very month for "AgenTalk," The Green Sheet interviews a merchant level salesperson (MLS) out there in the trenches working day in, day out to make the sale and build a business. AgenTalk serves as a valuable res-ource for both merchant services beginners and veterans.

The MLSs interviewed this year offered their insight on issues ranging from choosing a processor, facing challenges, learning from bad experiences, being honest with merchants, explaining interchange ... many even share their secrets of success. Following are some highlights of what MLSs shared in AgenTalk in 2005:

Francisco Acosta

"Sales as a whole, the entire profession, if it's not moving in that direction [being a consultant], it really needs to. The old fashioned 'throwing dirt on the floor and demoing your vacuum cleaner' isn't really cutting it these days."

Ernie Crews

"I'm willing to be very competitive, but I won't get down and dirty ... I have established rates, and I will not go below them. I have to preserve my attitude. If I leave feeling beat up, then how is my attitude going to be with the next merchant I call on?"

"It seems there are a lot of folks jumping on board ... and really not fully understanding the industry, which leads to lack of education, which is ultimately a downfall for merchants."

"My philosophy is, and this is what I teach my salespeople: Fill a need and find the pain and fix the pain, and you now have a client for life. Finding out what their needs are and setting them up with the appropriate program, retains the clients for a very long time."

"It's all about the people in this industry. If you are serious about making a life-long career in payments, then it's your responsibility to stay up-to-date on the industry and the professionals in the industry."

"You really need to have [all your ducks] in a row and if not, that merchant is going to move somewhere else, to someone that's more knowledgeable because they've become more knowledgeable."

"It's important to me to ... take a lot of my knowledge and provide it to a merchant, because bottom line, I go into it saying to myself, I am going to make this merchant stay with me forever."

"I really enjoy this industry. The sense of being in control of your own success or failure is appealing. I have always found that the more I put into it, the more success I have."

"With the incredible stories you hear from merchants of what salespeople have told them, I think we are badly in need of rules with strict enforcement."

"I was a blue collar welder who had Champagne taste but a beer budget. I hated welding, so I had to find something else."

"This business is not like it was five or 10 years ago. It is not a simple sale with a simple interchange rate anymore. You have to be knowledgeable on what you sell."

The Green Sheet would like to thank the MLSs who generously gave their time to help make this feature a success.

We look forward to speaking with more hardworking feet on the street in 2006