Will the REAL Salesman Please Stand Up!

Most industries have issues with sales reps who are not real students of their profession (at best) or they are lacking in integrity (at worst).  They forget their real job: taking care of their customer and advising them to move in a direction that is best for the customer.  The credit card processing industry is NOTORIOUS for endless cold calls, door-to-door salespeople, and a less than positive experience for business owners.  At TMC, we are PASSIONATE about providing an integrity-based, educational experience for our merchants.  Much like the old game show TO TELL THE TRUTH- we would like to see if you can identify the REAL SALES PERSON.

• SITUATION #1- The sales rep has spent several weeks talking to the business owner and soon- the purchasing decision was made!  The POS system purchased by the business owner will do so many great things for the business and he feels great about the purchase.  A week later, he calls his credit card processor to let them know that their new POS system will be handling their credit card processing needs and they need the programming information.  When the processor calls the business owner back, he has bad news:  the POS machine is not compliant and cannot process the credit cards.
• SITUATION #2- The new business owner sees a great ad on her new Facebook page that will help her accept credit cards.  She calls the company and says that she saw the advertisement for the free device that will let her use her cell phone to accept cards from her customers.  The sales rep takes down the information and sends the requested device.  A few months later, the new business owner opens her credit card processing statement and is stunned by the amount she has been charged.
• SITUATION #3- The business owner called his existing credit card processor and said that he needed a terminal that can handle those 'new card types'.  The business owner shares that he has had several calls from competitors stating that the business owner is REQUIRED to use the new terminal and needs to get it right away.  The sales rep explained the new card types as well as the regulations and fraud liability changes happening in late 2015.  She advises her client to hold off and squeeze as much life out of his existing terminal as possible; promising a follow-up to remind him of the time to change before she concludes the call.

• SALES PERSON #1-  This salesperson took the time to communicate with his client and he probably spent time explaining the uses of the POS system they ended up purchasing.  But when the time came to add the functionality to accept credit cards- it became clear that the Sales Person- DID NOT complete his task properly.  BEFORE making the sale, the sales rep should have made sure that the POS system could be used for what the business owner needed.  The business owner in this REAL LIVE scenario is now in a holding pattern- unable to move forward with their expansion plans at their checkout counters because they have now invested in noncompliant equipment.

  Sales Person #1 is NOT a properly trained or caring salesperson.  With a little training and a dose of 'What would I need if I were this business owner?'- this salesperson can begin helping his/her clients more efficiently.

• SALES PERSON #2- This salesperson accepted a call and simply filled an order; failing to recognize that the new business owner knew nothing about credit card processing.  They did not use any industry expertise to guide the new business owner and they simply mailed a product to be used without regard to the long-term ramifications.  The business owner in this REAL LIVE scenario ended up spending way too much money for her processing because her retail, face-to-face business did a great deal of volume right out of the gate and the delivered product was not the right fit.

  Sales Person #2 is NOT a properly trained salesman.  He or she would make a great order taker but until they decide to educate their clients and make proper recommendations, this salesperson will continue to place his/her clients in harm's way.

• SALES PERSON #3- This salesperson could have sold a terminal to her customer and used the industry scare tactics employed by her competitors to line her pockets.  But the sales rep knows the regulations, shares the relevant information with her client, and makes the decision to help the business owner get as much as he can out of his current investment.  The business owner in this REAL LIVE scenario was feeling pressured; his sales rep eased his concern by educating him and setting a plan of action that helped the business owner and took his future needs into consideration as well.

  Sales Person #3 is THE REAL SALES PERSON!  She took the business owner's needs into consideration and advised her client to wait on a purchase based on her industry expertise and determination to help her client.  

 So how do we decide who is 'telling the truth' and who the real (EXCELLENT) sales reps are? 

• Require Full Disclosure
• Require Knowledgable Representatives 
• Require Industry Education  
• Require People Who TRULY Care 
• Refuse to Work With Shady Sales Representatives 

When you work with the REAL SALES PEOPLE and not the imposters who cause harm and hurt business owners, you protect your business and all of the businesses around you.  Let's rally together and put all of the imposters on notice!