New sales people often come to us asking how some of our top producers have done so well. We end up talking about how to work your territory, asking questions, joining networking groups, and the usual steps you need to take to succeed…but…what is often overlooked and is more important than any of these is building relationships. This means building a strong network of clients and referral partners throughout your area. How do you do this?

1. Take care of your clients and build trust. One of the biggest issues new sales people have is that they sign a deal and then they rarely or never talk to the client after setting them up. This is a huge mistake. In the first 6 months after signing a client up you should check in with them often. This could be walking in the door to say hello, calling them, or even a friendly email to see how everything is going. The client needs to know that someone is looking out for them and cares about their business. When another sales person walks in the door you want that client to say” I don’t care what you say – I’m not leaving my person.” I am sure you have heard this from potential clients before – this is 100% due to their salesperson taking care of them and creating a solid relationship.
2. Talk to people who work in similar businesses. Think about the type of businesses you want to work with…whether its restaurants, auto repair, or any of the hundreds of business types we work with, someone else is selling something to them. Who are their suppliers? Who is their accountant? Who do they turn to for financial help? These are the people you need to meet and start to work with. Call on them. Invite them out to lunch or drinks. One accountant or restaurant sales person could ending up sending you dozens of leads. You need to send them back to them as well – but that’s how a good mutually beneficial relationship works. Treat people the way you want to be treated by sending business their way and what you send will come back to you tenfold.

Remember - working in credit card processing is a marathon – not a sprint. You make your money over a long period of time. The longer your clients are with you and the more of them you have then the more money you will make. The stronger your relationships are with your clients then the longer they will stay with you and the more referrals they will give you. The more you work with other people in similar industries then the more you will have the opportunity to help grow each other’s businesses.