We’ve all had that one sales call. The one that alters your brain chemistry. The one that makes you sit in your car with the radio off for twenty minutes, just staring blankly through the windshield wondering if you should have gone into accounting instead.
Today’s scenario actually reminds me of our post from July 22 last year, linked here, “What’s Your Worst Sales Call?”
If you asked me for my personal answer to that question, my mind immediately flashes back to the day I walked into that comic book store.
I was radiating my usual sales enthusiasm and charm. I was dialed in, feeling good, and ready to introduce myself and ask for the owner. The guy behind the counter immediately clocked me as a salesperson. Before I could even finish a sentence, he shot back with a frosty, “Who wants to know?”
I kept my smile glued on and politely told him who I was and why I wanted to meet the owner.
That’s when he completely lost it.
He went off on an absolute tirade—cussing, slamming his hands down, and screaming about “you people” constantly coming into his store and wasting his time. I was completely stunned. I didn’t even try to save the deal; I just beat a hasty retreat, tail firmly between my legs, and decompressed in my car. To this day, I’ve never set foot back in that store.
Looking back, he wasn’t just mad at me. He was suffering from severe Merchant Processing PTSD. He was reacting to the ten sketchy cold calls he’d already received that week.
Which brings us to today’s What Would You Do? Wednesday. How do we handle these brick walls without running for the hills?
The Scenario: The “All Processors Are Thieves” Wall
You walk into a busy retail shop on a Tuesday morning. The owner is behind the counter, and the second you introduce yourself as a merchant services rep, their guard goes to an absolute 10.
They wave their hands aggressively and say: “Stop right there. I get ten calls a day from you people. You all promise low rates, and then you hike them three months later. I am locked in, I am not interested, and I want you to get out of my shop.”
You know your company is transparent. You know you could actually save them money and provide better service. But right now, you are staring down the exact same barrel I faced at that comic book store.
What Would You Do?
How do you handle a prospect who is projecting all their past industry trauma directly onto you? Choose your strategy:
- Option A: The Tactical Retreat. You acknowledge their frustration, hand them your card, and say, “I completely get it. Our industry has a bad reputation for a reason. I’ll leave my card here—if you ever want a transparent second opinion, you know where to find me.” You walk out and live to fight another day.
- Option B: The Disarming Pivot. You agree with them immediately to break their momentum. “You’re 100% right. Most processors do lie. If I were you, I’d be throwing me out too. Can I just show you the one thing we do differently so you know what a non-scam looks like?”
- Option C: The Radical Transparency Challenge. You lean into the rate-hike fear. “I hear you. What if I write a guaranteed rate protection clause directly into our contract right now, in ink, before we even look at your statement? If my company raises your rates, we pay you.”
- Option D: The Car Decompress. You apologize, walk out, and go find a friendlier business because life is too short to get yelled at before lunch.
The Realities of the Grind: Closing Thoughts
The truth about merchant services is that we aren’t just selling tech or processing power; we are constantly managing the emotional baggage left behind by other bad actors in our industry. When a merchant blows up at us, 99% of the time, it has absolutely nothing to do with us. It’s a defense mechanism built over years of bait and switch tactics and hidden fees from predatory reps.
Every single one of the options above has its place in a top producer’s playbook. Some days, our mental health requires Option D, we drop a card, walk away, and protect our energy for the next door. Other days, we have the stamina to lean into Option B, disarm them with sheer honesty, and turn a screaming skeptic into a client for life.
There is no single “right” answer here, because sales is as much about reading the room as it is about knowing our product. But the worst thing we can do is let one bad interaction lock us in our cars for the rest of the afternoon.
Now, let’s hear from the trenches.
So, what’s your vote (A, B, C, or D)? More importantly, what does your version of the “comic book store meltdown” look like? Let out some sales therapy in the comments below and share your own worst sales call story!
Happy Selling,
David
