Lead generation
Ken is our productMerchant Services Leads
Ken's database lists 744,592 companies that fit the buyer profile for merchant services providers, as of Oct 17, 2026. With a typical deal of $3,000-$12,000 (estimate) and that many buyers, volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
Buyer counts come from Ken's company database. Ken is our product.
Search These Buyers in Ken
In short 744,592 companies in Ken's database match this buyer filter, as of Oct 17, 2026.
Ken Search
Query
US companies with 2-200 employees that take card payments in person or online: retail, restaurants, hospitality, fitness, medical practices and food service.
- Companies in Ken's database
- 744,592
- 2-10 employees
- 596,152
- 11-50 employees
- 125,964
- 51-200 employees
- 22,476
Snapshot of Oct 17, 2026, refreshed weekly. Counts only, no company records.
Who Buys From Merchant Services Providers?
In short Restaurants, retailers, salons, auto repair shops and medical offices that take cards buy processing and POS from merchant services providers, and the owner or office manager decides, often after comparing a recent statement.
| Buyer trait | Typical buyer |
|---|---|
| Industries | Restaurants, Retail, Personal care services, Vehicle repair and maintenance, Medical practices, Wellness and fitness services |
| Company size | 1-10, 11-50, 51-200 employees |
| Titles to contact | Owner, General Manager, Office Manager, Practice Manager, Controller, Chief Financial Officer |
How Many Buyers Can You Reach?
In short 744,592 companies in Ken's database, as of Oct 17, 2026.
744,592 companies in Ken's database match the buyer filter for merchant services providers as of Oct 17, 2026. The filter: US companies with 2-200 employees that take card payments in person or online: retail, restaurants, hospitality, fitness, medical practices and food service.
These are companies in Ken's database (250M people and 24M companies), not every company that exists. The count refreshes weekly.
| Employees | Companies | Share of buyers |
|---|---|---|
| 2-10 | 596,152 | 80.1% |
| 11-50 | 125,964 | 16.9% |
| 51-200 | 22,476 | 3.0% |
Companies in Ken's database. Bands come from each company's listed employee count.
Plays That Work
In short 5 outbound plays for merchant services providers, each tied to a trigger you can spot.
| Play | Channel | Trigger | Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| New business or location | A restaurant, salon or shop filed a new business registration, liquor license or building permit, or put up a coming-soon page. | Write to the Owner before opening day, while they still need terminals, a POS and a merchant account. | |
| Example first lineSaw [Company] has a new location coming, and we can have card terminals and your merchant account set up before opening day. | |||
| Surcharge or cash discount notice | The merchant added a card surcharge or cash discount notice to its menu, website or checkout, a sign card fees are on the owner's mind. | Write to the Owner offering a line-by-line review of one statement that shows the effective rate: total fees divided by card volume. | |
| Example first lineNoticed [Company] added a card surcharge, and if you send one recent statement we will show your effective rate and the fees behind it. | |||
| Change of ownership | A business was sold, visible in a liquor license transfer, a new entity filing or a new-owner announcement. | Write to the new Owner while they move banking and vendors into their own name, with a processing quote to compare before they keep the old setup. | |
| Example first lineCongrats on taking over [Company], and while you move accounts into your name we can quote processing so you can compare before keeping the old setup. | |||
| Patient payments at a practice | A medical or dental practice posted a job for a billing coordinator or front desk lead, or added online booking. | Write to the Practice Manager about card-on-file and text-to-pay so patient balances get collected without phone calls. | |
| Example first lineSaw [Company] is hiring a billing coordinator, and we set practices up with text-to-pay so patient balances get collected without phone calls. | |||
| Multi-location group | Email and LinkedIn | A restaurant or retail group opened or acquired another location. | Write to the Controller or Chief Financial Officer about pricing on combined volume and one report across locations. |
| Example first lineWith [Company]'s newest location open, we can price processing on combined volume across every store and give you one report instead of separate statements. | |||
Campaigns or 1:1 Accounts?
In short With 744,592 buyers and a typical deal of $3,000-$12,000 (estimate), volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
| Check | Merchant Services Providers | Points to Accounts (Coming) when |
|---|---|---|
| Typical deal (estimate) | $3,000-$12,000 (card processing fees one merchant pays in a year), midpoint $7,500 | Over $15,000 |
| Buyer companies in Ken's database | 744,592 | Fewer than 25,000 |
| Suggested lane | Campaigns | Both checks pass |
Ken's estimate: 12 months of $250-$1,000 a month in total processing fees for one location. It assumes a small single-location merchant; multi-location groups pay more, and your share depends on your residual split.
Ken's view: when one deal is worth more than $15,000 and there are fewer than 25,000 buyers, each account is worth researching and writing to one by one. Otherwise volume wins: a Campaign of short email and LinkedIn sequences reaches more of the market for the same effort.
Objections
In short What buyers tend to say back to merchant services providers, and how to answer.
| Objection | How to answer |
|---|---|
| We're in a contract with an early termination fee. | Send the page with the term and the fee. If the monthly savings don't cover the fee in a reasonable time, we will tell you to stay put and check back near renewal. |
| Our rate is already low. | The quoted rate is often only part of the cost, since monthly, PCI and per-transaction fees sit on the same statement. Send one statement and we will show your effective rate, total fees divided by card volume. |
| We don't want to change our POS. | Tell us which POS you run and we will check whether our processing works with it before quoting. If it doesn't, we will say so instead of pushing new hardware. |
FAQ
How do merchant services providers get clients?
In Ken's view, most agents and ISOs win merchants through walk-ins, referrals from accountants and POS resellers, and purchased lead lists. Outbound email reaches owners and office managers with a specific offer, usually a statement review, at moments like a new location or an ownership change.
What should our first email to a merchant say?
Ask for one recent statement and promise a specific output, such as their effective rate and the fees that drive it. A concrete review gives the owner a reason to reply that a general promise of lower rates does not.
Why do merchants care about processing fees?
The National Retail Federation says US businesses paid $198.25 billion in credit and debit card swipe fees in 2025 and calls those fees most retailers' highest operating cost after labor. A statement review shows the owner what that cost looks like on their own books.
What does the CAN-SPAM Act require of a cold email?
In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act covers commercial email, and the FTC says it makes no exception for business-to-business email. Its requirements: no false or misleading header information, no deceptive subject lines, identify the message as an ad, include your valid physical postal address, tell recipients how to opt out, honor opt-outs within 10 business days, and monitor anyone who sends email on your behalf. Other countries have their own rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do This in Ken
Find These Buyers in Ken
Open Ken Search with the buyer filter for merchant services providers, narrow it to your territory and best-fit size, then send the plays above as a Campaign over email and LinkedIn.
- Search companies with this filter: US companies with 2-200 employees that take card payments in person or online: retail, restaurants, hospitality, fitness, medical practices and food service. Searching is free.
- Narrow the list to your territory and size band, then pick the titles to contact: Owner, General Manager, Office Manager.
- Find valid emails at 1 credit ($0.02) each and add the list to a Campaign.
- Module
- Ken Search
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- API
POST /v1/search/companies- MCP tool
search_search_companies- Cost
- Free to search, 1 credit ($0.02) per valid email
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| National Retail Federation, Swipe fees | |
| FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | |
| Ken pricing (credit costs) |
Changelog
- Page published.