Merchant Sales Podcast

As you think about your strategy for 2023 and beyond, there are 5 trends that you should consider. In this week's episode of the podcast and the Merchant Sales Insight, Patti interviews James Shepherd on his top 5 trends for 2023.

In this special, end-of-year edition of the Merchant Sales Podcast and Merchant Sales Insight, James is sharing the most important trends to watch in 2023 and how these 5 trends will impact your growth strategy. Don't miss this special edition and be sure to download the PDF version by clicking here: http://www.ccsalespro.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023_Integrated_Payments_Strategy_NMI.pdf

Let's make 2023 the year we finally learn how to bring the worlds of ISO, Agent and ISV together to compete in a beneficial way to all concerned! This week, we interview Thomas Moore, VP of Business Development at payarc, about the challenges of bringing the ISV world together with the ISO world. James follows up with advice around the ISV partnership mindset for individual agents. And Patti close...

In this edition of the merchant sales insight, I want to talk about Valor Paytech's cloud based support and the importance of controlling terminal settings and the entire merchant experience from the cloud. I am always amazed by the technology available to agents and ISOs today versus when I started 12 years ago! Make sure you have full visibility and real time control of every device you deploy.

If you're selling payment processing to grocers and c-stores, consider selling EBT processing too, says Kyle Morgan, CEO at Mercantile Processing Inc. "You should be offering it as a value-add," he told James and Patti during this week's featured interview. Also this week, James explains the importance of "next action steps" when working with agents and with prospects, and Patti reports on struggl...

In a recent poll conducted in the CCSalesPro Community with individual agents, we found that 48% of agents are leading with Dual Pricing and only 33% with Non-Cash Adjustment / Service Fee programs. The remaining agents are leading with true Cash Discounting (14%) and Compliant Surcharging (5%). Learn why the trend is towards Dual Pricing. Learn why companies like our sponsor, North American Banca...

This week we speak to one of the founders of OnDeck to learn why he launched a new company, "Lending Front." This company is bringing mainstream lending to merchants through partnerships with payments companies and banks. This is the future of small business lending. Then, James speaks to a brand new field agent who is struggling to walk into businesses, and Patti provides compelling data on ISVs...

How well do you understand merchant statements? Learn the ins and outs in this edition of the merchant sales insight. We dive into topics like issuing banks that charge interchange, interchange padding and optimization, card brand fees and processor fees. If you want to become an expert at reading merchant statements, this is a great place to start! Make sure you visit https://www.getisoamp.com to...

Tune in this week and learn how Josh Beneditti is building a modern payments company, Card Z3N. "We offer technology with a human touch," Josh explains. James follows that up with insights on raising capital, and Patti closes out the podcast with a report on growing fraud threats.

In this edition of the Merchant Sales Insight, I explain what a vertical specific software company is and what they are looking for from a payment processor. We discuss how to identify a good software company prospect and help you better understand their challenges and needs. This edition is sponsored by Tilled.

In this episode... We talk with Yonas Marcos, CEO at Star Financial, about the ATM business. We explain why ATMs have become more popular through the rise of cash discounting and now dual pricing. We also discuss non-compliant ATM systems, such as the Cashless ATMs being used by Cannabis Dispensaries, and how Visa is cracking down. Then, I discuss some powerful external threats to the ISO / Agent...

Let's face it, the merchant services industry spends way too much money on recruiting and far too little on training. The secret to both recruiting and activating reps is training. Learn the 3 step process that I used in my own ISO and what dozens of consulting clients have used to dramatically reduce the cost per recruiting lead while simultaneously increasing the agent activation rate.

In this episode... We interview Sebastian Builes, CEO at Arcum Partners. We discuss how they have created a technology platform that identifies at-risk merchant accounts before they cancel. Thus, ISOs and other payments companies can dramatically reduce the cost of attrition. James talks to an agent about building a business funding solution alongside payment processing. Then Patti closes out the...

In this edition, we focus on the challenge of selling larger volume merchant accounts. I get very specific with tips on how to find data on these local merchants and how to connect with the right decision makers. I asked Dustin Magaziner of Paybright to sponsor this edition as part of the, "No Merchant Left Behind" series. I love what Paybright is doing to ensure that agents don't lose profitable...

Whether you are an individual agent or the CEO of an ISO or ISV, our interview this week will help you overcome your barriers to growth. OB Rawls has a long track record of success in the payments space and currently spends his time helping payments and technology companies scale up. Then, Patti and James talk about credit card routing and debate pending legislation and regulation that could impac...

Most Americans still want to carry some cash and they get this cash from ATM machines. Yonas Marcus, the CEO at Star Financial tells us that he is seeing a surge in ATM placements at businesses like Restaurants that are implementing Dual Pricing. Consumer behavior remains the same, but the business enjoys presenting an alternative to card payments and they make a little money as patrons grab some...

Learn how Lavu helps ISOs and agents deliver easy-to-use, customizable, iPad-enabled POS solutions to specialty food service merchants. Think bars, drive throughs and pizza shops. "We can scale up or scale down," Lavu CEO Saleem Khatri, explains in this week's featured interview. Then James shares results of an informal survey of pricing practices. Spoiler alert: dual pricing is gaining. And Patti...

There are many large companies with a national footprint that are paying much more than they should for payment processing. Why are they willing to pay such high fees? Because they value a smooth integration with their custom software to create seamless experiences for the end user. Learn about the basics of APIs and how you can target these merchants with solutions like our sponsor NMI.com

In this week's episode, long time industry professional, Kristin McWilliams, explains the inner workings of the payments industry in a practical way. She answers questions like, "Should your ISO become a Payfac?", "Should you register?", "What is a wholesale ISO?" And many more. Then, James talks about taking sales seriously, and Patti gives us an update on Zelle and the fraud issues they are expe...

In this edition of the Merchant Sales Insight, I follow up on my recent live event, and new training program with Lavu to break down the core competitive advantages enjoyed by Toast for the last few years and how agents / ISOs should compete with this solution. I also lay out a framework for competing with other Payfac / ISV companies using the agent channel. Lavu is the sponsor of this weeks edit...

In this episode we discuss Crypto Acceptance with Abdullah Tharoo of Pay Koncept, a company that has pioneered Crypto Acceptance for more mainstream merchant types such as Jewelers. Then, James talks about the future of payment processing as it relates to alternate forms of payment. How should you be adjusting your strategy for ACH (Fed Now), P2P (Venmo and Zelle) as well as new forms of value exc...

In this edition of the Merchant Sales Insight, I partnered with retailcloud to discuss the importance of in-store pick up and how this tactic can be used by smaller retailers to compete with their larger competition such as Amazon.

While the recent attempt by Senator Durbin to attach this regulation as an amendment to a defense spending bill has failed, he still seems determined to further regulated Visa and Mastercard by requiring the creation of competitive networks and giving them a fighting chance. What does this mean for our industry? This is our topic on the Merchant Sales Podcast today. James Shepherd starts out the e...

What does the ISO of the future look like? If an ISO wants to grow over the next 3 to 5 years, I believe they need a true partnership with technology companies. I am not talking about doing a quick payments integration and telling their sales team that a new POS is available. I am talking about making a capital investment in a technology company, playing a key role in designing the payments experi...

This week James and Patti speak with Elaina Smith, CFO at Secure Bancard, about how the Durbin Amendment changed the debit card market and how Sen. Durbin has offered similar legislation targeting the credit card market. James offers some insights on what, if any, impacts ISOs and agents can expect if Sen. Durbin's proposal is passed, and Patti has an overview of the legislation itself.