Merchant onboarding is not a technical process. It is a conversation. The technical part, installing a wallet, generating an invoice, processing a test payment, takes twenty minutes. The conversation that determines whether a merchant is actually ready for Bitcoin payments takes longer, and it is more important.
This script is based on real onboarding conversations from our merchant onboarding project and draws on the patterns documented in merchant conversations before onboarding. It is designed for facilitators, community educators, and anyone who helps merchants prepare for Bitcoin and Lightning payments.
Before You Visit: Preparation Checklist
- You have visited the merchant’s shop before and understand what they sell
- You know the merchant’s current payment methods (cash, mobile money, card)
- You have your own Lightning wallet with enough balance for a test transaction
- You have a printed copy of the merchant readiness checklist
- You are prepared to answer the most common merchant questions honestly
- You have allocated at least 45 minutes for the conversation, not just the technical setup
Phase 1: Understanding the Merchant’s Current Situation
Start here. Do not skip this phase to get to the technical setup.
Questions to Ask
“How do your customers usually pay you?” Listen for: the mix of cash, mobile money, and card. Understanding the current payment landscape tells you what Bitcoin competes with and what it complements.
“What are your biggest frustrations with how you get paid now?” Listen for: fee complaints, settlement delays, mobile money downtimes, cash handling risks. These frustrations are the openings where Bitcoin might genuinely help. If the merchant has no payment frustrations, Bitcoin acceptance is a harder sell.
“Do you ever receive payments from customers in other countries?” Listen for: cross-border commerce, international customers, diaspora connections. Cross-border payments are where Lightning has the strongest merchant value proposition.
“What is your average transaction size?” Listen for: the range and typical amount. Very small transactions (under $1) may not justify the overhead of managing a second payment system. Very large transactions introduce volatility concerns.
“Have you heard of Bitcoin before? What do you know about it?” Listen for: existing knowledge, misconceptions, concerns, and enthusiasm level. Do not assume the merchant knows nothing. Also do not assume they know accurate information. Common misconceptions include that Bitcoin is illegal, that you need a computer, or that it is only for rich people.
What to Listen For
Genuine interest vs social pressure. Some merchants agree to try Bitcoin because a community leader or friend is pushing them, not because they see a business reason. Onboarding a merchant who does not want to be onboarded is a waste of both parties’ time.
Financial stability. If the merchant is in financial difficulty, adding the complexity of a new payment system is not appropriate. Bitcoin acceptance does not solve cash flow problems.
Technical comfort. Does the merchant use a smartphone confidently? Do they manage mobile money themselves or ask someone else to do it? Technical comfort predicts whether the merchant will maintain the system independently.
Phase 2: Explaining What Bitcoin Payments Actually Mean
Only move to this phase if the merchant shows genuine interest.
Key Points to Cover
“Bitcoin payments arrive on your phone, similar to mobile money, but without the mobile money provider in the middle.” Keep the explanation grounded in what the merchant already knows. Do not start with blockchain mechanics.
“Lightning is the payment layer that makes Bitcoin fast enough for everyday transactions. A Lightning payment arrives in seconds.” Demonstrate this with a test payment between your own wallets if possible.
“You can choose to keep the Bitcoin or convert it to [local currency] through [specific conversion method available in your market].” Be specific. Do not say “you can convert it.” Say “you can convert it using [specific app or service] and the money arrives in your mobile money account within [specific timeframe].”
“The fees work differently from mobile money and cards. Here is what you would actually pay.” Walk through the actual cost structure using the framework from the merchant math guide. Do not promise lower fees unless you can show the actual numbers for this merchant’s situation.
What Not to Say
- “Bitcoin is going to change the world” — the merchant needs business reasons, not ideology
- “Bitcoin will replace mobile money” — it will not, and saying this damages credibility
- “You will make more money” — unless you can prove this with specific numbers
- “Everyone is doing it” — if that were true, the merchant would already know about it
- “It is completely risk-free” — nothing is risk-free
Phase 3: Readiness Assessment
Before any technical setup, assess whether the merchant is actually ready.
Readiness Questions
“Are you comfortable managing a wallet app on your phone?” If the answer is hesitant, do not proceed to setup. Offer to schedule a separate session focused on wallet familiarisation.
“Do you have a reliable internet connection at your point of sale?” Lightning requires internet. If connectivity is unreliable, the merchant will have failed transactions, which damages their confidence and their customers’ experience.
“Do you know how you will convert Bitcoin to [local currency]?” The conversion plan must be concrete. If the merchant does not know how or where to convert, set up the conversion method before activating payment acceptance.
“Are you prepared for customers who do not know how to pay with Bitcoin?” The merchant will encounter confused customers. Do they have the patience and knowledge to walk someone through a QR scan? The scan-to-pay guide covers this in detail.
“What will you do if a payment fails?” The merchant needs a backup plan. The answer should be: accept an alternative payment method and troubleshoot later.
Decision Point
If the merchant is ready: proceed to Phase 4. If the merchant is not ready: schedule a follow-up session to address the specific gaps. Do not push the setup.
Phase 4: Technical Setup
This is the shortest phase. The technical setup itself is straightforward.
Setup Steps
- Help the merchant install a suitable Lightning wallet
- Secure the wallet: set up PIN, backup the recovery phrase (for non-custodial wallets)
- Walk through the interface: how to generate an invoice, how to check balance, how to see payment history
- Process a test payment: send a small amount from your wallet to theirs
- Process a second test payment: have the merchant generate an invoice and walk through the QR checkout flow as if you were a customer
- If the merchant is converting to local currency: walk through the conversion process with the test amount
- Review the daily operations checklist from the Lightning payments checklist
Critical Safety Steps
- Recovery phrase is written down and stored securely (not on the phone)
- Merchant understands that losing the recovery phrase means losing funds
- A PIN or biometric lock is set on the wallet
- The merchant knows how to generate a new invoice for each transaction
- The merchant knows what a successful payment confirmation looks like
Phase 5: Follow-Up Plan
Setup without follow-up leads to abandonment. Plan at minimum:
Day 1-3: Check in by message or call. Ask if any customers have paid via Lightning. Ask if any problems have come up.
Week 1: Visit in person. Review their experience. Watch a real transaction if possible. Address any issues.
Week 2-4: Check in weekly. Monitor whether the merchant is using the system or has stopped.
Month 2-3: Check in monthly. Evaluate whether Lightning payments are adding value to the merchant’s business.
Warning Signs
- The merchant stopped using the wallet within the first week
- The wallet has received no payments in 30 days
- The merchant has accumulated Bitcoin they do not know how to convert
- The merchant is confused about their balance or transaction history
If you see these signs, have an honest conversation. Some merchants will decide Bitcoin payments are not right for their business. That is a valid outcome, and it is better than an inactive wallet that sits unused.
FAQ for Facilitators
What if the merchant does not have a smartphone? Do not proceed with onboarding. Lightning requires a smartphone. Feature phone solutions do not currently support Lightning wallets.
What if the merchant wants to accept Bitcoin but their customers do not use it? This is the chicken-and-egg problem. Bitcoin acceptance only generates transactions if customers have Bitcoin. In communities with active Bitcoin education, this resolves over time. In communities where nobody uses Bitcoin, merchant acceptance alone will not create demand.
What if the merchant asks about price and trading? Redirect to the practical use case. “Our focus is on accepting payments, not trading. If you are interested in Bitcoin as an investment, that is a separate conversation and you should research it independently.”
What if the merchant has a bad experience and wants to stop? Support their decision. Remove the wallet if they want. Document what went wrong so you can improve the onboarding process for future merchants.
Printable Quick Reference for Facilitators
- Understand the merchant’s current payment situation first
- Explain Bitcoin payments in terms they already understand
- Assess readiness before any technical setup
- Do not push if the merchant is not ready
- Make the technical setup simple and supervised
- Follow up consistently for at least the first month
- Respect the merchant’s decision if they choose to stop