Page 43 - GS191001

Inspiration

The ultimate business-building tool

ome of you might be reading this while attend- who are energized, engaged and capable of motivating
ing the 2019 Money20/20 show taking place Oct. others to try new things and bring their businesses to the
27 to 30 in Las Vegas. I tip my hat to you. Others next level.
S among you might have recently returned from
the Western States Acquirers Association's annual meeting Become a trusted ally
held in San Diego in September. I tip my hat to you, as well. It is often said that people want to do business with those
they know and trust. What better ways are there to get to
Why? Because tradeshows provide benefits that make know someone than to sit with them over coffee and talk
them well worth the investment required to attend. This is about a panel discussion you just attended, to chat with a
especially true in today's payments world, where a working rep at a vendor's booth and discover that you have mutual
knowledge of multiple solutions is necessary to meet the friends in common, to learn from a potential partner that
needs of today's astute and changing merchant population. they entered the payments industry for the same reasons you

Experience the benefits did, to discover during an opening reception that someone
who has been rather stiff during phone interactions has a
Among numerous benefits of tradeshow attendance are terrific sense of humor?
that you can:
• Network in person with current colleagues, partners At tradeshows you also get to see how people interact with
and vendors others and gain new perspectives on their strengths and
weaknesses. And if you're interested in learning more about
• Form new connections and strengthen established a business, you can not only speak with the company's
relationships reps in person, you can also ask other attendees what their
• Set up meetings to advance and close deals experiences with that company have been like. That means
• See new products demonstrated in person you can cover a tremendous amount of ground in a short
time.
• Get technical questions explained by those most
knowledgeable The more true connections you make, even ones that seem
• Attend educational seminars and workshops fleeting at the time, the more people will think of you when
they need the kinds of products and services you offer.
• Brainstorm about business issues with your peers Good rapport is essential when building a payments biz; it
• Learn about new trends and developments in the in- enhances your reputation, which fosters trust.
dustry
• Learn the latest strategies for remaining competitive Building trust, of course, takes time. Following up on
budding as well as long-standing relationships is critical.
• Recruit new agents for your sales team It can seem daunting considering how demanding life in
payments is, but today's CRM tools can help immensely.
In the end it all boils down to relationships. You can And strengthening connections is how you build a strong
accomplish a good deal by phone, video conference and network one person at a time.
email. But nothing compares to conversing face to face
with people who truly understand the payments biz. And
nothing compares to an environment full of professionals
Kate Gillespie, President and CEO

43