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Education

ately go through the list and drive for If you are new to sales, relax and treat this as a learning experience. If you are
sales. With credit card processing, experienced in sales, take extra care to develop the best questions you can. See
you may be tempted to do just that. the sidebar for tips on how to do that. And in the second article of this two-part
Don't. Maintain your friendships series, we'll delve into how to take charge of your conversation with Uncle Bob
and family relationships by avoiding for maximum learning and potential gain.
hard sales mode.

Instead, create "practice" appoint- Bill Pirtle is the author of the training book Credit Card Processing for Sales Agents. He is the
ments. Say your Uncle Bob owns an District Manager for Clearent in the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Toledo market. His email is bpirtle@clear-
auto repair shop, and you call to set ent.com. He can also be reached at 248-444-8009 or on LinkedIn.
up an appointment. Explain that you
recently started working with XYZ
Credit Card Processing, and you
want to make an appointment with
him for practice. He'll either tell you
sure or say he doesn't want to switch
processing.
If he doesn't want to switch, explain
that the appointment is for your edu-
cation and practice. Your primary
goal is to understand what people in
his position want and what questions
they will ask. Tell him your goals in
an appointment are to:
1. Increase your understanding of
his business and how to help
2. Practice completing an applica-
tion
3. Learn to ask good questions

When he asks, "So you won't ask
me to sign anything?" Reply, "Uncle
Bob, I would not expect you to sign
anything unless you thought it was
something you wanted to sign. There
are no expectations whatsoever. I just
hope to learn more and maybe get a
suggestion on someone who might
be interested in this program."

Arrive prepared
Before the appointment, research
your processor's underwriting rules
for this business type, and find out
what you can about the industry
type. This is especially important if
you intend to make this niche a tar-
get in your portfolio.

If you go alone, bring a pad and a
pen to take down all the questions
and discussions. If you have a men-
tor with you, let your family mem-
ber or friend know the mentor is just
an observer unless asked a specific
question.

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