In the first part of this three part series, “How To Present Merchant Services to Your POS Prospects”, I covered different approaches to take  when presenting merchant processing to your POS Prospects. In this series, Part Two, I will go over the steps I took to successfully offer merchant services to my POS clients that were using other processors. At the risk of sounding repetitive, the questions being asked are somewhat similar, but the delivery is much different.

PART TWO

CURRENT POS CLIENTS

A huge part of my success in the point-of-sale industry is the result of me being available when my merchants ran into issues. I never avoided a call or a problem, and I followed through every situation until it was resolved. As a result, I immediately gained the trust of my merchants. It also opened the doors for so many more opportunities, and the discussion of merchant processing was so much easier to have.

Here are some approaches I have taken when the topic of merchant processing comes up with my existing clients:

• Don’t just let them hear from you when there are problems. Check in on them. See how things are going. Eventually the topic of their business and expenses will come up. In a consultative way, work merchant services into the conversation. If they trust you and your team on the POS front, there is a good chance they are open to letting you take a look at their credit card statements.

• Sympathize with them regarding how many times they are harassed about merchant processing. As I mentioned above, they have probably been burned in the past by a lack or support or an excess of fees. If they know they can count on you for support, you have already won half the battle. Have a sample statement available so they can see how easy a BOLD statement is to read and that there are no hidden fees. Combined with the fact that they will now have one support number should mean an easy decision for them.

• If they are uncertain about their rates, talk to them about Flat Rate Pricing. Flat Rate Pricing takes the guesswork out of figuring out credit rates. It also allows them to budget their monthly expenses, unlike many pricing tiers offered by merchant processors. For more information on Flat Rate Pricing, feel free to email me at gliu@boldpay.io.

• If your merchant is still hesitant, remind them that it might be time to at least look at their statements to confirm they are getting a good deal. They don’t necessarily have to switch. An immediate red flag is if their merchant processor does not reach out to them on a regular basis. This more than likely means they are not staying informed on changes in interchange rates or industry regulations (such as the Durbin Amendment Act). You can also take a look at a recent piece written by our own Nichole Kazenske that covers overcoming the “Top 10 Objections When it Comes to Merchant Processing”.

• If they are just too busy, offer to reach out to their accountant to retrieve the statement for them. A lot of times merchants just do not have time in their busy schedule, and it goes a long way if someone were to do the legwork for them.

Remember, the discussion of merchant processing does not have to be awkward. Your merchants bought and continue to use your POS system for a reason, and it is the same reason they are willing to talk to you about merchant processing.

Ready to Learn More?

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A question I come across a lot from our partners is “What is the best way for me to introduce merchant services to my clients?” It’s a great question and one that I enjoy answering.

There is no doubt the topic of merchant processing can be difficult to cover with merchants. Chances are, the business owner has been burned by a processor in the past or spends a good portion of their week dodging aggressive sales reps. The industry has gotten a bad wrap because of this.

As a co-founder of a restaurant point-of-sale company, I learned during my 10 years with the company that selling merchant services was more than saving people money. It involved building a relationship with merchants and earning their trust before they would consider switching. I was fortunate enough to have spent my time nurturing my point-of-sale clients. I had many great relationships, and my clients looked to me for advice on areas throughout their entire business. This made the topic of merchant processing much easier to present.

In this three part series, I will layout my experience in the POS and merchant processing industry and how I found success with relationship focus selling. Part One will include what questions to ask your POS Prospects (existing businesses that do not use your POS system) and when to ask them. In Part Two, I will discuss the best ways to approach your Current POS Clients (clients using your POS but another processor). Finally, Part Three will offer tips from BOLD. partner, Josh Carper with Gorilla Technologies. Josh will share his success and how he has signed ~99% of his point-of-sale merchants up for merchant processing.

PART ONE

POS PROSPECTS

It would be hard to find any merchant who enjoys talking about merchant services. The industry has been inundated with inexperienced sales people who deliver an amazing quote but fall short on service or delivering the pricing that was promised. However, ISVs and VARs are at a huge advantage when it comes to offering credit card processing to merchants. Aside from the expertise an ISV or VAR might have in the merchant’s industry, there are reasons merchants benefit by receiving the POS and merchant processing from a single source:

1. Perhaps the largest benefit of a merchant switching their processing over to the POS vendor is the consolidation of support. We all want our merchants to be happy. A happy merchant means repeat business and referrals. I have found the biggest gripe many merchants have with their POS or merchant processor is when an issue arises and both parties pass the blame off to one another. Every merchant has been there, and it is a huge headache for them. They just want their system to work and they want to know the right party is handling the situation. Imagine how refreshing it is for them to hear that their support for point-of-sale AND credit cards are directed to ONE phone number. In a partnership with BOLD, we have designed our support to never pass the blame. No matter if we field the call from the merchant or our partner, our staff is equipped with POS experience to understand the situation and work WITH the ISV or VAR until the situation is resolved.

2. EMV integration has thrown a wrench into the support process for many companies when it comes to the responsibilities of the POS provider and merchant processor. While many merchant processors attempt to download and deliver a semi-integrated unit for the ISV or VAR to use, they are more than likely unwilling to assist after installation. This can leave the merchant and POS provider in a tough predicament when issues arise. In the end, it is best for the merchant to receive their equipment from a processor that has a relationship with their POS provider. 

Approach for Businesses in the Buildout Process

The obvious observation about new merchants in the buildout process is that the majority are going to install a POS system and almost all of them will need merchant services. Chances are, they have been hounded already by merchant processors, so selling on processing alone can be tough. I have always found new business owners are more willing to talk to me as a point-of-sale dealer rather than a merchant processor because the ROI and functionality of a POS system is much more interesting to talk about.

A good approach is to wait on mentioning merchant services until they have decided to come on board as a POS client. As you near closing, I recommend casually asking if they are still considering bids for merchant services. Remember, even if they have signed with ten other processors, their credit card agreement is not active until they run their first transaction, so it is not too late if they haven’t opened. This makes it much easier for both parties. You have proven to have earned their trust by selling them a POS, so they are going to look for input on other areas of their business.

Approach for Businesses That Are Currently Open

It is important to note that people do not like change. If a merchant is currently in business and using merchant processing, timing plays a huge role on if they will be willing to talk to another merchant processor or not. Depending on their situation, I would almost always lead with their POS system and ask if they are satisfied. I found they were more open to change when it came to the tangible technology they use on a daily basis. Chances are, they have recently felt the pain of bad support experience or the system is on its last leg, so they are more willing to entertain a discussion about POS rather than merchant services.

Be sure to look out for Part Two of this series, “Best Approaches for Offering Merchant Services to Your POS Clients” due out next week. If you have any questions on how you can you can offer merchant services to your prospects and clients, feel free to reach out to me at gliu@boldpay.io or (770) 318-3456.

Need a game plan on how to reach out to your prospects and clients? Contact me below so we can discuss strategy.

Digital marketing has evolved and will continue to change for the unforeseeable future. In its infant stages, a business could see a good bit of traction from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) alone. Fast forward to recent times, many companies have had to find creative ways to drive “clicks” to their site in order to win the “Google Game”.

Many businesses have found great success by providing informative content meant to drive clicks to their site. Their hope is to attract readers looking for information about their industry and not necessarily their company. What many companies miss when doing this is the benefits of integrating all of their digital services so the lead can stay informed from conception to close.

THE LEAD

When a company receives a lead, this is when the integration between Customer Relation Management (CRM) software and Email Engine (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc) should start. The status of that lead/contact should always be in sync between the CRM and Email Engine throughout the sales cycle. This allows the reader to receive information relevant to them.

Drip marketing campaigns should start as soon as the lead willing to receive information is entered into your CRM. A drip marketing campaign is a series of emails that are scheduled and can be sent based on actions of the reader (opens, clicks, etc). For leads, emails should be useful information about your/their industry with a sprinkle of information about your company. You can quickly see your unsubscribes go up if the lead continuously feels “sold” to.

There are a few benefits to these emails. The benefit we are covering in this piece are “clicks”. Clicks to your site from external sources (social media, email campaigns, etc) are huge when it comes to Google looking for relevant websites. As users visit your blog, Google identifies the traffic. An active page containing a subject will be ranked higher as prospects search for that subject stored on your blog/site. Combined with pay-per-click (social media post boost and Google Ads), your blog can find a good amount of traffic.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Once the lead expresses interest and a demo/quote has been presented, a conversion in your CRM should update the status in your Email Engine. This starts an entirely new drip marketing campaign. These emails are slightly more forward about your company and should include a call-to-action. It is also helpful to make these emails more personable. For example, it is a good idea to write a few emails directly to the prospect from your personal address on topics they might be interested in (i.e.- “Hey [first name], We just had a new blog post hit today that I thought you might find useful.”)

THE CLOSE

Congratulations! Looks like your hard work paid off. Now it is time to include your new customer in more useful information. A customer no longer needs to be “sold” on your service. A customer is now looking to be nurtured with information on the product/service they purchased. This is when an online knowledge base can be useful for your company. Emails can direct your customers to your site (again, still driving “clicks”) with training or commonly asked questions about your products and service.

The digital marketing process can be a long one. In fact, it is common for it to take 4-6 months before you feel any impact from it. The important thing is to stick with it. When done correctly, the benefits can snowball…quickly.

Topics

• The Power of an online Blog

• Benefits of a client facing knowledge base

• Using drip marketing to stay consistent

• Use Priority I.S. as a resource

You have an amazing company, and you’ve worked hard to include value added services that can help your merchants grow. The final, and probably the most difficult, step is informing your customers and capitalizing on their interest.

Outside of using your company’s time and resources to physically call on each of your merchants, there are cost-effective tools available that can help your communication. Below are some ideas on getting started and the steps you can take to maintain a strong online presence with your customers while attracting new prospects.

TOOLS TO CONSIDER

Below are some great tools to make your site more interactive for your clients. Another HUGE benefit is the traction your site can receive ultimately driving up your search engine ranking.

Online Blog

Tap into your knowledge. No one knows your business like you, so share it. Willingness to share this information builds credibility with your prospects and clients as well as drive traffic to your website. It is important to remember that the typical reader of your blog may not be a potential client. What you do earn are clicks, and that can go a long way on search engines.

Another great tip is to use your resources. Ask your employees for topics or even write-ups. This can make a huge impact by building credibility throughout your team and displaying the versatility of your office.

Online Knowledge Base

A knowledge base can not only be informative to your current clients, it can also drive new traffic to your site. When prospects search for solutions that fit the topic of your post, search engines look for indexed pages that fit that search based on activity and age of the page. When one works in conjunction with a blog and email engine, the click rate and page ranking can increase drastically. Below are some benefits one would consider when deciding to implement an online knowledge base:

• Decrease your support load by directing your clients to an online resource.

• Use the knowledge base to inform your clients about new features and offerings.

• Clicks to your knowledge can mean more traction for your site elevating your in the “Google Game”. Now, when prospects search for a topic in your knowledge base, you are closer to the top of the list.

Email/Drip Marketing

Drip marketing can be a great way to stay in front of current and future clients. Emails can be automated and sent based on the users interaction with your emails. When your systems are working together, it can be a great resource to deliver the information hosted on your blog and knowledge base. Depending on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and email client you use, drip marketing can me set on autopilot by simply checking a box in your CRM.

KEYS TO REMEMBER

• Stay consistent. A typical marketing strategy can take 90-120 days to drive results when done correctly. Once it takes off, you will witness a snowball effect.

• If needed, use outside resources to help you with your content strategy and creation

• Priority I.S. has a marketing department available for our partners to help them get started. Email us at marketing@priorityis.com to get over your goals and develop a game plan.