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MeetTheExpert
through rough waters with your business partners, it can
make things smoother down the road. The key is working
through those problems together in a mutually beneficial
way and being open/honest with your partners.
How do you help ISVs, ISOs and MLSs design and
implement winning payments strategies?
The key is to ask questions and understand the goals for
the various parties. What works for one ISV/ISO/agent
may not work for another. By asking specific questions,
and following those up with more questions, I've been
able to really get a detailed idea of where a partner wants
to be. The trick then is creating the map to get there, which ISV world.
can be more difficult – especially if where they want to be
involves a lot of work.
What do ISOs need to know to develop productive
relationships with ISVs?
Often when I'm speaking with an ISV that is talking
with another payments technology company, the biggest
difference between the two companies is: 1. my company's
technology; 2. my ability to understand the ISV; and 3. the
ability to present my technology in a way that shows how
it can be used by the ISV.
To be successful, ISOs need to have a base understanding of
their technology offering that includes the fundamentals
of data security, programming efficiency, what their
technology offering to the ISV does (and doesn't do), what
issues the technology solves (and what it doesn't solve),
and the like. They also need to understand the ISV's
current position, their longer term goals and constraints.
In some cases, the goals will conflict with the constraints.
The best salespeople are the ones that are brave enough
to say, "That won't work," and smart enough to follow that
with, "But this will."
How do you maintain existing relationships?
Ensuring that what I promise in the sale is delivered is
really the biggest factor. If you promise gold and deliver
bronze, while the solution may work, the relationship will
always be tainted and likely lag behind. Often this is the
biggest barrier to successful partnerships.
Another key is understanding analytics and metrics. Being
able to provide accurate reports to partners about historical
and projected growth is a key to strong partnerships.
The best way to maintain a relationship though is to keep
pushing forward. If the relationship involves boarding
merchants – be sure you're consistently boarding
merchants. If it involves referring merchants to your
partner – be sure you're referring merchants.
What's the biggest challenge the
payments industry faces today?
Keeping up! There's a lot of change out there and a lot of bad
information. Trying to sort through it all can be difficult,
but a steady diet of industry articles and communications
with colleagues can really help. A recent example of this
could be the misinformation about EMV capabilities like
adjusting tips on EMV transactions (many said it was not
possible – however it is possible).
The biggest challenges are yet to come – especially as the
industry consolidates more and combines with the POS/
There are a lot of salespeople in the payments
technology space. How do you stand out?
When I started in the industry, I kept relatively quiet
about my personal life and shied away from talking with
folks about my passions outside of the job. At some point,
I changed my tune and really started to embrace talking
with folks on a more personal level.
A good example for me has been music. I'm an avid
musician and always have my mandolin with me at
tradeshows and other sales trips. In many cases, I've
played with my partners who also happen to be musicians
and led sing-alongs (usually after a few drinks). While that
is completely unrelated to processing or technology – it's a
great way to get to know someone and start a conversation.
Since all sales come down to the amount of conversations
you have, it actually has really helped my sales. Plus, it's
unique and helps me stand out in a crowd.
Snap Shot of 2017
Calendar of Events
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SEAA Annual Conference
http:/Mc/owamwr/cwrhe.sgoi2suttr0haetaio-snt2.ahc2tqmulirers.
http://pwhwp?wfl.agrge=ecnaslehnedeta.rc_odmis/pdlaatyebook.
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