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Education

• The merchant disrespects loss. Even if a merchant makes you good money in the long run, part-
your staff: Occasionally, you nering with a merchant who causes havoc is rarely worthwhile.
will encounter a client who
treats you well but disrespects Exit with grace
your team. When it comes to It's easy to picture situations where you finally tell off a customer. However,
the long-term success of your it's important not to let your emotions get in the way. Always maintain a
business, your team is more professional attitude, even if your client does not. You might be determined to
valuable than any client you fire a client, but there's no need to burn the bridge.
could have, so you must stop
this bad behavior. That is not People talk, no matter how big or small your community is, so be respectful in
to say that you have to fire the all situations.
merchant immediately. You
should speak to them about Also, consider suggesting a company with whom your now soon to be ex-
your concerns and how you'd merchant can work. It is a professional courtesy that not only makes you look
like them to treat your em- good, but may also benefit a competitor who may be a better fit. So let go of
ployees differently. Do not merchants that are a burden to you or your staff. You will deliver more to those
delegate this responsibility to who matter most if you protect the value of your business or service.
anyone on your team; handle
it personally. If these attempts
don't help, let the merchant go, Natasa Cvijanovic, co-founder and CEO of Tesla Payments and member of the SEAA advisory com-
politely. mittee, has a proven track record within the payment industry of cultivating successful relation-
ships with ISOs, MLSs and strategic partners. In developing national sales channels, she provides
• The merchant wants you to training and coaching to sales partners to enable them to become better business partners and
compromise your ethical advocates for their merchants, and to assist them in building portfolios producing steady residual
standards: The client is asking streams. She is also dedicated to consistently delivering high levels of professionalism, integrity,
you to do something that vio- dependability and trustworthiness. Contact her at natasa@teslapayments.com.
lates your ethical standards as
well as the rules and regula-
tions of the card brands. This
requires no additional expla-
nation.

• You dislike working with
them: Ultimately, you're in
charge of your own business.
You may decide to fire a cus-
tomer because you dislike
working with them. Perhaps
their personality simply irri-
tates you, and you try to avoid
meetings with them whenever
possible. Trust your instincts
if you or your employees are
uncomfortable just thinking
about meeting with them.

• The merchant takes too much
of your time: Even if you're a
newer MLS looking for any
opportunity to grow your
portfolio, you're bound to
come across a merchant who
is a nuisance at some point.
They take up too much of your
time, taking away your energy
or motivation.

Parting ways is the best course
of action if this happens, even
if it means taking a financial

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