Soliciting for new merchant accounts is all about trust. Store owners and business people are not quick to transfer their merchant accounts from one vendor to another — because if your merchant account proves to be crap, then they cannot get all their sales from credit and debit cards.

You need to woo the customers. Let them know you. Sending unsolicited emails or even cold calling can lead to nowhere. Waste of energy

To get clients, say a restaurant, you need to talk to the owner. Visit the restaurant often. Chat with the owner regularly. Once they know you, ask to see their merchant account statement. Then make a proposal by showing them where they can save if they use your merchant account

For example, will you offer lower transaction fees? Are you removing fees such as monthly statement fees? How can they save by using your account

This is one of the hardest sales business to get into. It’s not easy. With all the NO SOLICITATION signs outside of businesses, it is hard to penetrate the owner. If you are a member of the chamber of commerce or other networking organizations where you’ve got contacts with other business owners, you’d do well.

But if you don’t know any business owner, and you have no patience or time to develop relationships, I suggest you find other sources of income