Happy 4th of July! Also known as America’s most popular BBQing holiday, the 4th of July, Independence Day, is a day of great grilled food, family, friends, and fireworks. Did you know that it was only declared a National Holiday in 1941, sure you did, you should have read that on last Friday’s Top Ten list.

Today I want to share my families BBQ rib recipe. Let’s keep it our little secret. So come rain or shine enjoy these ribs, some good family time grilling, boating or plain ole R&R. Have a fabulous 4th of July.

DAVE’S BBQ BABY BACK RIBS…. 

For the Rib Rub

• 2 full racks baby back pork ribs (about 5 to 6 pounds)

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons Tony’s creole seasoning
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the barbecue sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup low sodium beef or chicken stock
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika

For the barbecue sauce:

Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, whisking occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce has reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to grill.
Now.. for the ribs!

1. Place all of the ingredients except the ribs in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.

2. Cut 4 (24-by-12-inch) pieces of aluminum foil; set aside.

3. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Remove the thin membrane attached to the underside of the ribs by doing the following: Flip the ribs over so they’re bone-side up.  Starting at the end of 1 rack, slide the tip of a paring knife between the membrane and the bone, then lift and cut through the membrane. Grasping the membrane with a paper towel, pull it toward the other end of the rack and completely remove it.  Repeat with the second rack.

4. Cut 1 rack in half crosswise and place the 2 pieces side by side on a sheet of foil. Repeat with the second rack and a second piece of foil.

5. Evenly coat both sides of the ribs with the spice rub. Pull the foil up and over each set of ribs to create 2 completely enclosed packets. Place the packets side by side on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet tightly with the remaining 2 pieces of foil. (At this point, you can roast the ribs immediately, but for the best flavor and texture, refrigerate them for up to 24 hours.)

To grill the ribs – preferred option1Heat a gas or preferably charcoal grill to medium (350°F to 450°F).Remove the ribs from the foil, place them meaty-side up on the grill, and brush them with some of the sauce. Cover the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and brush the ribs and cook another 5 minutes. Continue to cook, flipping and brushing every 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the ribs are heated through and have grill marks, for a total grilling time of 20 minutes tops.

Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and cut the racks between the bones. Transfer the remaining barbecue sauce to a serving bowl and serve with the ribs.

If it’s raining – Oven time

1. Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle. (If you put ribs in fridge remove them and set aside till room temperature while the oven is heating, at least 20 minutes.

2. Place the ribs in the oven and roast until fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, fire up the grill, have a few drinks and enjoy your 4th of July.

Have a great day,

David

Recently my daughter and I re-watched the movie “The Sandlot.” It is a wonderful and entertaining film about friendship, growing up, baseball and adventure. I loved it. But within this film I noticed a very important business lesson.

The several pre-adolescent members of this rag-tag sandlot baseball team often would lose a baseball into the backyard of a mysterious recluse. The backyard itself was home to a slobbering, behemoth canine the size of a horse. Legend had it that any kid venturing into that yard would never return. Every kid was convinced that the dog had already eaten several brave but unwise lads who had dared enter the dreaded yard littered with bones and scores of lost baseballs.

A good portion of the movie is devoted to the team’s elaborate attempts to retrieve a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth that had been put into play through ignorance and inadvertently knocked over the 10-foot-high, steel-paneled wall into the backyard patrolled by the demon dog. They built contraption after contraption and used technique after technique, but each failed when lives were threatened and the dog toyed with their juvenile attempts to recover the treasured autographed ball.

Finally, after an unlikely chase scene, the ball is retrieved but the dog is injured in the process. Overcome by compassion and responsibility, the boys rescue the dog, befriending the beast in the process. They finally lead the dog to the front door of the mysterious recluse and, with great angst, knock — not knowing what wrath they will encounter. The hulking gent who answers the door turns out to be a gentle giant who is also a fan of the grand old game of baseball. Crisis averted!

All throughout the movie these kids use incredible means and wonderful creativity to try to accomplish their goal of retrieving their prized ball. An amazing amount of energy is expended but without the desired result. Sound familiar? Many of our businesses do the same. We are very creative; we think outside the box; we are incredibly busy. Action is the plan of the day. Yet, we find that our goals are illusive.

In working with to help them discover and become the kinds of businesses they really want to be, I often find that they are taking the “sandlot approach” to getting new business — lots of activity and creativity, very few results. Like “The Sandlot” boys, they focus on indirect approaches to acquiring new customers and building their businesses. They create and execute creative ad campaigns and produce beautiful literature. But what they do not do is identify specific potential customers and directly ask them for their business.

If you cannot identify specific potential customers by name, you’re taking an indirect approach to reaching your goals. Always take the most direct approach to acquiring business first. Only after exhausting direct approaches should you venture into the world of the indirect. In simple terms, here’s the hierarchy of contact:

1. A personal visit

2. A personal phone call

3. An e-mail directly to the decision-maker

4. A direct mail piece addressed to the person you intend to reach

5. A mailer addressed only to the company you targeted

6. Print ads in targeted publications that you know your customers read

7. General print ads in nontargeted publications

8. Mass media ads

The rule of thumb is this: Do first things first. Don’t move to No. 2 until you’ve exhausted your opportunities with No. 1. Don’t move to No. 3, until you’ve done all you can with No. 2 and so on.

If you follow this strategy, you’ll see better results faster.

The key reason for the failure of these “Sandlot” boys was that they ignored the most obvious and direct solution to the problem. When they eventually told their story of woe to the mysterious recluse he made this startling proclamation: “Why didn’t you just knock, I’d have gotten your ball for you!”

D’oh!

David

The 4th of July is almost here. Only 4 days away and it’s time to celebrate! Bring out that grill and get ready for a crazy independence day cookout! Go purchase big, loud, and colorful fireworks, and color the night sky with a dazzling spectacle of lights! But with all the fun and festivities, be sure to take some time to remember why we celebrate this momentous day. Are you excited? I hope so, because this Independence Day is going to be AMAZING. To help you get in a celebratory spirit, I present to you today’s top 10 4th of July  Facts – That Will Make You Want To Celebrate.

So, without further ado, from the home office in

Independence, Mississippi

Here are the Top 10 4th of July Facts..

10. Thomas Jefferson changed the wording of the Declaration of Independence from “the pursuit of property” to “the pursuit of happiness.”

9. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826.

8. Only two men signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776 –

John Hancock and Charles Thompson.

7. Congress declared July 4th as an official holiday in 1870 as part of a bill to officially recognize other holidays, Christmas being one of them.

6. “Yankee Doodle,” a popular American patriotic song, was originally sung prior to the Revolution by British military officers in mockery of the unorganized and buckskin-wearing “Yankees.”

5.  The “Star Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key and was originally a poem stemming from his observations in 1814 concerning the British attack on Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. It was later put to music, though  not decreed the official national anthem until 1931.

4. Including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (mentioned earlier), a total of three U.S. presidents have died on July 4th. James Monroe is the third president to share this fate.

3. America’s 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4, 1872.

2. 88.5% ($3.8 million) of imported U.S. flags are from China.

And the #1 Top 10 4th of July Fact is….

1. While we celebrate independence day on July 4th, it’s not actually the birth of America. July 2nd is the real day congress ruled in favor of Independence, but it’s celebrated on the fourth because that’s when congress accepted Jefferson’s declaration.

So there you have the top 10 facts about the 4th of July! Bust out those hot dogs and grills! Get out your fireworks! Put on the good Ol’ red, white, and blue! And celebrate Independence Day two days after the Declaration of Independence was approved! 

Have a great holiday weekend and Stay hungry my friends,

David

As the waiter served my family our dinner while we were out celebrating my daughter’s birthday, her five-year-old son, my grandson declared his favorite mealtime phrase, “I don’t like that.”

We hear this often at dinners, as my sweet and opinionated grandson is a very picky eater. He even uses the phrase when he has chosen the meal sometimes.

Either the food wasn’t plated just as he had imagined or he changed his mind about it. This time though, my daughter was tied up with her youngest child, so I stepped in. Because handling sales objections is what I do, I decided to approach his objection like I would any other.

So I asked “why?”The conversation went like this:

He said, “I just don’t like it.”

Me: “But you haven’t even tried it.”

He: “I know I don’t like it.”

Me: “You chose it.”

He: “I chose mac and cheese.”

Me: “That is mac and cheese.”

He: “No it’s not, it’s not yellow enough.”

Me: Ahhhhhh….

Rather than try to solve the first statement, “I just don’t like it,” I used a process for handling sales objections that I’ve refined over the years to get to the meat of the matter. It wasn’t that my grandson just didn’t like it, or that he had chosen it and changed his mind. Rather, it was a simple color issue.

Handling Sales Objections

We all face objections every day in the payments world. Merchants often raise reasons why they won’t move, won’t consider moving, or won’t even listen to what you have to say. Handling objections may be the biggest challenge salespeople face.

I am sorry to say, but there are no shortcuts. In fact, most people try to short circuit the questions by jumping in at the first comment that appears to be an objection. The results are not positive.

After a situation like that I often get a call from the deflated salesperson asking me what I would have done, and I think, “something completely different.”  Handling objections is not about responding to the actual objections, it’s about diagnosing them. (Read this blog)

In almost every case, an objection is a symptom, not the true issue. You need to probe a little to get to the true issue. To do so, you need to refrain from the temptation to immediately respond to their objection and instead ask the merchant a question.

These questions can vary, but unlike the simple one-word question, you want to ask a question that garners more detail.  Examples include:

• Could you tell me more about your concern?
• It sounds like this has happened often/before. Can you give me when and what happened?
• Could you explain your question?

They may reply with the same objection. If so, reverse it. For example, say a merchant’s objection is, “I am not interested” and their response to your first question is, “You people come in all the time with all these promises. I just don’t believe what you’re saying or promising will actually happen.”

It’s important to understand that their first objection may lead to another objection that is still a symptom. In this example, they weren’t interested because they perceived others in our profession didn’t keep their promises. And knowing this doesn’t necessarily allow you to diagnose the true objection. You must probe further.

Reverse it in this fashion: “I can understand your concern, and I am aware of many in my profession who make promises they can’t keep. But we aren’t all that way. I know I’m not. In fact, I don’t even know if I have a solution that works for you. Could you tell me some of the promises that haven’t been kept? What are the issues you have that they didn’t solve?”
Get to the True Objection

As you can probably tell, the true key to handling sales objections is to relentlessly ask questions until you get the true objection. Then address that objection head on.

Back to my original example with the skeptical merchant. The merchant might have been burned by promises in the past such as reducing cost or providing next day funding. When they realized that they had been taken advantage of, the merchant likely decided to guard themselves from future payments professionals with a fool-me-once kind of attitude.

Yes, this may take a little more time than desired, but the results are worth it. Invest the time, and you ultimately save yourself time in the long run. You may also have a happier merchant.

Oh, and I solved my grandson’s true objection rather simply. I asked the waiter for a little shredded yellow cheese. I sprinkled it on the top, and the color issue was solved, Mission Accomplished!!

Happy Selling,

David

Whether you are a sales rookie, veteran, or wizard there are a few prospect objections you should always be prepared to navigate. Knowing how to identify these objections, understand the motivation for the objection, and ultimately counter the objection is key to getting new business.(This blog may also help) As a sales professional, two of your greatest strengths are knowing what your prospects objections mean and knowing how to respond quickly and effectively.

1. Can you call me later?

A common objection from a prospect is to kick the can farther down the road. What can seem like your prospect harmlessly rescheduling your call can keep your sale in endless limbo. Understanding motivation is key here. Is your prospect too busy to set up a call, or are they waiting for next quarter’s budget? Regardless, you should always try to press your prospect for your product’s elevator pitch. You need to get your value proposition across early on in the sale’s process so that your sale isn’t pushed endlessly towards tomorrow.

2. We don’t have money in the budget.

Similar to not having the time to talk, not having the money to talk is a common objection. This objection can mean anything from not actually having any room left in the budget to not believing your product is a high enough priority for using part of the budget’s remainder. A sales professional should overcome this by assuring the prospect that at this stage in the process there is no expectation of purchase, but that they should still hear your pitch.

3. What features does your product have?

Prospects who want to go on specific product related tangents can actually be a trap. On the one hand, they are at least interested in your product. But on the other hand, going off on tangents early in the sales process can slow down the process. If your prospect wants to know if your Product can do X tell them that you will set up a future meeting to go over product features so you can focus on converting.

4. We already have something that does that.

This obstacle is one of the most common. Most prospects are happy to tell you they are already hired your competition. This can be a call ender if you let it. The best strategy is to let the client know that there is no downside to at least letting you put together a quote to show how you are different than your competitor.

5. The silent gatekeepers.

Is your prospect not picking up the phone, or are they not even the decision maker you should be talking to? Many companies have sales calls answered by employees who report back to managers. When possible you should attempt to make sure your calls are being answered by decision makers. Politely ask to know who would be in charge of purchasing your companies product and ask to get them on the line.

When To Cut Your Losses

Although overcoming objections is necessary for modern sales calls, at some point you have to save yourself and your prospects time and just end it. If objections are still coming after you had your chance to make your pitch, or if prospects won’t let you make your pitch it is probably best to apply your energy elsewhere and follow up at a later date.

Happy Selling,

David

It sounds rude when you say it to someone but I promise that in this case it is good advice.  If you follow it you WILL increase your success in sales.

I have a question for you.  What is EVERYBODY’S favorite subject? 

THEMSELVES! 

Unless they are the single most selfless person on the planet people like to talk about themselves more than any other subject.  It’s not that they care more about themselves than other people it’s just that it’s the one subject they know more about than anyone else. 

So let me ask you another question.  If you know that people love talking about themselves so much then why does your typical sales person walk in the door and not talk about the business owner??? 

If you want that business owner to work with you they need to like you.  in order for that to happen you better express some interest in their favorite subject.  While you’re at it you should get them talking about what is probably their second favorite subject:  THEIR BUSINESS.

The point I am trying to make is this.  A good sales person knows when to shut up and listen.  You have 2 ears and 1 mouth.  You are 66% ear so you should be listening 66% of the time.  Don’t walk in to a prospective client’s place of business and start spouting off about what you can do and all of the wonderful products you sell. 

You should walk in there and have a conversation about the business and the business owner.  Ask them questions. (This Blog here can help)

Get to know them.  Get them to talk about their favorite subject and they will be your best friend.  You will learn a lot about them  and their business and maybe you’ll find a problem that needs solving.  ( See the blog post from the other day about solving problems)  THEN you can start talking about yourself and how you can help them.   Until that time just shut up and listen. 

Happy Selling,

David

Today’s post will take more of a serious tone. Having no motivation can feel debilitating. Day in and day out you do the same things over and again, and your routine becomes mundane. If you don’t practice, you don’t deserve to win.

After a while you realize you aren’t making any real progress.

You feel stuck. You feel bored. You feel guilty. Something is definitely off.

Not only are you bored, you are boring to be around. You suck the life out of everyone you come in contact with. It’s a stage we all go through from time to time, and it’s not a great feeling. Sometimes you can hide that you have no motivation—at least from people who don’t know you that well or see you often. 

It may appear to your family and friends that you have your act together and things are going well. In fact, they may be a little jealous because they see you relaxing and seeming to coast through life.

But the truth is that’s not the real story.

While you may be grateful for all of the many good things you have going for you, deep down, you’re unsatisfied and find yourself with no motivation.

You have this feeling of not being fulfilled. Things just aren’t exciting anymore, and you don’t know why. So what is the problem?

It comes down to the way our minds work. Humans are problem solvers and innovators. Our minds aren’t designed to coast. Goals and dreams are what fuel us.

When we have no motivation, we become restless.

Decades of research supports the importance of goal setting. According to Ayelet Fishbach, author with The Harvard Business Review:

• Salespeople who have goals or targets close more deals. 
• People who set daily fitness goals are more likely to increase their daily fitness activity and get better results. 

“Abstract ambitions, such as “doing your best,” are usually much less effective than something concrete, such as bringing in 10 new customers a month or walking 10,000 steps a day.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again because I repeat this over and over every single day of my life and this is “you must be specific to be dynamic.”

If you’ve follow my blogs, you will hear this mantra repeated different ways over and over because it is one of the biggest keys to self-motivation. 

This is not up for debate. If you intend to be productive while you are alive, you must have two things happening 24/7/365:

• You must keep pressing on, always—no matter what happens, or is happening.
• You must be very clear about where you are headed, and what your next step is towards the goal you want to make happen.

Causes of a Lack of Motivation

There are many reasons we get discouraged and find yourself with no motivation. It can happen at any age or stage of life.

Some of the reasons are:

1. Dwelling on the Past

Past failures, disappointments, and losses can be really hard to deal with.

But no matter how much we wish things could have been different, the only chance we have to make things better for ourselves is to accept what happened and start moving forward from where we are with what we have.

2. Rejection

No one likes rejection. Over time, we lose our desire to try in an effort to avoid it. Instead, we must see rejection as an opportunity to learn, adjust, and improve.

3. Feeling Overwhelmed

Many people struggle with this issue.

Our to-do lists keep getting longer with no end in sight, and we become paralyzed. To keep making progress, we must set boundaries, eliminate distractions, and focus on priorities.

4. Procrastination

Have you ever noticed the longer you put something off, the harder it is to get it done? That’s because inaction fuels procrastination and dissatisfaction comes from avoiding the work it takes, but still wanting the special rewards that big success brings.

Take back control and get on top of things fast! Inaction fuels procrastination.

5. Not Taking Care of Yourself

It’s important to take care of our own physical needs. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Are you eating often enough?

Make sure you’re giving your body what it needs so that it can think and function properly.

6. Fear of Failure

There will always be risk involved when you’re going for something big. Do some research, talk to others who have done it before, and find out what you’re up against. All of the answers are out there, you just have to look for them. Remember that the Bible says, “seek, and you will find.”

If you need some encouragement, sales tips or just someone to talk to please feel free to reach out to me.

Happy Selling.

David

Happy  Friday everyone. many of you know my admiration for Tom Hopkins and his sales training. Every year I reread Tom’s book on “How to Master the Art of Selling” I highly recommend this book to any sales person if you need a nudge toward success. Tom Hopkins has been training winners for nearly 40 years. The list here are his Top  10 surefire success tips and as always in true David Letterman fashion.

From the home office in the corner of my garage in , Success, Missouri 

The Top 10 Success Tips from The Amazing Tom Hopkins. 

10. Covet your time. Time is precious–only 86,400 seconds in a day.  Average people waste most of those seconds in unproductive or unrewarding ways.  Successful people manage their time efficiently.  They are aware of how they spend it and make conscious choices to use it wisely whether to work, relax or regenerate with family.

9. Have a personal mission statement.  Hopkins has his personal mission statement at his desk: “I must do the most productive thing possible at every given moment” Mine of course is at the bottom of each article.   Successful people identify what they are about and make their choices accordingly.

8.  Spend 5 minutes a day prioritizing.  Without prioritization, it’s difficult to be efficient and productive. Hopkins suggests taking 5 minutes at the end of every day to sit down, assess and choose the 5 or 6 priorities for tomorrow so you can begin with clarity.  Success people  don’t squander effort and energy on unimportant issues. Remember #10?

7.   Surround yourself with likeminded people.   Wealth, status and accomplishment have their own rewards, but the more success you attain, the lonelier you can become, since others may no longer feel comfortable or relate to your lifestyle. Successful people are careful about who shares their time.  They look for people with a similar outlook, who can help them grow emotionally and spiritually. 

6.  Be a follow up specialist.  Many people talk a good game and then never deliver. Sometimes the cause  is hypocrisy  and sometimes it’s simply being sloppy and careless. Successful people do what they say they’ll do, and they pay close attention to detail so small issues don’t get neglected and become major catastrophes.

5.Take the best of the past to create the future. The world is full of shiny new toys and methods. It’s easy for humanity to get lost in the glitz and glamour of modern technology.  Successful people embrace modern tools for communication efficiency and continue to use traditional and rare methods like handwritten thank-you notes to enhance connections. (Ask me about Send out Cards)

4. Don’t follow the crowd.  If you are always heading the same direction as everyone else, you may move forward, but you’ll have little  control of your destiny . Successful people often figure out what everyone else does only to do the opposite, which many times puts them ahead of the pack.

3.  Keep a thick skin about rejection.  For many each “NO” is like taking a punch in the gut or a slap in the face. The way to get up and keep going is to remember that  it’s just business . Successful people know that the key to getting life’s few brilliant “yeses” is to positively cope with the many “no’s” you get on the way to receiving them.  No’s leads to the YES

2. Make others feel important. The greatest craving of most people today  is recognition. Unfortunately, so many people are so tightly focused on their own status and problems they are ignorant to the needs of others.  Successful people recognize, support and encourage others on their journey, which brings synergy, energy and satisfaction to all involved.

And the number 1 Tom Hopkin’s sales tip is….

1. Strive for more. Tom Hopkin’s overall philosophy for success can be best summed up by his commitment on how to live life:

“I commit to learn more,

thus I’ll serve more,

thus I’ll build more,

thus I’ll earn more,

thus I’ll save more,

thus I’ll be able to bless others by giving more.”

I believe its time to reread that book again.  Thank you for blessing us with your wisdom Tom.

Have a great weekend,

David

I often hear the following from new sales people:  “This job is too hard.  I went in to my first 10 doors and everybody told me to get out!”  This leads me to ask them the inevitable question:  “what did you say when you walked in the door?” 

9 times out of 10 the new sales person was guilty of what we like to call the show up and throw up.  Gross name I know  – but it perfectly describes their sales technique.  They walked in to the business and practically assaulted the poor business owner with every bit of information they had about our product.  It sounds a little something like this ” Hi – I’m ____ and I can save you money on your merchant services because I work for a great company and we have lower rates and yada yada yada…..”  Unless the business owner that very day was asking themselves how to find a new merchant provider then the sales rep is NEVER going to sign up a new client with this approach. 

So what is the right way to do things?

CREATE A PROBLEM AND THEN OFFER A SOLUTION.  You need to remember that you are not a sales person .  You are a consultant and your job is to solve a problem that the business has. 

Before you get to problem solving  though you need to introduce yourself – have a conversation with the business owner –  BUT – during this time you need to be on the lookout to see if you can figure out what their problem is.  You need to discover the problem yourself – bring it up to them – and then offer your services as a solution.  Here are some common examples:

1. You see an old outdated terminal.  Bring this to the owners attention.  Make them understand that they NEED to accept EMV cards to be compliant with Visa and MasterCard regulations.  Explain that you can get them set up with new equipment AND save them money in the process. 
2. You see a $10 minimum for CC transactions sign.  Ask them why they do this ? is it because they pay too much in transaction fees?
3. You see a “No American Express” sign.  Let the owner  know that we can get them set up to accept Amex at rates similar to Visa and MasterCard.  The days of paying more for American Express are gone.
4. The business does not have a pin pad.  Teach them the benefits of a pin pad and how much it can knock off of their monthly bill.

These are just a few examples of looking for the problem that the business owner may have.  Once you discover their problem  you really need to go after that issue and talk about it as much as possible.  You are bringing that problem to the front of their minds so you can help them fix it.  This is what a consultant does.  They fix problems. 

This should be the approach that EVERY sales person takes when they hit the field.  Try it and you will see much better results than what the old show up and throw up brings…always remember – nobody likes throwing up – especially when a sales person does it. 

Happy Selling,

David

Yesterday we looked at 3 ways to increase your merchant service sales. Today I want to share a few more tips that will help us all close more deals and make more money.

1. Understand your customer’s pain points.

Before you can sell anything, you need to understand what your customer is struggling with. What are their pain points? What are the problems they’re trying to solve? Once you know this, you can tailor your pitch to address those specific issues.

For example, if you’re talking to a business owner who’s frustrated with their current payment processor because of high fees or slow processing times, you can emphasize how your credit card processing offers lower fees and faster processing.

2. Focus on the benefits, NOT the features.

When you’re selling merchant services (or anything else, for that matter), it’s easy to get caught up in the details of what your product or service does. But your customer doesn’t really care about the features of your merchant services. They care about what those features can do for them.

So, instead of talking about how your payment processing software works, talk about how it can save your customer time and money, reduce their risk of fraud, and improve their customer experience.

3. Use social proof.

Social proof is a powerful tool in sales. When your customer sees that other businesses like theirs are using your merchant services and are happy with the results, they’ll be more likely to trust you and make the purchase. Once you start building your book of business you can ask for testimonials from happy customers that demonstrate the benefits of working with you.

4. Be confident and assertive.

When you’re selling, it’s important to be confident and assertive. You need to believe in your product and be able to communicate its value with conviction. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, and be prepared to handle objections.

Remember, the worst thing that can happen is that your customer says “no.” But even if they do, that doesn’t mean the conversation is over. You can still ask for feedback on why they’re not interested and use that information to improve your pitch for the next door you walk through.

5. Build relationships.

Finally, remember that selling is about building relationships. If you want to sell merchant services (or anything else), you need to build trust with your customer. Listen to their needs, be responsive to their questions and concerns, and follow up with them after the sale to make sure they’re happy with your service.

If you can build strong relationships with your customers, they’ll be more likely to refer you to their friends and colleagues, which can lead to even more sales down the line.

Remember, selling is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. If you focus on understanding your customer’s pain points, emphasizing the benefits of your credit card processing, using social proof, being confident and assertive, and building relationships, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a top-performing salesperson in no time.

Happy Selling,

David