifting you up? 

Find the people who are in life where you want to be and simply do what they do. Of course, make sure they are living with integrity. 

Surround yourself with people that are positive and supportive.

Once again, everyone will deal with some sort of self-doubt every now and then. It’s important to recognize that. Once you’ve recognized that, quit wondering how to get rid of it. 

I can’t stress enough the importance of taking action immediately. 

You don’t need to keep getting advice from everyone. Do not delay. 

There are no more excuses. Start today, start small and just keep moving forward. As you see achievements, you are going to start building confidence. 

The goal is to put the self-doubt behind you.I’m going to make a guarantee with you right now.  On the road to success, you WILL have some roadblocks.During this time, the ones closest to you will probably start doubting you. In fact, you may start doubting yourself. You must get rid of that mindset immediately and not listen to any naysayers. It’s time to push even harder. This is what separates true success from mediocrity. Do not quit, do not ever give up and don’t look back. Keep marching forward.Learn the lessons in the failures and the setbacks. Get up and get going.

You were designed with a great purpose. Look in that mirror every morning and proclaim

”I believe in myself and my abilities.  I will not allow fear or self-doubt to get in my way.  I am taking action and building my confidence every single day.”

Happy Selling,

 David

Depending on what part of the country you live in, you’ve probably seen some tell tale signs that spring has arrived. today, according to the calendar it’s the first day of Spring. I for one was anxious for spring to arrive, as it historically marks the start of one of the best times to sell credit card processing services.

Granted the official start of spring started a few weeks back, but as we jump right into the middle of April, I’m curious to know what steps you’re taking to help promote your credit card processing service.

Now,  it’s time to review your sales plan to make sure your profits will grow as fast as everything else around you this season.

Allow me to use this old saying of “the early bird gets the worm” really does apply here. That’s why I’d like to ask you to take the time to honestly answer the following questions.

1. Is your toolbox up to date?

First start by taking a look inside your toolbox. Do you have all of the general tools you need to sell credit card processing? If so, are your tools up to date?

2. Do you have the newer tools you need to be competitive in your market?

Even if you provide the best merchant service, it’s critical that you make sure that you have the new tools you need to be competitive, like  next day funding or touch screen point of sales.

Now mind you the key word here is “need,” not “want.” There are a lot of new “cool” offerings, but time is going to be precious over the next few months. Make sure that there is a need before committing the time to obtain the tools and skills necessary to sell any new offerings.

Here are few I would like you to add to your tool box

1. Clientvine CRM –  If you’re like many merchant services sales people I know, chances are it’s been a while since you updated or even used a CRM. Dive in as there’s a good chance it needs some tweaks, or perhaps even a complete overhaul.

Let me share an incredible CRM called ClientVine. It’s a full featured CRM that has a huge plus,  It can  do a statement analysis! The good folks at ClientVine will upload our schedule A’s so the system knows our pricing parameters. 

Once again, for more information on ClientVine please feel free to call or email me.  

2. Cash Bouy- Is a merchant cash advance company that has been around for quite a while. Cash Bouy has been in the business of helping small businesses. We all know that getting working capital can be challenging for some of our merchants so at Cash Bouy, they make business funding simple.

3. Are you taking full advantage of what your payment processor has to offer?     Touch Screen POS

You need a good point of sale offering. Rather it’s Clover, Lavu, find a system that can meet your needs. For example, consider the  merchant services software that is available from your current payment processor. Does it offer any unique advantages that you could be leveraging any more effectively then with a POS?

4. How comfortable are you with available pricing options?

In one of my past  blog posts, I spent some time talking about the benefits of tiered pricing and why you shouldn’t cast it aside simply because Interchange Plus appears to be easier. If you’re not sure when to use each method, follow this simple rule.  Under $10,000.00 in volume it would be best on tiered, over $10,000.00 a month put on IC+. This will work well most of the time. 

5. Are you offering a Dual Pricing option?

If your not offering you prospects a dual pricing option your doing yourself and them a disservice. This is an opportunity to save the thousands of dollars and also to make increased residuals for yourself. Find a processing partner that offers a compliant program on terminals, point of sales system, mobile, gateways etc.

In order to be successful selling credit card processing, it’s critical that you perform this exercise before one of the best selling seasons has come and gone.

I’m curious to know your answers to these questions. 

Did you find any areas of concern? 

What steps do you plan to take so you can maximize the growth of your credit card processing service?

Happy Selling,

David

Each day, we are all given the same amount of time. 

No matter who we are, we all have 24 hours in a day. 

I think we have all said at one point in our lives, “It seems that I don’t have enough time in the day to do the things that I need to do.”

This is why it is absolutely imperative that you take inventory of your day. My question for you is…. 

Are you spending your time or are you investing your time? 

There is a big difference between spending time and investing time. Spending actually means that you are using something up without getting a return.  When you invest in something, you have an expectation of getting a good return on your investment. 

Investing your time means that you are engaging in activities that are going to bring you rewards. I call them MMA’s (Money Making Activities)

Most of the time, when you hear the word ‘invest’, you think of money. It is just as important to start thinking of investing, when it comes to your TIME as well.

While you are taking inventory of your days, write out how much of your time is just being spent without getting any reward from it. You will be stunned by how much time is being wasted. 

How much time in your day is being wasted watching meaningless television or being on social media? Ask yourself if you are really getting anything out of doing that. 

The truth is, this applies to many categories. So many people waste time when it comes to spending time doing things with no rewards. Are you just spending time in a relationship or are you investing in that relationship? 

Are you spending time talking to negative people and gossiping, or are you investing your time with people that are going to help you grow? 

Are you spending time sleeping too much or are you investing in your body to create better health? 

I could go on and on. I know you get the picture.

After you have taken inventory, you will be very pleased to know that you have a lot of time now to invest in making a better life for yourself. It all starts with setting some goals. Once you have put your short and long-term goals together, write out a plan on what it’s going to take to achieve these goals. Once you have the goal and the plan, it is now time to invest every second of your life to achieve your dreams. 
It’s all going to begin with how you spend your mornings. When you win in the mornings, you win the day. It’s time to begin your day with investments. Rise early. Have a gratitude journal. Start each day with good exercise. Have some good quiet time focusing on positive thoughts. Make that commitment to invest your time wisely.

When it comes to business, it’s important to understand that time is your capital. You must make every second count. Make sure you are investing your time wisely and make sure you are investing your time with the right people. You have a choice! You can either choose to be just plain busy wasting time or you can choose to invest your time wisely, and be productive.

Starting today, adopt the philosophy that life is an investment. You must figure out how to invest your time. Do not just spend time and waste it with no rewards. Invest your time wisely and make your dreams come true.

Happy Selling, 

David

Saint Patrick’s Day is this Sunday and for most of us it’s just a fun day to wear green and pinch those who don’t, but for the Irish Saint Patrick’s Day is a national holiday. There’s a lot more to Saint Patrick’s Day than clovers and green beer.

So I have put together this Friday’s Top 10 Lucky Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

From the Home Office in Dublin, Ireland here is

Top 10 Lucky Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

10. We should really be wearing blue on St. Patrick’s Day.

Saint Patrick himself would have to deal with pinching on his feast day. Though we’ve come to associate kelly green with the Irish and the holiday, the 5th-century saint’s official color was “Saint Patrick’s blue,” a light shade of sky blue. The color green only became associated with the big day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.

9. St. Patrick wasn’t Irish.

Although he made his mark by introducing Christianity to Ireland in the year 432, Patrick wasn’t Irish himself. He was born to Roman parents in Scotland or Wales in the late 4th century.

8. St. Patrick’s Day used to be a dry holiday.

As you might expect, St. Patrick’s Day is a huge deal in his old stomping grounds. It’s a national holiday in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, but up until the 1970s, pubs were closed on that day. (The one exception went to beer vendors at the big national dog show, which was always held on St. Patrick’s Day.) Before that time, the saint’s feast day was considered a more solemn, strictly religious occasion. Now, the country welcomes hordes of green-clad tourists for parades, drinks, and perhaps the reciting of a few limericks.

7. New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade has been happening since 1762.

New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the world’s largest parades. Since 1762, roughly 250,000 marchers have traipsed up 5th Avenue on foot—the parade still doesn’t allow floats, cars, or other modern trappings. People like Miracle on 34th Street actress Maureen O’Hara and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, have served as grand marshal. In 2020, the parade was canceled for the first time in its centuries-old history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. There are no female leprechauns.

Don’t be fooled by any holiday decorations showing lady leprechauns. In traditional Irish folk tales, there are no female leprechauns, only nattily attired little guys who spend their days making and mending shoes (meaning they earned that gold they’re always guarding).

5. There’s a reason for the shamrocks.

How did the shamrock become associated with St. Patrick? According to Irish legend, the saint used the three-leafed plant (which is not to be confused with the four-leaf clover) as a metaphor for the holy trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland.

4. Cold weather helped St. Patrick’s claim to fame.

In Irish lore, St. Patrick gets credit for driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Modern scientists suggest that the job might not have been too hard—according to the fossil record, Ireland has never been home to any snakes. Through the Ice Age, the island was too cold to host any reptiles, and the surrounding seas have staved off serpentine invaders ever since. Modern scholars think the “snakes” St. Patrick drove away were likely metaphorical.

3. There’s no corn in that beef.

Corned beef and cabbage, which has become a St. Patrick’s Day staple for Irish Americans, doesn’t have anything to do with the grain corn. Instead, it’s a nod to the large grains of salt that were historically used to cure meats, which were also known as “corns.”

2. Americans run up quite a bar tab on St. Patrick’s Day.

In 2023, it was estimated that 15 million pints of Guinness would be consumed worldwide on St. Patrick’s Day. And in 2024, it was estimated that in America, overall beer sales would be up 174 percent. In fact, it’s the biggest day for bars in the country. And in general, in 2024, it was expected that Americans would spend $7.86 billion celebrating the holiday.

And the #1 Top 10 Lucky Facts About St. Patrick’s Day is ….

1.  St. Patrick’s Day could have been Saint Maewyn’s Day.

According to Irish legend, St. Patrick wasn’t originally called Patrick. His birth name was Maewyn Succat, but he changed it to Patricius after becoming a priest.

Whatever you’ve heard about St. Patrick, you won’t be surprised that a lot of the malarkey over the patron saint of Ireland mixes a healthy dose of man with myth. It’s the Irish way to create legends from well told stories. While you’re imbibing on your Irish travel, you’ll see how, quite possibly, you too will start to believe everything you’re told … or will you?

Have a great St, Paddy’s day weekend,

David

Today I’m going to talk to you about how to organize your time to use it more efficiently as a sales professional. I have a few very specific tips today.  My hope is that you will apply these practical tips in order to increase your sales!

Tip #1 Have a block schedule. This is something very few sales people understand. When you are selling small prospects like small business owners or consumers, your schedule is really going to be more open, meaning that you are not going to have a lot of solid meetings.  Rather than setting an appointment for 2:00pm on Wed, it will more likely need to be Wed afternoon.  As a result, you need to implement a block schedule in order to gain more control over your time.

I’ll give you an example of how I like to do this. I like to have four max five blocks in my day. I have 8 to 11, 11 to 1, 1 to 3, and 3 to 5. There are four blocks, but the 11-1 is my lunch time and the time that I can deal with any unexpected tasks that come up.  I always have that time as a time when I can go do whatever I want or to usually catch up on things.  This leaves us with 3 time blocks when we can schedule work, 8 to 11, 1 to 3 and 3 to 5. You can add more time to each block by starting earlier or working later in your day. consistency is best.  

We can use these three blocks for our three primary activities in sales.  These activities are Prospecting, Follow Up and Customer Service.  The best way to use these blocks is to alternate these activities to different times on different days.  For instance, you may want to have prospecting time from 9-11 on Monday, and then 1-3 on Tuesday and 9-11 on Wednesday.  In this scenario, your follow up time might be 1 to 3 on Monday, 9 to 11 on Tuesday and then maybe 3 to 5 on Wed.  So, pull up your favorite calendar application and create a calendar by adding these three time blocks to each weekday and then color code and name them for the sales activity you intend to focus on during that time slot.

You could also organize your blocks around geography.  If you are in an area where you have two or three different major markets, you could plan to be in this geographic area on Monday from 9-11. Then I’m going to be in this geographic area on Thursday from 9-11. You need to think about your geography as well as your activities when creating your block schedule.

Memorize your block schedule once you have completed it. It is three blocks a day, five days a week, so you’ve got 15 time blocks to memorize.   When you set appointments for yourself, it is really important you try to slide them into the correct slot, so you are in the right place doing the right things when you have to run over to that appointment.  When somebody says, “Could you come back tomorrow?” You think in your head. Tomorrow is Wednesday, which means I prospect from 9-11.  So you respond, “Sure, how about 10 a.m. tomorrow. Does that work for you?”

Tip #2 Stop Prioritizing and Start Taking Action.  Stop making complicated priority systems.  When you are doing a task like selling, you really need only two priority levels in your life. You have things that are important enough to do and things that are not important enough to do.  If it is not important enough to do, DON’T DO IT.  Say, “No” the first time you encounter this task.  Ask yourself, “Is this client ever going to buy from me?”  If the answer is “No”, stop wasting your time and move on.  If someone asks you to come hang out, don’t tell them to check back next week.  Either you want to hang out or you don’t.  If you don’t, say “No.”

If it is important enough for you to do, DO IT RIGHT NOW. Take action on it right away.  Your goal is not to find an excuse to do something later.  Instead, your goal should be to take action immediately if at all possible.  If you absolutely cannot take action on it right now because of something outside of your control, then decide when you will take action and add a reminder to your calendar.  When that reminder pops up, stop what you are doing and take action.

Practical Tip:  I use my email inbox for everything related to my organizational system. Everything goes in my email inbox every day including calendar reminds, social media messages, phone messages, text messages (using google voice) and everything else you can think of that might be part of my day.  I have a “non-action” folder (or “label”), and I have a folder for each day of the week. When I look at something, if it is important enough to get done, I ask, “Is there any way I can get this done today?” If there is, I leave it in my inbox until it is done and then I put it in non-action. If there is no way for me to do it today, I put it into the folder for the day that I’m going to do it. Each day, I get a reminder to me email inbox to “Check Today’s Folder”, once I move the emails from today’s folder back into the inbox, I put that reminder into non-action and I start working on my inbox.

Summary: My #1 Tip is to use a Block Schedule. 

My 2nd tip is to think in terms of, “is it important enough to do or not.”  Don’t think in terms of an a, b, c, or d priority level.  I know sales professionals who spend half of their day organizing things. By the time you organize it, I probably would have already gotten it done. Get it done, or don’t do it, but make your decision based on that.

Happy Selling,

David

Being “in sales” often carries a negative connotation from an outsiders perspective. If you dig into the details of what’s at the core of the role- you can begin to understand why.

• Humans don’t enjoy being pushed or convinced to do things they are uncertain about; especially with people they don’t trust or have rapport with.
• People tend to dislike letting others down. To say NO and reject someone can feel uncomfortable and awkward- thus, the average person chooses to avoid talking to sales people altogether.

In my experience in both sales, and sales management- the concept of selling with “indifference” (when applied correctly) can be one of the biggest drivers to success and completely turn notions of salespeople being “pushy,” upside down. Furthermore, it can lead to greater sales performance, stronger relationships with clients, feelings of more control, and less overall stress in your work.

I believe you can still be a solid sales performer without the skill set of selling with indifference. Michael Jordan without a mid-range jump shot still would’ve been an effective player, but he would’ve been missing a crucial element of what is required to be an elite performer.

What exactly is Indifference?

Indifference as a sales concept means being even keeled irrespective of circumstance, never appearing desperate for a sale. This is not to be confused with feeling indifferent about your job as a whole. It’s simply a tactic used to be more effective within your approach to selling.

In any negotiation, one side always needs the other more. The party in a position of power has leverage, and can more easily influence an outcome. Indifference has the game changing ability to level the playing field from the lesser side and regain some of that power back.

Why does it work?

• It gives prospects an out by putting the ball in their court to make a choice. As mentioned above, people don’t like being pushed. Here they’re actively making their own choice that you’ve shown you’re ok with.
• Humans yearn for what they can’t have. Psychologically playing hard to get exudes confidence, shows experience, signals that you have other options, and demonstrates belief in what you’re doing or have to offer.
• You’re able to detach and move on. Relying on one prospect, putting all of your eggs in one basket can have massive consequences if that specific sale doesn’t work out. Being neutral with the outcome knowing you controlled what you could is a much healthier approach to replicate success and be consistent.

Indifference won’t work if you’re selling from a place of weakness

Putting the concept into action:

• Embrace the mindset of being indifferent. “Act as if” you’re ok with any outcome throughout the entirety of the sales cycle. Even if it doesn’t result in you making a sale.
• Set expectations with your prospect early on. Use phrases at the beginning of your appointment or demo such as “After a 20 minute conversation, one of two things typically happen. First, WE MAY FIND IT’S NOT A FIT to work together and that’s okay. Alternatively, you may see that we are able to help with XYZ challenge and partner together in a mutually beneficial way.”
• Maintain a full pipeline. If you don’t have a next appointment or other prospects who are close to buying from you, you will be forced to operate from a position of desperation because you will truly need them more than they need you.
• Use the right language and tone. Project confidence, calmness, and be concise in your words to avoid over selling or convincing. 

I would challenge anyone in sales to empower themselves by using indifference to their advantage. To truly see tangible benefits, commit to using this approach for a defined period of time (one calendar month, one quarter, etc) and track to measure your successes and wins along the way.

Happy Selling,

David

Today let’s discuss the pitfalls of setting goals in sales.  Who remembers the old Atari game Pitfall? Sales seems like that old game sometimes. Always jumping, running or dodging distractions to knock me off my game. There are only two goals on which you should focus in sales to avoid the Pitfalls.

Unfortunately, sales people focus on everything BUT these two goals!

1.  Developing a habit of hard work.  This should be your number one goal.  Some of you right now are literally deciding if you’re going to work in the field today.  One of the big differentiators I found for successful independent business or sales people is that they go to work every day without even thinking about it.

2.  The second goal is to make money; get your Bonus & Residuals.  Do whatever it takes to actually get the deal done and close the sale so you get paid.

Any other goal besides these two is very dangerous and your creating pitfalls for yourselves.

Recently, I talked to a sales rep who was proud and excited that he had spent about an hour on the phone doing cold calls and set up two appointments for himself.  There’s nothing wrong with that except he didn’t keep one of the appointments and didn’t get any sales!  His goal, I guess, was to set appointments for himself. 

If you know how to sell and put in the work, you’re going to get the middle of the road goals such as the appointments, statements, and all that you need. 

If you’re working consistently but not getting contacts, appointments, or statements, then I question your sales ability.  Work harder at your training!

Today get out in the field and WORK! 

My question is how many sales did you make; how much money did you make?  Stop hiding behind excuses by saying things like, “I didn’t make any sales this week, but I got some really good contacts.”  Did anybody pay you for those contacts?

MAKE A SALE!

Happy Selling.

David