Category: Holiday Post

Sales Tips from the Holidays, From New Years to Christmas, there’s a post for just about each holiday.

Selling Retail Merchants During the Holidays

During this season of the year merchant services sales professionals have plenty of prospects, but merchants don’t want to buy at the holidays!  

There are two core objections which all merchants share between black Friday and Christmas.

  • Too Busy!  “I can’t possibly do that right now.  I’m too busy trying to make sure everything works with what we’re doing.”
  • Worry About Risk!  “I don’t want to switch right now.  What if you mess up my terminal, something goes wrong?”

Here are two tips for overcoming the “too busy” objection:

#1.  Your value proposition.  Whatever your value proposition might be, over the holidays  it’s going to be massively better.  During the month of December merchants are going to process a lot more transactions than any other time of the year.  

So, if you are offering savings, the savings are going to be tripled or quadrupled.  Offer them value.  That’s really, really important.

#2.  Your service.  Make sure you explain up front that the process you’re talking about will only require about ten minutes of the merchants’ time just to complete the paperwork.  Then assure them you’ll take care of everything else.  Even offer to train their employees if there’s a new terminal or something like that.

The risk objective can’t be “overcome.”  There is no amount of savings which will compensate for the risk of not having a terminal working during December.  Even if you could eliminate all fees completely with cash discounting, that wouldn’t matter.  Merchants are not going to be interested in doing that.  

However, offering this one assurance will give you the edge (don’t use this only at holiday time.)  Tell merchants,

“Look, here is what I’m going to do for you.  Your concern right now is that you don’t want me to bring a new terminal in and, God forbid, something happens to the terminal.  Then on December 20th or 21st you can’t accept credit cards.  

Obviously, if that was even a slight concern, I wouldn’t recommend doing this until after the first of the year.  But I’m actually going to turn this around for you and make it much MORE secure, much less risky.  We are not going to cancel your existing merchant account. If I bring my new terminal, you’ll save a lot of money.  During the holidays your savings will be two or three times more than normal.  Your current, working terminal will simply be set aside.  It will stay plugged in and ready to use if needed.  

There is 99% chance that the new terminal will work great; you’re going to love it; and you’ll save lots of money.  After the first of the year, we’ll cancel your existing account.  In the meantime, if there is any problem with the new terminal, just put the old one back in place and use it!  

Of course, I’ll be here within an hour or so to correct any problem that arises.  Basically, I’m going to provide you with less risk instead of more; you’ll have two working terminals.  

So, let me ask you a question, Mr. Jones.  Keeping in mind all the savings I’m going to provide and the fact that it’s only going to take about ten minutes of your time, don’t  you think this deal is worthwhile?  To have an extra terminal here during the busy holiday season is a great idea.  Then if something does happen to one of your terminals, you’ve got a second one ready to use.  That makes sense to you, doesn’t it?”

That’s how you sell retail merchants during the holiday season!  Go over the “busy” objection with your value and service.  Then go over the “risk” objection by flipping it and actually showing merchants you are giving them an extra terminal.

Hopefully, that will be of help to you as you get out there and try to sell merchants during the holiday season.


Happy Selling,

David

5 Ways to Close Deals Despite the Holiday Season 

The holiday season is upon us — decorations, gifts, and time away from the office. For sales reps, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, because getting in touch with people and having them make commitments becomes significantly more difficult as people take days off and focus on things other than responding to emails and contract signature requests.

But the holiday season need not be a time of struggle. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities to make it a great time for selling if you not only change your mindset but switch up your approach to take full advantage of changes that take place around the last 6 weeks of the year.

I want to help you do just that, so I’ve put together a list of five things sales reps can do to close deals despite the holiday season. And even if you only do one or two of the following, you’re likely to see some impact.

Oh, and before I forget: Happy Holidays!!!

1. Set expectations early and clearly

The holiday season isn’t the time to waffle, especially since there are only a limited number of weeks left in the year.

This is why it’s more important than ever to set the right expectations early, and to schedule follow-up meetings while you’re on a call, not via email after. Clearly state what your goals are, the order in which you expect to proceed, and the milestones you would like to hit (with your prospect’s help).

If you plan and set the right expectations upfront, you’re less likely to have to chase prospects down later.

2. Take advantage of others’ downtime

Many of your fellow sales reps will wind down their activities during the holiday season, whether it’s because they don’t think they’ll be effective, or because they’re tired from the rest of the year’s efforts.

This creates a great opportunity for you to stand out, and to prospect while everybody else is resting on their laurels. And from the prospect’s side of things, they might be out of the office, but almost everybody will still be checking their phones and emails, which is makes it a great time for you to get in touch.

3. Join in the gift-giving

As a child, you probably loved receiving gifts, right? Well, lots of people still love it, which is why you should take advantage of the holiday season and send your prospects (and existing customers?) some gifts, showing them that not only are you thinking of them, but that you’re willing to take the time and care to send them something nice.

There are companies that make gift-giving completely seamless, such as Postal and Sendoso (among others), so if you have the budget to spend a few bucks, it’ll be more than worth it, as you’ll be setting yourself apart from your competition while putting a smile on your prospect’s faces.

4. Send some holiday well-wishes

Of course, you’ll probably reference the holidays in your emails (and sign-offs) to prospects.

But the holiday season provides another great opportunity: reaching out to your existing customers and to past prospects who you might not have closed, to let them know you’re thinking about them, and that you’re still here in case they want anything.

Of course, this is a bit opportunistic (it’s sales after all), but it’s also the perfect excuse to reach out, and if nothing else, when the time comes for them to buy, they’ll remember that nice person who was kind enough to send them some holiday wishes.

5. Have (and use others’) festive mindsets

The holidays can bring out the cheer in even the most Grinch-y among us, which presents a great opportunity for enterprising sales reps.

Are you going to assume that nobody is buying, and therefore go into the last month of the year with a pessimistic attitude? Or will you flip that on its head, and change your outlook to one of positivity and cheer?

If you do the latter, then you might not only cheer up the people you’re talking to, but you might also convince them that you’re the right person to buy from and that there’s no need to wait.

But it’s up to you: you can either be a Grinch who misses their year end quota or a cheerful sales rep who exceeds it.

Happy Selling,

David

Top 10 Facts You Might Not Know about Easter

Easter — along with all of its decorative eggs, delicious ham dinner and cheerful baskets — is hopping down the bunny trail quicker than the legendary speedy hare. This year, the Christian holiday will fall this Sunday April 9th so get that shopping done if you haven’t already. While the central story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is likely familiar to those who celebrate, there’s a lot of us who might not know about the unique traditions and meaningful symbolism that surrounds this special Sunday. Like Christmas and, to some extent, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day, a day that started off as a solely religious observation has taken on tons of secular meaning, so plenty of people who aren’t regular churchgoers enjoy other aspects of the festivities as well. Between the adorable bunny rabbits, spring-forward decorations and large amounts of chocolate, the celebration has evolved over the years with a whole host of customs both new and old. 

So as we always do in David Letterman fashion, from the home office in Eggville, Mississippi, Here are Top 10 Facts You Might Not Know about Easter

Continue reading “Top 10 Facts You Might Not Know about Easter”

Stay Motivated Through the Holidays 

Good morning everyone, 

From Thanksgiving till New years the holidays is a season of giving and I’m going to encourage you to get into and stay in the spirit. I have found that those that are givers seem to experience the most amount of joy in life. Now, I’m not just talking about giving money or donations. It could be just as simple as giving someone your time or helping someone that’s in need. 

Let me encourage you that if you have not considered yourself to be a giver, change that. No matter what you’re going through in life, you are truly blessed. Because you are blessed, be a blessing to others. If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours. Make someone’s day brighter because they met you. 

The second thing I’d like to encourage you to do is to stay motivated. This time of year, when there’s presents to buy, people to see and places to go, it’s easy to get distracted and get off your success routine. Definitely enjoy your time with family and friends, but also make sure you stay on track throughout the holidays.

As you think about the upcoming year, set some small goals so you can maintain your momentum. Take a look back at this last year and give yourself a pat on your back for the things that you have accomplished. Along with that, write out some areas that you would like to improve on. Remember that no matter what level we achieve, we always have room for improvement.


Accountability is a very important factor when it comes to having success. Write out weekly goals, monthly goals, and yearly goals. Make sure you keep revisiting these as a reminder of why you are doing what you are doing.


Take a look at your inner circle and understand you may need to change some of them. Is your inner circle also known as a complaint department? If it is, it’s time to get some real mentors in your life. I’m talking about someone that will help and encourage you to reach your full potential. Remember, you are who you hang with. Be part of a winners circle. Encourage each other and celebrate one another’s success.


As you start writing out your goals for the new year coming up, it’s important to start getting into your success routine. We all know people that are going to do something amazing next week, next month, next year, etc. etc. Procrastination is a killer of success. Make the decision to get into a success routine today. Start small and start right where you are at. As you begin to do this, carry that momentum into the new year. 


Finally, visualize yourself achieving your goals. Celebrate all the small victories along the way. In order for your dreams to come true, you must visualize yourself achieving them. Look forward to the celebrations that will be coming. You will have challenges along the way, but with your commitment, your dreams will come true.

So as we get closer to the new year, be a blessing to others, and stay motivated and carry that momentum right into the new year. Your future looks amazing!


Happy Selling,

David

5 Lessons from Christmas Movies

We spend a lot of time here as sales people on prospecting, making sales, always hustling to close more deals. But there is a reason we do all of things. The holiday season is a time to reflect on those reasons. and share with friends and family.
You don’t usually associate Christmas movies with lessons for salespeople, and that got me thinking.  Christmas movies are full of warmth. Sales is demanding and relentless. Could we get this warmth to rub off on us as salespeople, so we can find more joy in our job?
So I picked five Christmas movies and got to work. Eventually I didn’t have to work too hard because, well, Christmas movies have something for everyone. They’re Christmas movies , after all.So, here we go.


1. Home Alone (1990) – Don’t forget the basics

Let’s start with a Christmas favorite. An eight-year-old boy is left behind at home by his family when they set off on their Christmas vacation. Two robbers decide to target the house, and a series of hilarious antics follow. In the unlikely event that you haven’t watched this one, now’s a good time to start.  I mean, like right now. I’ll wait. It’s worth it.  Back? Awesome! But what does  Home Alone  have for sales folks? One simple lesson.  R emember the basics .
A family leaving their son behind sounds incredulous, but  it’s happened . The lights, the gas, the windows-they’re always on our mind, but the children? They’re just supposed  to be there, right? Not always, as it turns out. And that’s the kind of oversight sales folks can make too. We’re so obsessed with nudging leads down the sales funnel that sometimes, we forget the basics. Has that new lead received a welcome email? Has enough research been done before that call for tomorrow? What about updating a lead’s status in the sales CRM?Sticking to the basics makes a solid impression on prospects who are checking out your business. And a solid impression can be the difference when the prospect evaluates you against your competition.


2. Die Hard (1988) – Plan and execute.

Critics are debating if Die Hard  is a  Christmas movie , but I prefer to keep it simple. Think of Bruce Willis arriving on Christmas Eve to reconcile with his wife over her company’s Christmas party. The party is taken over by terrorists who actually want to loot the company. Bruce proceeds to knock the daylights out of the bad guys, saves his wife and ensures everybody goes home happy and safe. Sounds like a proper Christmas tale to me.With heavy-duty action, of course.
When you’ve just closed a deal, it’s tempting to yell, “Yippee-ki-yay!” (followed by the un-Christmas-like word). But that’s not where we’re going.  Die Hard  is about how you battle it out when the numbers are stacked against you. One cop versus twelve bad guys is no joke. One salesperson juggling seven deals is no joke either. So what do you do?  Plan and execute.Your deal pipeline will always have a bunch of deals vying for your attention. If you’re going for all the golden eggs at the same time, you’re killing your chances. Treat each deal on merit, look at which stage a deal is in, and make your move. Follow the plan.


3. A Christmas Carol (2009) Reflect on yourself.

As most know a Christmas Carol is a novel written by Charles Dickens. Numerou s adaptations have been made for the stage and for the silver screen. I t  tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old frugal perhaps greedy man, and  how he is reformed by three spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. It’s a t ale about introspection, the futility of hoarding, and the importance of compassion.Sounds too altruistic for sales? Perhaps. But A Christmas Carol has a takeaway that’s especially relevant for salespeople.Reflect on yourself.  You know sales is not a “today” job; a win today is the result of a cumulative effort spanning several months. Therefore, make it a point to regularly take stock of yourself. Analyze recent conversations with leads. Reflect on last year and gear up for 2018. Ask yourself,Which pitch worked?Which email worked? At what time did a call elicit the best response? Why was this month better than the last? In today’s times there’s no shortage of data. Use it to become the best salesperson you can be.


4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – Stay honest.

Another classic movie-about a man who positively believes he’s Santa Claus-is rich in idealism and epitomizes the Christmas spirit of goodwill. It even has a scene where the protagonist sends Macy’s customers to a competitor for toys Macy’s doesn’t have! The whole honesty thing might seem like a bit of a stretch in the real world, but this is  one quality that never lets you down . Even when you’re in a cut-throat job like sales.Stay honest.  There are times when you know a prospect just isn’t meant to be. They could be asking for something you don’t offer right now. Call the prospect to describe the situation and shake hands over it. Or drop them a well-worded email. Either way,don’t offer something  you can’t deliver on.


5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Don’t quit

It’s a Wonderful Life  is to Christmas what cheese is to pizza. When you’re Googling for “best Christmas movies”, you’ll find this movie at one spot:  #1 . And for good reason, too. It’s a Wonderful Life  takes viewers into the life of a banker contemplating suicide, and shows how divine intervention helps him realize the value of life. For the Christmas season, that’s exactly the kind of feel-good fervor we all need. Two words sum up the movie’s essence.Don’t quit,   A lost deal, lost merchant or a bad week out in the field doesn’t mean there’s no chance of a comeback. Yes, losing a deal sucks. Yes, they can be demoralizing. But step back for a moment and think about everything you’re capable of doing. Think about the difference you can make to the bottom line this month, this quarter, this year. And then step ahead. In this industry you can always go out a get more deals. Don’t ever quit! 
That’s my top five Christmas movies,. Remember the basics, plan and execute, reflect on yourself, stay honest, and don’t quit.
 From my family to yours, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for all you do, David Matney

“Work Hard and Stay Hungry.  Lazy People Get Nowhere in Life”


“You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset”- Tom Hopkins

Selling Tips From Hallmark Christmas Movies

Do you have a “guilty pleasure” for the Holiday season? You know, the one thing that you like to do during this time of year that you don’t always admit to the people around you? For my wife (and me) the guilty pleasure is watching Hallmark Christmas movies. Lots and lots of  Hallmark Christmas movies.
  In addition to the classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story, some of our favorites are the ones shown on the Hallmark Channel. Some of you are reading this and you’re totally with me, while some of you are thinking, “Hallmark? Really? Who watches those movies anyways?”
Well after some bickering with the wife over this I did some research. The truth is it turns out that  millions of people  watch “Countdown to Christmas” on the Hallmark Channel each year! 
According to Crown Media (the parent company of Hallmark) 75 million people watched their Holiday movies in 2016. The demand for the movies has been so great that while Hallmark Channel debuted only six original Christmas movies back in 2010, in 2016 that number jumped to 22!Yes, they all have some what same formula, a bit mushy for my taste, corny and very, very predictable; but that’s what makes them so appealing to the millions of people who watch them.
I know that some of you are wondering, “What does this have to do with selling merchant services? How does this help me?” My wife ask me these same questions. Let me show you.
The creators, writers of these movies give us a glimpse into what motivates people. After all, if these movies weren’t touching people in some type of meaningful way, they wouldn’t keep making more of these cheesy movies!
Here are some lessons that you can use that will help you with your prospects …

Lesson #1: There’s no place like home!

There is something immensely powerful about “home” isn’t there? Home is where you are supposed to be loved, accepted and known! Home is where you feel comfortable. Home is where things just feel right. This is why so many Hallmark movies have the main character go home again, after being away for some time. The hero discovers (or re-discovers) the power of home and family.Every time you meet with a prospect do your best to help them feel like they’re already part of your family and that they’re home.

Lesson #2: Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name…. Yes like Cheers

When the main character in a Hallmark movie comes home, He or she is usually greeted by the people of their small town that are so happy to see them again. They stops into “Millie’s Diner” and Millie says, “Hi there you! Here’s your coffee, just how you like it!”  The owner of the corner store gives them cookies to take home to the dad. They start to realize that people actually notice them. Not because of what they do, but because of who they are. They like that people know their name wherever they go.
We are all driven by the need for connection! We all want to feel loved, cared for, noticed and understood. We want to feel important and that we matter. So, show your prospects that they truly matter! Act like you’re happy they call (even if it’s 5:58pm and you just want to relax!) If they tell you they’re not ready to switch processors for six months be excited to help them anyway and follow up monthly!  Do what you can to make them feel valued, cared for and understood! (And yes, use your prospect’s name during the presentation-but you already knew that…right?)

Lesson #3: Don’t give up!

During a two hour Hallmark movie, there is usually some type of big conflict around the hour and a half mark. This often involves the main character breaking up with the romantic interest, or leaving the small town and going back to the big city. After the moment of conflict the main character has to decide what he/she is going to do. What makes these movies satisfying is that the lead character always chooses to push through difficult circumstances, or are persistent in following his/her dream, and/or they choose to take the risk we all want them to take.
The takeaway for you is that you need to have the same persistence with your prospects! Surveys have shown that 60% of prospects don’t switch on the first try, sometimes it’s the fourth or fifth visit. So if they don’t sign with you right away, don’t give up and follow-up!


Lesson #4: Let them be a part of a “feel good” story

People love Holiday movies because they make them feel good! I mean, even Lifetime airs movies with happy endings during this time of year. (If you watch Lifetime you know what I’m talking about and I’m in no way admitting that I have ever watched Lifetime) Therefore, make a decision to be the best part of your prospect’s day. Perhaps it’s by being engaging and entertaining. Maybe it’s just by being kind and considerate. Maybe it’s by asking the kinds of probing questions that no one else does. Remember, if you want to win the hearts and business of your prospects, it all starts with YOU! To modify the famous Hallmark tagline, “If you care enough to give people your very best, they will give you the same in return.”
Now If you’ll excuse me… , I’m going to finish watching The Nine Lives of Christmas with that dude who played Superman…
What sales tips do you have from holiday movies? 

Happy Selling,

David

“Work Hard and Stay Hungry.  Lazy People Get Nowhere in Life”


“You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset”- Tom Hopkins

The Movie Taken – Tips to Grow Your Skills in Merchant Services

taken quoteHappy Memorial Day everyone. While your out boating, beaching and BBQing, I’m relaxing and watching movies.  I’m a huge fan of the movie Taken.
Continue reading “The Movie Taken – Tips to Grow Your Skills in Merchant Services”