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How do you measure User ber said, "Net Annual Residual Growth is a measure

I use as a guideline. But there are too many factors to make
your success? it as cut and dry as, 'I only added $3,500 to my monthly
residuals this year, where my goal was $6,000.' There is
also the consideration that during that same time period
I had more quality time with my family, sold more POS,
grew my sales office, added staff, developed new referral
relationships for myself and my sales partners, earned
goodwill from the referrals I provided out to my referral
partners, and actually went fishing more than once."

Work-life balance was a major theme conveyed in user
responses. The Green Sheet community of readers seems
to appreciate that higher revenues are a side effect of
pursuing success. Building the admiration and respect of
your peers or your family helps to drive the motivation for
larger ambitions.
By Tom Waters and Ben Abel Our 2013 Street Smarts SM columnist, user DSLaszig, also
Bank Associates Merchant Services pointed toward the idea of moving away from a solely
financial measurement and finding the intrinsic value of
Editor's note: The following is excerpted from Tom Waters and Ben the experience itself. "I measure success differently today
Abel's Street SmartsSM column published in The Green Sheet Aug. than I did maybe 10 years ago," she wrote. "Back then, it
25, 2014, issue 14:08:02. It is an evergreen topic for the hardworking was more about the money.
merchant level salespeople (MLSs) in payments. To read the full arti-
cle, please visit http://www.greensheet.com/emagazine.php?story_ "Today it's more about level of engagement and
id=153&search_string=. relationships. Last night I attended an after-hours meeting
hen we first got into sales, we were very in NYC with a few payments friends. It was an informal
young and eager to earn big money. We event with a speaker, breakout sessions and networking.
would compare our bonuses, always tak- As I looked around the room at everyone having a good
W ing notice of how well top sales agents time, exchanging business cards, taking pictures, I felt
performed and we wanted what they had. Fancy cars, big comfortable, happy and engaged. For me, that's the real
houses and lavish vacations are what comprised our pin- deal."
nacle of success. We wanted to be the best and reap the
financial rewards that came along with it. We would sit To improve oneself is to improve one's capacity for success.
and joke about how rich we would one day be. Seeking success through means of personal education,
community contribution and family values will increase
"I'm going to be so successful my butler is going to have personal satisfaction. Personal satisfaction increases
his own butler." confidence in one's capabilities. Driving those matters is
to reach a crescendo of gratification, leaving your work to
"Well, the pool in my house is going to be so big it's going be an item of joy and finding better appreciation for your
to need both lifeguards and coast guards." work.

I think it's safe to say most people in sales start at a place When BAMS was just an idea, our company president
like this, looking to earn and earn well, otherwise they Dimitri Akhrin would often say to us, "There is no doubt
likely would have aimed at a different career. But as we I will be successful. My goal is to make sure that everyone
grow within our positions and our companies, our values around me is successful too."
change. We must adapt to other measures of success. We
realize it's not all about the money; there's more to it. As those young guns with a lead list and a cell phone, we
never took too much stock of those words. It sounded like
Striving for more than dollars a canned line one uses to artificially motivate folks during
a cheesy pyramid scheme. Over time, we understood that
We turned to GS Online's MLS Forum to find out how our the culture of collaboration and support of our company
MLS peers measure success in this industry. If it's not just has grown from that very sentiment.
about the money, what else are we cultivating to grow our
careers?

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