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MeetTheExpert
Matt Bruno What keeps you engaged at Payment Logistics?
M att Bruno is the Vice President of Sales for Being involved in a company that's on the cutting edge
San Diego-based Payment Logistics Ltd., a of the industry and helping to reshape the status quo
technology-focused ISO he joined after put- is probably the best form of engagement I can have.
ting his accounting degree to use at Morgan A big part of my job focuses on the latest in payments
Stanley. He specializes in fostering new partnerships and technology. Payment Logistics has consistently been at
expanding existing relationships with merchant level the forefront with great in-house products. In addition,
salespeople (MLSs), VAR partners and POS developers. the Niglio brothers have been great to work with and
In this interview, he highlights several factors that con- continue to provide the environment I need to succeed.
tribute to success in sales, for example, focusing on how
you can be most helpful, asking the right questions and I found the key to my success has always been the
sharing your personal side. phrase "How can I help?" and keeping an eye out for
What spurred you to leave investment things that can be improved. Within Payment Logistics,
management and join Payment Logistics? I started contributing immediately by solving relatively
Morgan Stanley was a great company to work for and small issues with basic processes. Over time, those small
taught me a lot about business in a short time. When I changes created bigger changes that helped the company
moved to California in 2008 for personal reasons, I wanted grow, which in turn helped me grow.
to work for a smaller family owned company – in part to
balance out my experiences with Morgan and in part to What advice can you give readers who
make a bigger impact on an organization. want to bolster their telesales efforts?
I met Dustin Niglio at Payment Logistics and interviewed
for an accounting position. I was offered the position, but All sales boil down to a numbers game. The more people
I asked if there was anything available in sales. There was, you connect to, the more potential clients you'll have.
and I started my career in sales. I didn't know anything There's really no huge secret to phone/email sales; it's a
about the payments industry until I started – but I learned combination of volume of contacts, consistent follow up,
quickly and helped grow the sales channel. Over time, my good conversational skills, the ability to pick up on small
efforts were recognized and I was promoted. talking points (that is, listening for the prospect's dialect,
I'm glad to have found a home involving payments keeping track of family members they mention, etc.), and
technology – one of the hottest markets around right now. a product/service you feel passionate about. With enough
calls and enough follow up, you'll get the opportunity to at
28 least have a real conversation with most business owners.
With enough real conversations, you'll gain the trust of
some business owners who will give you a shot at earning
their business. With enough solid shots, some clients will
buy what you are selling. So long as your product fits
what you sold, you'll have a happy client.
Also, research companies beforehand so you know what
you are talking about. Every person you talk with could
be important to your success, so get their names and be
friendly – even if they aren't. Ask questions – a lot of
questions. Always set a follow-up call before ending the
call you're on. Make sure you follow up.
How did you become adept at building
referral partnerships over the phone?
I simply do my job and try to help as often as I can.
Building a referral partnership isn't just about what you
say; it's about what you do and how you do it. Doing your
research prior to calls, understanding the existing issues
and the partners expected results, correctly explaining
the benefits of your program(s) while owning up to your
shortcomings, and holding yourself and your partners
accountable are just some of the things I think are
important to build real partnerships.
A real partnership is not always perfect. There will be bad
times in most cases. I've found that when you have gone
