he Green Sheet, Inc. focuses on the Merchant Level Salesperson (MLS). For over 20 years, we have provided information in our articles and columns with a point of view rather than adopting a generic infomercial style. We've made it a point to reach the right people in the right way, right now!

Our print publications reach the market nearly 30 times a year, more than twice that of any other publication. These include The Green Sheet, GSQ and Paul Green's Good Selling!SM books, and each gives you a different perspective on how to work smarter. Our Web site and its wealth of information at your fingertips is accessed millions of times a year.

In April 2004 we announced a joint venture with Cynergy Data—a monthly online poll. The intent is to find out directly from you what MLSs want and need to succeed in this industry. We posted "You Tell Us!" on www.greensheet.com on May 1, 2004 to get answers to the first set of questions. The survey is managed through a third-party service, to ensure that the results are blind and that each participant responds only once.

Following are the key results from the May 2004 "You Tell Us" survey.

To track the demographics of our respondents we asked "Which of the following best describes your role – personally—within the payments processing industry?"

Sixty-six percent of you prefer to deal with the veteran professional rather than a newcomer.

We found that the majority of our readers have been in the payments industry at least five years, and many of you have been in it for more than 10 years.

We asked "How much longer do you plan to stay in this industry?," and it seems that the vast majority plans to be here for the long haul.

Your primary reasons for being in this business are as varied as each MLS out there, but income remains the primary motivator. What is it about payment processing that "turns you on?" Many respondents said that making money was a high priority, but others cited flexible schedules, doing something different every day, loving the job and meeting and helping people as reasons for job satisfaction.

We also ask one specific question related to equipment. In May we wanted to know "How many new terminals did you deploy last month?"

The answers ranged from zero to 3,500. That means on average you're selling 165 new terminals each month. You ranked equipment manufacturers according to terminals sold:

1. Lipman
2. Hypercom
3. Ingenico
4. VeriFone

We update the poll with new questions every month and the June 2004 survey is now live. Please visit GS Online and simply click on one of the "You Tell Us" links to respond. It takes less than five minutes to complete, and responses are anonymous.

If you have questions you would like to see added to an upcoming poll, please send them to julie@greensheet.com.