Merchant Sales Podcast

There is an interesting trend happening in restaurants. As we become more comfortable ordering food from our phone through Door Dash, GrubHub and Uber Eats, many restaurants are having us order food and pay from our phone at the table as well. In this week's edition, we explore this trend that would potentially eliminate point of sale systems long term. We will also discuss the unique, smart QR Code solution created by Retail Cloud called Tickt that is both processor agnostic AND POS Agnostic, meaning you can sell it to any restaurant without swapping their point of sale system or trying to integrate with it.

Learn how Beyond identifies and trains new sales agents to succeed in merchant services. Continuous, one-on-one communication is crucial, says Logan Peters, Senior Director at Beyond. Plus James discusses the nexus of compensation and finances, and Patti reports on what the Federal Trade Commission is up to.

There are 3 trends on which everyone should be focused this summer while balancing time off. #1 - Dual Pricing Regardless of your beliefs about this pricing structure, the market is moving. You can capture new merchant accounts by getting a jump on your competition. #2 - Integrated Payments Is your portfolio secure from software / technology competitors? Use this summer to reposition yourself as a solutions expert. #3 - B2B Payments This is a 33 Trillion dollar opportunity! Are you going to take action this summer or let other competitors land these profitable accounts?

Learn how Maverick Payments works with small ISOs to promote their brands and scale up sales and service with an ISO in a Box solution. "We focus on white glove support," says Ben Griefer, COO. Plus, James offers advice on training agents, and the "cycle of learning," and Patti reports on CFPB efforts to rein in Big Tech.

This week, James Huber, an attorney at Global Legal Law Firm, sits down with James and Patti to discuss compliance with Visa rules, and Visa's recent attempt to rein in cash discounting and surcharging programs. Plus, James offers advice on building up your portfolio this summer, and Patti reports on Mastercard plans for biometric payments.

While robust solutions exist for large organizations that need chargeback management, SMBs have been largely left out. Our sponsor for this week's merchant sales insight, Charge Sentry, is providing a simple, automated system that allows small and medium sized merchants the ability to manage and respond to chargebacks. I was fascinated by all that this software can do, from notification, to pulling specific transaction data, to handling chargeback response. If you deal with CNP merchants, this software is a must!

SMBs are losing money hand over fist due to chargebacks. This week, Jack Shenon, Founder & CEO at ChargeSentry, explains why, and how ISOs and merchant sales reps can make it their business to shift this paradigm. Then James offers some advice on how sales reps can refine their craft, and Patti has an update on consumer card preferences.

I believe a portfolio that grows exponentially without your involvement in the pinnacle of residual income. That is the opportunity that exists by selling software companies that service small business owners. Integrated your payment processing with their software allows you add a new MID every time they sell a new client. Tilled makes it easy to integrate payments into any software solution and allows the software company to remove the merchant enrollment barriers while increase income. Check out this edition of the Merchant Sales Insight to learn more!

"It's time to move away from talking basis points and focus on merchant benefits," Eric Bernstein, COO at Valor PayTech, counsels during this week's featured interview. Plus, Patti reports on a Congressional hearing called by Senator Richard Durbin and prospects for a Durbin Amendment redux, while James offers some insights on pursuing unusual sales opportunities.

The recent Visa memo has been a hot topic with ISOs, Acquirers, and individual agents. In this week's episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, we explore the path forward with Keith Sampson, the national sales manager for North American Bancard and architect of their dual price program, "Edge." Patti follows this interview with details about the Visa memo for those who have not seen it. James gives his take on the memo, the pivot to dual pricing, and why Visa has good reason for their increased enforcement of their rules.

What Bankcard reps want is not always what they need. What they want is the highest possible residual split. "Competitive Compensation" is very important, but what these reps often need is resources, training, support and a culture that gives them motivation to prospect. In this week's edition, I outline what I believe are the 4 things Bankcard reps really need to be successful. I worked with my good friend, Brian Kamstra of Payroc during the writing of this week's merchant sales insight. We leverage his 20+ years of successfully building 1099 merchant sales teams to understand the keys to choosing the right processor as well as the building the great team.

Offering embedded finance solutions, like buy now pay later, is a promising opportunity for ISOs and agents. The market is "blowing up" and revenue opportunities are significant, said Marc Beauchamp, CEO at Enable Financing.com, a BNPL provider that partners with ISOs and agents. Plus Patti breaks down recent BNPL headlines, and James explains why dual pricing is the path forward for cash discounting.

As surcharging, dual pricing and other forms of differential pricing become more popular, many merchants are looking to add a true cash option by placing an ATM in their business. This week, we discuss ATMs with Yonas Marcos from Star Financial ( https://www.gowithstar.com ). This is a segment of the market that continues to grow and evolve. Learn how you can land new merchant accounts and increase your margins on existing merchant accounts with ATMs.

Tap into new markets, create new revenue opportunities and build merchant loyalty with ATM sales. "ATMs are an excellent complement to card acceptance," says Yonas Marcos, President and CEO at Star Financial. This is especially true for merchants on cash discounting, as it provides a fast way for their customers to access cash. Also this week's podcast features some encouraging economic reports, and offers answers to the question "To hire or not to hire?".

ISOs and Agents made a huge mistake by giving Micro-Merchant accounts to Square, either directly or by not boarding them. In this edition of the merchant sales insight, learn why Micro-Merchants (Processing less than $3,000 per month) are valuable, profitable and can lead to significant portfolio growth. This episode is sponsored by PayBright and I would like to personally thank Dustin Magaziner for his help with this publication. Paybright created a unique solution that works for Micro-Merchants and for Agents. You can check them out by visiting https://www.gopaybright.com

Why Large Merchants are Embracing Cash Discounting by Merchant Sales Podcast

Selling on value isn't just about understanding technology and integrated payments. It is about "SELLING!" In this edition of the merchant sales insight, I share specific and practical sales techniques to help you generate interest, overcome objections and close deals, all while focusing on value over price.

In this week's podcast episode, long time industry veteran Brian Kamstra shares the secrets to his success. Brian has created one of the largest and most productive direct sales teams in the merchant services industry at Payroc. Then, James answers the question, "Should ISOs be afraid of Crypto Acceptance?" Patti finishes up the episode discussing online shopping trends and how fraud is impacting these transactions.

As various forms of Cash Discounting and Surcharging become more mainstream, larger merchants are showing interest. These accounts generate life changing residual income, if you can overcome the challenges of selling multiple decision makers and implementing a compliant program across hundreds of locations. Our sponsor, Dynamic Merchant Processing, specializes in these accounts and has a team of experts to back them up. Learn how they are closing monster merchant accounts and generating massive monthly margin.

Learn how Retail Cloud is helping restaurants address staffing shortages and drive more. Kevin Calaco, CEO, said explains how cutting edge "smart" technology helps restaurants boost average tickets. Plus Patti reports on stirrings in Washington regarding interchange, and James explains strategies for capitalizing on the trend toward greater integration and verticalization.

Tired of spinning your wheels in the mud of attrition? Are you making sales each year to replace the residuals you are losing from cancellations? In this week's edition of the Merchant Sales Insight, Elaina Smith of Secure Bancard helped me create a guide to 3 things top agents do to minimize attrition and build a solid residual portfolio.

The key is controlling the merchant experience, which starts with controlling merchant pricing, explains Elaina Smith, Co-Founder and CFO at Secure Bancard. Plus James answers the question of "What is your why?" and discusses the key to stay motivated And Patti has an update on interchange.

Fuel stations are now well past the EMV deadline and as they scramble to replace expensive pumps and install new point of sale systems, our sponsor GAS POS has positioned themselves perfectly to provide equipment and software as a service with Cash Discounting integrated deeply into the automated pumps and in-store experience. Check out this week's edition of the Merchant Sales Insight to learn more about the challenges independent gas stations are facing and how you can help, while building a massive residual portfolio.

Coupling cash discounting with EMV compliance upgrades for gas pumps is a winning sales proposition for independent fuel stations, Josh Smith, CEO at Gas POS explains in this week’s featured interview. Plus James tackles the question of when is the best time to build a team, and Patti offers an update on tapping to pay.

With the rise of Cash Discounting and fast are pricing, why should you analyze a processing statement? There are five primary reasons why agents and ISOs choose not to collect and analyze processing statements. However, as you will see in this week's edition of the Merchant Sales Insight, you might be leaving value on the table. Here are 5 reasons NOT to analyze processing statements and why you should anyway.

Discover how crypto payments are finding a place at the point of sale. "There's a lot of demand even though it's still early days," said Jeremy Belostock, Head of Advanced Payment Methods at Verifone. Plus, Patti offers additional insights on crypto, and James describes how to make the pivot to telemarketing.

Most agents believe that there are only two options. They can sell a full feature point of sale system that will lock in the merchant, or they can sell a cheap stand alone terminal with no real features, other than payment processing. There is a third option! You can offer a good solution the merchant that is simple, compared to a Point of Sale or Integrated Payment setup, that also has features they will love, including omni-channel. Our sponsor for this edition of the merchant sales insight is Valor Paytech. Visit https://www.ccsalespro.com/valor to learn more.

Learn how Big Data can be leveraged to help ISOs and acquirers predict and minimize merchant defections in this week's interview with Sebastian Builes, Co-Founder and CEO at Arcum Partners. Then James answers the question: what's the most underrated component of agent compensation? Spoiler alert: it's retention. Plus Patti has the latest on business and consumer payment trends.

Learn how and why PayBright targets micro-merchants. "These are merchants that are going to potentially grow and become larger merchants," explains Dustin Magaziner, Managing Partner. Plus James discusses what it takes to dominate a specific vertical, and Patti reports on merchant satisfaction with leading payment processing companies.

Donnie Troy, owner of One Quest Payments, wasn't always keen on cash discounting. But now that he's leading with it, there's no turning back. "I've done 35 deals in 3 months," he tells James & Patti in this week's featured interview. Tune in to learn how. Plus James has advice for building cash discounting portability, and Patti reports on future prognostications regarding payment processing.

"We make it extra easy for merchants to market to their customers," says Danny Mikhail, CEO at the POS system software provider Zuza. Marketing services provide layer of protection for ISO and agent residual streams, and another selling point for prospects, he adds. Also this week, James addresses a question about how to deal with the prospect of state attorneys general taking issue with cash discounting and surcharging. Plus, Patti reports on new efforts to get Congress to address rising interchange.

This is the audio version of our Merchant Sales Insight, we hope you enjoy it and learn more about the exciting opportunity of B2B payments.

Is it time for SMBs to accept crypto payments? Yes! Eric Brown, Founder and CEO of CryptoBucks, explains why in this week's featured interview. Then James drills down on why ISOs and agents should sell crypto acceptance, and Patti reports on how 2022 is expected to bring a rash of new B2B solutions.

"Ultimately, it's about stickiness and adding merchants," explains Lane Gordon, Managing Director at the consultancy 733 Park. And creating multiple client touchpoints makes for sticky customers, he adds during this insighful interview. Plus, James discusses the value cash discounting and surcharging bring to a merchant portfolio, and Patti reports on how interchange increases are playing out in the UK.

Merchant onboarding is a huge pain point, for merchants and agents, alike. Under.io has automated the manual application process, as well as underwriting and related steps. Jeff Shea, Co-Founder and COO at Under, explains how. Also this week: James offers advice for auditing your sales processes, and Patti reports on crypto payments at the point of sale.

Learn about a processor agnostic B2B gateway that ISOs can white label; it even supports cash discounting "ISOs drive our product road map," says Ben Frisch, Co-Founder & Director of Business Development at accept.blue. Plus, James has advice for what to do when there is seemingly no time to prospect, and Patti reports on Visa efforts to keep pot shop sales off its debit network.

Cash discounting for restaurants! As restaurant owners struggle to contain costs, "this really moves the needle," explains Saleem Khatri, CEO at Lavu. Plus, James shares practical tips for improving your sales skills, and Patti makes the case for selling B2B. You can download a free ebook, Selling Cash Discounting to Restaurants, by going to ccsalespro.com/lavu. Learn more about Lavu by texting the word Lavu to 63975.

Card-not present merchants present a huge opportunity for selling surcharging, and Stax is making a play to better serve this market through its recent acquisition of leading surcharging solution provider CardX. CardX CEO Jonathan Razi and Stax Co-Founder Sal Rehmetullah join James and Patti this week to discuss how ISOs and agents can build their books offering surcharging to CNP verticals. Plus James explains why cash discounting and surcharging adoption will surge with CNP merchants in 2022, and Patti reports on how the Feds are moving to rein in big tech's consumer payments activities.

Discover key trends that will shape the future of merchant services, and how these might effect large ISOs, smaller ISOs and individual agents, as well as consumer spending trends are shaping the near term, in this far-reaching dialogue between James & Patti.

Learn how Enroll & Pay helps ISOs and agents offer businesses a turnkey loyalty program, tied to card payments, with conversion rates as high as 70%. "It's a churn killer," says Dana Dahms, Director of Global Sales at Enroll & Pay. Plus, it drives better residuals, he adds. (Download the Merchant Sales Insight on the topic here.) Then, James fields a question on strategies for getting merchants off the fence, and Patti reports on the crypto craze.

PayFac as a Service is a novel concept that MSPs can leverage to tap into the ISV market, Caleb Avery, CEO of Tilled, explains in this week's featured interview. Plus, Patti reports on an ISO in the legal crosshairs, and James describes the huge opportunity that exists for prospecting & selling cash discounting & surcharging to CNP merchants. Click here to connect with Tilled.

Learn the ins and outs of selling high-risk merchant accounts. "Agents who can differentiate between low risk and high risk is where we're seeing success," said Ben Griefer, COO at Maverick BankCard. Plus, James explains the importance of acknowledging negatives while emphasizing positives when selling merchant services, and Patti reports on a clash of titans as Amazon takes on Visa.

Discover how to sell payment processing, and cash discounting, to businesses invoicing customers through QuickBooks. "We're a turbocharger for QuickBooks," explains Tom Aronica, Founder & CEO of Biller Genie. Plus, James discusses opportunities for pitching compliant cash discounting to card-not-present merchants, and Patti reports on promising economic news.

MPI is an ISO that's been building a profitable book of business with W2 sales and support employees, as they leverage referral relationships. "The W2 model has been a really good fit for us as a company," said Katie McMillan, Director of Sales. Discover how & why. Then James & Patti talk about recent news regarding PAX & its terminals

In this weeks episode, we follow the career journey of Jeff Underwood through different management roles and discuss the challenge and opportunity of building a team within a large organization. James follows up this interview by discussing the trade-offs that come from increased involvement with your processing company. Then Patti discusses a new law in Texas relating to sales tax on credit card processing fees.

Get a behind the scenes look at how Stax (formerly Fattmerchant) worked with NMI to build a next-gen ISO, as James interviews Jacques Fu of Stax and Jen Sherman from NMI. And stick around after the interview for Patti's report on new small business formations in time of Covid.

Discover how Rate Tracker, built by Adam Niec, helps ISOs and agents generate lists of quality leads. Then stick around for James's advice on considerations that should precede decisions around rate increases, and Patti's reporting on Covid-related changes in payments that have staying power.

Discover how TableCrunch helps ISOs and agents boost margins with an automated email marketing platform for Clover, Pax and Poynt merchants. You can also download a free ebook at ccsalepro.com/tablecrunch. Plus, James takes a question about generating leads through online marketing, and Patti reports on a security flaw involving Apple Pay wallets.

It's simple. Just swap at the printer cable, says Dickson Chu, CEO at Copper Inc. Plus James explains option selling, and Patti reports on a lawsuit involving ATM surcharges.

Discover how Visa has boosted transaction costs for some restaurants without actually raising interchange. Kyle Morgan, CEO at MPI, explains how his company is doing to help restaurants deal with the seemingly subtle shifts in interchange pricing. And don't miss Patti's report on gift card trends, and James's tips for getting past gatekeepers when calling on prospects.