i just got my first business to agree to accept a 1099a. still waiting on a supervisor but looks like it's a go. it was TOUGH. the lady was trying to be nice but she didn't have a clue about 1099a's except for a very narrow scope of their potential use. intelligent, professional, and well-educated. and explaining it calmly the best i could kept getting interpreted as talking down to her. but i kept coming back to the points that needed to be made for her to understand my intentions and the business's (how IS that spelled?) OBLIGATION to accept this instrument. i dealt with questions like IRS? this is not going to create a tax obligation for us, is it? i clearly explained that any tax obligations of their business was between them and the IRS and that while my honoring their contract would result in income, whatever liability in taxes had nothing to do with me. that part i explained so clearly she actually cut me off and dropped that one. also dealt with the initial freak out of look up the directions for form 1099a, see 'abandoned property' and freak out. "OR". the form says. "OR". Anyway, could have gone smoother, but could have gone soooo much worse. and we got through it. together, sort of. now i have to ask a couple questions because i need to make sure my ducks are in a row.
know your shit. not all of it, but enough to paint a clear and accurate picture of the process
have authentic confidence in the pieces of the different systems at play that you do understand. have a set of those pieces of law and knowledge that fit together in a way that is accurate and makes sense (to an entrained citizen and layperson, not just to people who study this or even know anything accurate about it)
above all: remember you are dealing with humans. they may be working as slave cogs but they are humans who want what we all do; to feel safe and good and appreciated and SEEN and HEARD. and you have to be authentic.
you're missing any of these three things,