Your 17-Day Game Plan

It’s Monday, November 3rd, 2025.

You’ve had your coffee, you’ve checked your email, and you’re ready to attack the month. But let’s be honest with ourselves. The calendar on the wall says 30 days, but for a sales professional in merchant services, November is a ghost.

Let’s break it down:

• We have Veterans Day next week. Still workable of course.
• Then there’s the big one: Thanksgiving week. That Wednesday is a wash, and Thursday and Friday are gone.
• The following Monday is Cyber Monday, and every merchant you want to talk to is either putting out fires or counting their money.

When you strip it all away, we’re left with about 17 real, sellable days.

Seventeen days to get a few deals closed, build our pipelines for Q1, and earn some extra holiday residuals. Seventeen days until the “Call me after the New Year” excuse becomes nearly impossible to overcome.

The good news? A deadline creates focus. A short month separates the disciplined from the disorganized. So, the question isn’t if you can hit your goal, but how you plan to spend your time.

Here is your 17-day game plan to make this November a record-breaker.

1. Triage Your Pipeline Today. Right Now.

Before you make a single cold call, audit your pipeline with ruthless efficiency. Your time is your most valuable asset this month. You can’t afford to spend it on “maybes.” Segment every prospect into one of three categories:

• Category A (The Closers): These are prospects who have a proposal and or have signaled they are, could b ready to move forward, you’ve done the follow-up, and they are on the verge of signing. Your primary goal is to get ink on paper this week. Create urgency by highlighting the need to get them installed and running before the Black Friday rush.
• Category B (The High-Potentials): These are qualified leads you’ve spoken to. They’ve expressed interest and you’ve identified a clear pain point (high fees, clunky hardware, lack of support or online payment options). Your mission is to get them a proposal and a decision within the next 7-10 days.
• Category C (The Nurtures): New leads or long-term prospects. These are important for your Q1 pipeline, but they are not gonna make our December residuals. Time-block specific, limited hours for prospecting this group.

2. Sharpen Your Pitch: The Holiday Angle

Stop selling “lower rates.” This month, every merchant—from the local pizza shop to the boutique retailer—is laser-focused on one thing: maximizing holiday revenue. Your pitch needs to reflect that. Frame every conversation around how you can help them have a more profitable holiday season.

• “Is your current terminal fast enough to handle the Black Friday lines? A slow transaction can cost you a sale.”
• “Are you set up to sell gift cards? It’s a huge revenue driver and brings in new customers in January.”
• “With Small Business Saturday coming up, let’s make sure your customers can pay any way they want—tap-to-pay, Apple Pay, you name it.”
• “For Cyber Monday, are you able to easily accept payments on your website or send invoices via email?”

You’re not a salesperson; you’re a holiday business consultant. Solve their immediate problem, and the sale will follow.

3. Master the “Holiday Stall” Objection

You’re going to hear it a dozen times: “This sounds great, but I’m just too busy. Call me back in January.”

Do not accept this. Acknowledge their concern, then pivot to the value of acting now.

Your Response: “I completely understand. That’s exactly why we should talk for 10 minutes now. Getting you set up before the holiday madness means you’re not leaving money on the table paying fees during your busiest month. A simple switch now to dual pricing could add hundreds, even thousands, back to your bottom line in December. When’s a better time, tomorrow at 10 AM or 2 PM?”

4. Leverage Your Existing Book of Business

Your fastest path to a new deal is through a happy customer. Block out 30 minutes every single day this month to call 3-5 of your current clients.

• Check-in: “Hey Clyde, just calling to see how everything is running ahead of the holidays. Any issues I can help with?”
• Upsell: “Have you considered adding a virtual/mobile terminal for on the go/ phone orders? It could be a big help this time of year.”
• Ask for Referrals: “Glad to hear things are going well! You know, we’re trying to help other local business owners prepare for the holidays. Who do you know that might be unhappy with their current processor?”

Your 17-Day Challenge

This isn’t just another month. It’s a sprint. Forget multitasking. Focus on one thing at a time. Time-block your calendar with obsessive detail and stick to it.

• Mornings: Dedicated to your “Category A” closers and “Category B” follow-ups.
• Mid-day: Prospecting with your new holiday-centric pitch.
• Afternoon: Checking in with existing clients and preparing for the next day.

Seventeen days is more than enough time to crush your goal if you have a plan. The clock is ticking.

Now, who are you calling first?

Happy Selling,

David