I’ll be the first to admit it: I don’t normally watch professional wrestling, not since i was a kid. My idea of a high-stakes “takedown” usually involves a 20-basis-point undercut on a competitor’s processing statement.
But then, the TikTok algorithm did its thing. A video of The Miz popped up on my feed, and before I could swipe past, he dropped some word salad that made a lot of sense. He calls it his three core values: Master, Inspire, Zone-in.
I mean, Master, Inspire, Zone In! There’s a post here.. LOL. Selling payments can sometimes feel like a repetitive loop of cold calls and “no thanks”—these three pillars are exactly what separate the top-tier sales pros from the people just spinning their wheels.
1. Master Your Craft
The Miz didn’t get to the top just by showing up; he became a master of the microphone and the ring. In merchant services, Mastery is your ultimate leverage.
As we masters of interchange-plus pricing models new terminal and pos features? Do we actually understand the nuances of Level 2 and Level 3 data, or are we just reading off a slide deck? When we master the technical side, we stop being a “salesperson” and start being an indispensable consultant.
The Lesson: If we can’t explain the Durbin Amendment to a merchant like they’re five, we haven’t mastered it yet. LOL
2. Inspire Your Merchant
Wrestling is about storytelling. Selling is about story telling and vision. We aren’t just selling a terminal or a gateway; we’re selling a business owner the ability to scale.
To Inspire means to show the merchant what’s possible. Maybe it’s how integrated POS data can save them 10 hours of bookkeeping a week, or how a sleek checkout experience can drive customer loyalty. If we aren’t inspiring them to see a better version of their business, we’re just another line item on their P&L.
3. Zone-in (The Closer’s Edge)
In the clip, The Miz talked about “zoning in” to tune out the noise. In sales, the “noise” is everywhere: the rejection, the saturated market, the constant “we’re happy with who we have.”
When we Zone-in, we develop a relentless focus on the person sitting across from us. We aren’t thinking about anything else; we are locked into their specific pain points. we’re listening for the one thing—the slow funding time, the hidden fees, the terrible support—that gives us the opening to provide a solution.
The “M.I.Z.” Takeaway
Now, I have to be completely honest with you guys—I’m a bit embarrassed.
As I was sitting there, nodding along and taking mental notes on how to apply “Master, Inspire, Zone-in” to create this post it didn’t click. It wasn’t until the video ended that I realized the acronym for his three pillars—M-I-Z—is literally just his name.
I really should have caught that sooner. I guess that’s what happens when you’re a “Master” of ones domain but a total amateur at sports entertainment. Regardless of the clever branding, the logic is sound. Whether we are in a ring or a retail shop, if we aren’t Mastering, Inspiring, and Zoning-in, we’re just another guy in the crowd.
Now go out there and be “Awesome.” (Sorry, I had to.)
Happy Selling,
David
