hy value added? Because you want to add to your merchant base and increase your initial sell amount and residual income. These are the obvious answers, and they are correct. But I believe that, as a salesperson trained in classic sales techniques, the most valuable asset we possess is the ability to get the attention of our audience, sway them to our side and sell them something they need.

How do you do that? Value-added products. Long gone are the days when you could move a merchant to your program with the hackneyed question, "If I can see your merchant statements, I can lower your rate." If this is the best you can do, then you need to be reading the help-wanted ads and not The Green Sheet.

Your tactics need to be directed at the possible needs of your prospects and not your personal needs. Solve problems for your prospects, even if they don't know they have any, and you will make a sale. Even if you don't sell them, you will get them talking, you will gain their trust, you will become the expert. This is possible with the understanding and utilization of valued-added products.

Value-added products include but are never limited to:

• ACH check products
• Gift and loyalty programs
• Wireless paging devices
• New software
• IP terminals and solutions
• Customer service
• Just about anything that works in conjunction with the credit card process and provides a path to selling credit card processing but at the same time does not overwhelm or divert the sale

Learn the Products

Value-added products are only as good as your understanding of them. Each vendor has information on Web sites, your processor probably trains on the products, and most vendors will get on the phone with you or make calls with you. All of this free information is invaluable and will increase your future sales. Learn the products; make sure that you understand all of the benefits of the products and especially what added value they will have for the merchants.

Practice Your Presentation

Practice, practice, practice. That is how you separate yourself from the many untrained salespeople in this field. Practice makes you a professional, gives you confidence and instills confidence in your prospects. Your prospects want to know how the value-added products will help them increase business, retain customers and increase their income. You need to know every feature of the product. Memorize the features. Learn what they do. Practice by reciting them. A hint: We learn three ways: by listening, reading and writing. Use all of the different areas of your brain. Be armed with knowledge and preparation when you walk in to your prospect's business.

Don't Confuse the Prospect

You have two choices when you are prospecting: You can ask a few questions, use your powers of observation and pick the best product for the situation, or you can pick your favorite value-added product, the one you are most at ease with, and present it. My sales experience tells me that even though the questionnaire sales presentation is the smarter of the choices (if this is your choice, contact us - we have a question list that should lead you to your sale, and we will be happy to give it to you), your best bet is to pick your favorite product and go with it.

I think that this will provide you with the most confident path, and confidence sells. This is the point where you must provide all of the advantages of the value-added product.

Learn from Your Mistakes

The lessons learned from our successes are important, but the lessons learned from our mistakes and failures are the lessons that truly can change and correct behavior. After each appointment, interview yourself and make sure you understand what went right and what went wrong. Analyze, criticize and modify the presentation to help eliminate the mistakes.

Stay with the Basics - Make Life Easy for Yourself

Once you have decided which value-added products are sellable (most processors will provide a value-added vendor list along with training) and once you have learned the products, then proceed. You always should start off your introduction with a quick question to get the prospect involved. Our favorite at EXS is the "If I can, will you?" question.

Example: "If I can show you how to accept checks just as you would a credit card and make money in the process, would this be of interest to you?" Ask a question to get the prospect involved, then go into the classic "Feature, Advantage, Benefit" presentation. Remember, follow each FAB with a trial or major close. Sell on needs, close on needs. Again, stick with the basics. Don't stray far from your learned presentation. Be quick, succinct and ABC (Always Be Closing).

Our Favorite Value-Added Vendors

Our Favorite - But Least Presented - Value-Added Products

The most forgotten and underutilized value-added products are you, as a salesperson, and your company, its customer service and culture. Don't forget to sell yourself. This industry has not developed brand loyalty, so the prospect has to identify with you. Don't forget to sell your company and its unique advantages.

At EXS, we focus on ISO support and customer care. We sell these advantages to our prospects. We provide special chargeback handling, another value for our ISO's merchants. Sell yourself and your company. Remember: If you sell value-added products, you'll become a true credit card processing sales professional.

Garry O'Neil is President/CEO of Electronic Exchange Systems (EXS), a national provider of merchant processing solutions. Founded in 1991, EXS offers ISO partner programs, innovative pricing, a complete product line, monthly phone/Web training, quarterly seminars and, most of all, credibility. For more information, please visit www.exsprocessing.com or e-mail Garry at garry.oneil@exsprocessing.com