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Letter from the editors

t's far more costly to gain new merchant accounts
than it is to retain and upsell to existing mer-
chant customers. This is common knowledge
I among payment professionals. This doesn't
mean ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs)
should forego new account acquisition efforts; it just
means outreach to existing customers should continue
alongside outreach to new prospects. It turns out the
same holds true for merchant verticals as a whole.

There is much to be gained by breaking into new
market verticals, especially those that have been
relatively untouched by competitors. However, this
is a costly, time-consuming endeavor, and needs to
coexist with other business-building efforts. The lead
article herein takes a look at the opportunities found in
bringing new services to verticals already in an ISO's
or MLS's wheelhouse. Advancements in technology
have made it possible to offer merchants sophisticated
capabilities that didn't exist just a few short years ago.
The payments landscape is indeed changing, and
ISOs and MLSs have much to gain by researching and
providing new features and functionalities that will
drive greater value to clients in their existing verticals. Bridge the Gap

Part of serving existing verticals entails ongoing edu- between your
cation, and industry experts featured in The Green Sheet
make consistent contributions to that effort. Topics ad- advertising dollars
dressed in this issue include habits of ineffective ISO
recruiters and what to do instead when building a and bottom line.
sales team, the need for the big card brands to promote
EMV implementation via advertising campaigns, legal
issues pertaining to technology contracting that ISOs Customized advertising campaigns
should be aware of, and using conceptual frameworks to fit any size company and budget.
to understand and talk about technology you haven't
seen in action. • Spotlight Innovators’ Pages

We post news stories throughout each work week (frequently updated content)
on our home page, www.greensheet.com. A number of • Print (various size options)
recent stories are highlighted in News Briefs, including
the delayed disclosure of the massive Equifax hack • Resource Guide listing
affecting approximately 143 million individuals,
EMVCo's expanded EMV tokenization framework, (print/online/front page (option))
the e-gift card growth reflected in the Blackhawk- • Email Blasts (to GS readership)
CashStar merger, KFC's advancement of biometrics
with the launch of its smile-to-pay pilot in China, and • Online (website/twice month newsletter)
Burger King's introduction of Whoppercoin in Russia.
• Video
Also in these pages, you'll find data on connected- • Bundle advertisng campaign discounts*
consumer commerce trends, new product and
company profiles, and views from readers on potential
losses from chips detaching from EMV cards, as well Danielle Thorpe
as updates on industry research, acquisitions and
partnerships, appointments, special honors, and AVP Media Partnerships
other achievements. Be sure to send your feedback to
greensheet@greensheet.com and press releases to press@ 707-284-1686
greensheet.com .

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