How to Sell Merchant Services to the Clients You Already Have

A merchant account is an account with an acquiring bank that lets a business accept card payments and get paid out. The gateway, such as Authorize.Net, connects the checkout to that account. Most clients don't know the difference. They only know they need to get paid online, and that something about their current setup isn't working.

These five situations come up most often. Each one points to a different next step.

New ecommerce builds

This is the easiest conversation you'll have. The client has to pick a way to take payments anyway, and you're already building the checkout. Add the merchant account to the project plan, so the application goes in early and approval doesn't hold up launch.

Clients on payment apps

Some clients start on a payment app and run into limits later. The common ones are funds held after a review, an account closed with little explanation, or a flat rate per sale that stays the same as volume grows. Keep it factual. You're not criticizing their choice; you're offering another option. Our guides explain what to do after a Stripe, Square or PayPal shutdown and the difference between a merchant account and a payment facilitator.

High-risk and regulated businesses

CBD, firearms and other industries that many providers avoid still need to take cards. START has bank relationships for businesses that are hard to place. Send them to START with an honest description of what they sell. Our guide to high-risk merchant accounts explains what underwriters look for.

Canadian and Australian clients

START serves merchants in both countries. The right setup depends on where the client is and where their customers are. See Canadian merchant accounts and Australian merchant accounts for how each works.

Clients who can't read their statement

If a client asks you what a line on their processing statement means, that's an opening. You don't have to answer it. Send them to START's free rate review, where we read the statement and explain what they're paying.

The best merchant services marketing for a web or software business isn't a campaign. It's making the offer visible at the moments a client is already thinking about payments. A few places do most of the work:

1. Project proposals. Add "merchant account and payment gateway" as a line in every ecommerce proposal. It shows you've thought about how the client gets paid, not just how the site looks.
2. Launch checklists. Put "merchant account approved" next to domain, SSL and hosting. A checklist item gets done; a suggestion gets forgotten.
3. Your website. Add a "Merchant Accounts" link in the footer or services menu that goes to your co-branded application. It catches clients and visitors who are already looking.
4. Onboarding emails. One short paragraph in your welcome sequence: you can set them up to take cards, and here's the link.
5. Billing emails and invoices. A one-line mention reaches every paying client each month without a separate send.
6. An email to existing clients. Tell your current clients you now offer merchant accounts with the Authorize.Net gateway, and who it helps. It's the quickest way to start.

Keep the message about the client's situation: getting paid, keeping funds flowing, understanding their fees. A client who's happy on their current setup doesn't need a hard sell, and pushing one costs you trust you'll need later.

You're vouching for a financial product with your own name on it. A few rules keep that safe for you and your client.

Don't guarantee savings or approval

What a merchant pays depends on their card mix, average sale, industry and volume. Approval depends on underwriting (the bank's review of the business). Nobody can promise either before the application is reviewed, so don't say "you'll save 30%" or "you're guaranteed to be approved".

The Federal Trade Commission takes this seriously. On July 29, 2022, the FTC filed a complaint and a stipulated order against processor First American Payment Systems and two of its sales affiliates. The FTC alleged they made false claims about fees and cost savings to small businesses, withdrew money without consent and made it hard to cancel. The order required $4.9 million to be returned to businesses, and the FTC sent more than $2.6 million in refunds on February 6, 2025. Sales affiliates were named alongside the processor.

Send pricing questions to START

You don't need to know interchange tables to refer a client. When pricing comes up, say what's true and pass it on:

• START prices on interchange-plus: the card network's cost (interchange) plus a fixed markup, shown separately.
• START charges no termination, annual or AVS fees.
• For anything specific, the client can send a recent statement for a free review, and START will explain what they pay now.

Leave the card logos off your own materials

The card networks have rules about how agents use their logos (the "marks"):

• Visa (Visa Rules ID# 0025914, edition April 18, 2026): if an agent's materials show Visa marks, the sponsor bank's name and headquarters city must appear with them, and the agent must be clearly identified as the bank's representative. Visa marks can't go on an agent's business cards or letterhead. An agent can't present its registration as an endorsement by Visa.
• Mastercard (Mastercard Rules 7.2.6, June 2, 2026): a service provider "must not use any Mark on such Service Provider's own behalf" and can't imply Mastercard endorses it.

The practical rule: don't put Visa or Mastercard logos on your own flyers, emails or business cards when you promote merchant accounts. If you want to use them, ask us first. Both networks enforce these rules through the sponsor bank (the bank behind the processing). Whether and how partners are registered with the networks is covered in how to become a merchant service provider.

The core of what you'll use is a co-branded merchant application. Here's what START's partner program includes:

• A co-branded application with your company name and logo, so your client applies through you rather than a stranger's form.
• A digital process. The client signs digitally. No printing or faxing.
• Downloadable co-branding and marketing resources you can use on your site and in client communications.
• A relationship manager you can call with questions about a client, an application or how to present the offer.

The partner marketing tools available can change, so ask us what's available when you sign up, and how referrals from your application are credited to you. Link the application from every place listed above, and you've done most of the setup. The merchant services reseller program page covers who can join and how to apply.

How you're paid depends on your partner type: referral partners earn a fee per approved merchant, and resellers and agents earn ongoing residuals. Our guide to merchant services residuals and commissions explains how each model works, and ISO vs agent vs referral partner helps you pick one.

Once the client starts the application, START takes it from there. Here's what they can expect.

1. The application. The client gives business details and usually a photo ID, bank details for deposits, recent processing statements if they already take cards, and their website. Our guide on how to get a merchant account lists what underwriters usually ask for. Share it with clients before they start.
2. Underwriting. START reviews the business and places it with the right acquiring bank. Most merchants are approved in 1–5 business days.
3. The gateway. For most clients, the Authorize.Net gateway is set up within 24 business hours of approval. Then you connect it to the checkout you built.
4. Ongoing support. The merchant calls START with account questions, and real people answer Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Mountain Time, at 888-573-7587.

Help the client get approved faster by making sure their site is ready before they apply: products and prices, a refund policy, shipping terms and contact details. Underwriters check all of these. To find out how you'll hear about each application's progress, ask your relationship manager.

START has been doing this for more than 20 years and has set up over 60,000 Authorize.Net accounts. More than 90% of START's merchant customers come through referrals from partners such as web hosting companies, web design firms and shopping cart providers.