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Education

When I was typing the last sentence my predictive
word app suggested "sales professional" when the
word I was planning on typing was "salesperson." So
that is a good place to start. If you want to be success-
ful, be a professional. When I started in this industry, I
knew nothing. I soon had my entire dining room table
covered with all my notes in preparation for questions
from clients. Know your product better than your com-
petition. Customers respect knowledge.

"Have clear goals for yourself, and plan how you are
going to achieve your goals. Have plans for the long
term as well as plans for today. Before I quit for the
day, I already have my plans for the next day in writ-
ing. And please make sure you are not doing busywork
during your prime selling hours that could be done be-
fore 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Your sales time should be
sacred."

Michael offers additional advice, which will be shared
in the second part of this series.

From Lisa Wright
The next piece of advice comes from Lisa Wright, who
has been in the bankcard industry for 20 years. She has
won many achievement awards during her successful
career in merchant services.

"The first step in this is to research your processor to
make sure they are an honest company before you sign
a contract. Have an attorney check your contract. Al-
ways read what you are signing.

"Once in the industry, differentiate yourself from the
competition by being knowledgeable about everything
you can get your hands on. This includes pricing, inter-
change rates, chargebacks, surcharging, cash discount,
credit card machines, virtual terminals, software, etc.
Help your customers with anything they need. If you
don't know the answer, find out from someone who
does. Always be available to your customers.

"Also, be persistent. Selling requires a daily plan. Fol-
low your plan. Put the pressure on your system ver-
sus on yourself. It's a wonderful business if you love
people and remember this should also be fun."
From Hawkins Siemon

Next comes advice from Hawkins Siemon, CEO/
founder of Elevate Payment Alliance. Elevate is an ISO
founded on doing business the right way and build-
ing strong, long-lasting relationships. Contact him at
hawkins@elevatepaymentalliance.com.

"Roadmap to success in merchant services: I have been
in the merchant services industry for over 20 years. It's
an ultra-competitive space, and can be challenging to
make a career of it. The good news is that many believe
right now is one of the best times to be in our industry
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