Agents Beware: What to look for when approaching new merchants

As a general rule, I am more inclined to warn merchants away from unscrupulous agents or sales representatives. There are some instances, however, where an honest sales rep might want to pause before pursuing a relationship with a merchant. This posting is for the sales representative who needs to be wary before setting up an account he or she might regret.

When should a sales agent avoid a merchant?

It seems almost counter-intuitive to suggest that sometimes a sales rep might be better off not making a sale. And certainly this post will be somewhat different in perspective than my previous exploration for merchants on whether a sales rep should be trusted. But as with most relationships, business or otherwise, this is a two-way street. Coming into a business cold, an agent will want to look for signs that the merchant is going to be worth pursuing and not end up wasting time and resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

After all, sales reps do not want to risk being involved in legal action or be subjected to threats or libelous statements. No agent wishes to end up out of pocket at the end of a deal or go through a process that can only end in damaging the agent's relationship with his or her own processing company or service provider.