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Education

Know your role, not Some describe purchasing a car or major appliance;

occasionally the purchase is a house. Many talk about
every last detail doing research, visiting multiple stores and ultimately
purchasing the item that fit them best. The average time
spent on this is less than a month.

Recently, a sales representative whose production was
slightly below average said his most recent large purchase
was an engagement ring. He visited every major jewelry
stores in his vicinity and entered each option on a
spreadsheet. He included karat size, style, cost, color and
overall durability. He rated each ring using his own system
and narrowed the list to three options. Then he asked for
his fiancée's input, and she made the final call. The process
took nine months.

My friend asked the rep, "When you talk to customers and
they want to think about it, I bet you usually say that's fine."
The rep agreed. My friend then said, "What's holding back
your production is how you buy. Just because you do a lot
By Jeff Fortney of research doesn't mean that everyone else does so. You
Clearent LLC can't wait nine months for someone to buy. You have to
become a salesperson, not a purchaser."
t least once per week, a merchant level salesper-
son (MLS) will ask me, "But what if they ask …" Realizing he wasn't cut out for sales, the rep ultimately
Endings vary, but the question structure does returned to school and became an accountant. He couldn't
A not. There's nothing wrong with seeking knowl- separate his role as a buyer from his role as a salesperson.
edge. "Knowledge is power" remains a true statement. To be successful in sales you must remember that your
role is to sell the product. If you let your purchasing habits
This question, however, isn't about gaining knowledge; it's dictate how you sell, your sales will suffer.
about fear. Specifically, fear of:
• Not having answers to every question, no matter Don't be a know it all
how unlikely the scenario Practice handling objections often, but don't let fear of
• Not being perceived as the subject matter expert objections hamper your sales. Even if you grasp every
• Facing a question that could kill the sale nuance of today's payments industry, you cannot be
prepared for every potential objection. Payment processing
In response to this type of question, I ask whether the is ever evolving. It's impossible to know the answer to every
merchant has actually posed the question. The answer is question; more importantly, no one expects you to know all
the answers. Sometimes the best answer is, "I don't know,
almost always no; the MLS just wants to be prepared. I then
ask whether the merchant would even know to ask the but I will find out."
question.
A working knowledge of the industry is essential, so read
The challenge in these situations is that the MLSs are and stay informed. But keep in mind that attempting to
thinking about questions they would ask, not questions preempt all potential questions can paralyze sales efforts;
if you strive to know everything before you start selling,
merchants would ask. Thus, they are sabotaging sales
before they even start. You can avoid sabotaging yourself you will never sell; and even though knowledge is power,
the time you spend seeking knowledge is the time others
by remembering some simple steps.
will use to sell.
Remember your role
Remember your role and use your time wisely. Don't let the
A friend of mine is a sales consultant who helps companies fear of a question paralyze you. And don't inject how you
determine why they aren't reaching the level of success buy into the sales process. These steps will increase your
they desire. Instead of examining the sales staff's actions success rate. Isn't that what we all want?
on the job, he first examines each salesperson's purchasing
philosophy. He asks:
Jeff Fortney is Vice President, ISO Channel Management with Clearent LLC.
• What was the last major purchase you made? He has more than 17 years' experience in the payments industry. Contact
• How long did it take to buy? him at jeff@clearent.com or 972-618-7340. To learn about how Clearent
can help you grow faster and go further, visit www.clearent.com.
• How did you decide on your final purchase?
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