Small business lending gets boost
ending to small businesses by the mega-bank JPMorgan Chase has taken a spike. The bank extended more than $1.1 billion in credit to small businesses during the first two months of the year, double its lending total during the same two months last year, a spokesman told us. In addition, the spokesman said Chase increased lending through the Small Business Administration by $26 million, to total $181 million for the first five months of the federal government's fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2009.
March 08, 2010 • Issue 10:03:01
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Lead Story
Trade associations at your service
No accredited college courses, degrees or vocational schools exist for neophyte ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs), but there are still tremendous opportunities for such professionals to network and share knowledge. How does this happen? Through trade associations. This article takes a look at these vaunted industry groups.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – News
ETA says down with proposed CFPA
The Electronic Transactions Association was one of a legion of organizations that endorsed a recent letter to the United States Senate urging it to block the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which the ETA says would place an undue burden on payment companies.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – News
Cambridge researchers find EMV flaw
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, released a report describing what they say is a substantial security flaw in the Europay/MasterCard/Visa chip and PIN payment system that might underlie numerous European fraud cases. But some say the professed security risk is overblown.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – News
Acquiring solutions provider Total Systems Services Inc. released what it calls the "hybrid card." It allows consumers to switch between a credit line and one or more debit accounts on a single card, and is the "first iteration" of a program the company says may expand and add new functions down the line.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Selling Prepaid
Finding your most valuable customers
It is an accepted axiom in the loyalty space that by rewarding your best customers, they become your most vocal champions. Therefore, finding them is critical to a successful loyalty program. Without knowing who your best customers are, and more importantly their behaviors, you may be rewarding the wrong customers and hindering profitability.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Research Rundown
A survey of credit professionals by Multi Service Corp. found that "slow pay or delinquencies" was a leading concern for the 2010 business year. But according to a white paper in which the survey's results were included, late business-to-business (B2B) payments are often the result of factors other than customers' inability to pay. How can such delays be avoided?
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Views
Follow Wendy's for a winning combo
When Wendy's International Inc. released its double hamburger some years back, very few customers initially bought the item. But when the company subsequently rolled out its triple hamburger offering, sales of the double soared. What did one have to do with the other?
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Views
Let's be smart about smart phone payments
With such a flexible platform, smart phone software developers have grasped the burgeoning market opportunity to deliver fresh content to millions of users. Inevitably, new offerings have included credit card acceptance solutions, which represent a tremendous revenue opportunity for ISOs and acquirers. Yet, in a sense, the iPhone payments landscape is a bit like a wild frontier.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Street Smarts
When writing a merchant services deal it is important that the situation be win-win-win. All three parties – agent, client and processor – must gain something from every deal written. Yet one of the hardest things to do is walk away from a merchant who demands more than you are willing to give. Where should merchant services providers draw the line?
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Education
Top 10 mistakes in PCI compliance
As more ISOs and acquiring banks mandate that Level 4 merchants comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS), they are coming face to face a harsh reality: It's one thing to establish a PCI compliance policy, but quite another to bring your merchants on board. For maximum merchant compliance in minimum time, here are some common mistakes to avoid.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Education
The nuances of the question, Why?
This question can be rhetorical, operational, driven by emotion or simply used to spur conversation. To complicate matters, it may fit multiple categories simultaneously. This article examines the most misunderstood of all questions: Why?
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Education
Seven rules for MLS sales success
Many books and articles have been written about sales success. Distilled from this avalanche of information, here are seven simple rules for selling – set forth specifically for ISOs and MLSs – that might prove helpful.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Education
Developing a relevant, compelling value proposition
Value propositions are important because they provide the rationale for customers to choose to do business with you instead of the competition. Having a relevant and compelling value proposition is especially important in the payment processing sphere, as it can elevate your company from the sea of competitors offering what is often perceived as a commodity service.
GS Issue 10:03:01 – Inspiration
Where does happiness come from, and how do we create and sustain it? Happiness is a choice we must make for ourselves every single day. This article discusses strategies for keeping a good attitude and a bright outlook.