5 Questions with David Murphy

David Murphy built his sales career across industries as unalike as construction, food manufacturing, security and cosmetic dentistry, working his way from junior salesperson to sales director along the way. Now he's the face behind Dojo in Yorkshire, doing things his own way: no pressure, no patter, just honest conversations about whether your card processing setup is quietly costing you more than it should.

1. You've sold in construction, food manufacturing, security and cosmetic dentistry. What finally took you to payments?

I wanted to be in control: who I worked with, which industries I got involved in, how I built my patch. When I found Dojo, the fit felt right — commercial ambition backed by genuinely good technology and proper customer support. And the recognition that's come since hasn't really been about sales technique. It's been about trust. People really do buy from people, and businesses were willing to switch because they believed I was pointing them in the right direction. That means more to me than any award.

2. There are a lot of people selling card machines. Why does experience actually matter here?

Because I've spent my whole career around businesses of every kind — on building sites, in food factories, in security, in dental practices — and I've seen up close what it costs, in time and stress, to run one. I know what it means for an owner when the technology fails mid-service and there's no one to call. Most reps can tell you the specs. Not many can tell you what the consequences look like when it goes wrong. That context changes the conversation entirely.

3. Who actually needs to be talking to you right now?

Any business owner who processes card payments and hasn't looked at their merchant services statement recently — which, honestly, is most of them. The cost and the technology both tend to drift in the wrong direction without anyone noticing. My ideal customer isn't defined by a specific industry or size; it's someone who genuinely wants to run their operation as efficiently as possible and is open to the idea that their current setup might not be the best available. That conversation covers everything from the cost per transaction to the EPOS systems their staff use every day, because both affect the bottom line and the customer experience.

4. What's the biggest misconception people have about merchant services reps, and what's the hardest thing you've had to unlearn yourself?

The misconception is that we're all chasing a signature and nothing else. My view is simple: a customer has to be genuinely happy with the deal, Dojo has to be satisfied the business meets its criteria, and only then am I happy, because only then do I get paid. If I don't solve the customer's actual problem, I don't win the business, so understanding their problems is always the starting point, not the pitch. As for what I've had to unlearn: I've had to accept that not everyone moves at the same pace. Some people come back to me six months later when their technology fails or a price increase appears on their statement. I've learnt to let that happen without chasing. You get far more from patience and honesty than you ever do from pressure.

5. Best piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out in sales?

Don't push people. There's a quote I keep coming back to: a bee doesn't waste time trying to convince a fly that honey is better than the alternative. Some people you'll work with and some you won't, and that's completely fine. The ones who sign up because they genuinely see the value are the relationships worth having. The rest tend to find their way back eventually, on their own terms.