By Allen Kopelman
Nationwide Payment Systems Inc.
In 2001, Judy Foster welcomed me to the payments industry. Knowing that my partner, Dave, and I were new to the business, she said, "We're starting the Southeast Acquirers Association and we'll be having our first show in St. Petersburg, Florida, and you should attend."
So Dave and I went to our first industry show. Many of the people we met that first day—Sonny Wooten from American Express, John McCormick from General Credit Forms and so many others have become lifetime friends and mentors.
Ever since then, we have attended every SEAA conference and have even won citations for our perfect attendance. It's a great place to see our vendors and meet other merchant level salespeople (MLSs), ISOs and technology companies. There is always a learning opportunity, and our goal is always to gain one or two new ideas at every show.
This year's conference was particularly memorable for the quality of content and presentations to around 1,200 or more engaged participants. Judging by the posts on Facebook and LinkedIn and responses to my recent podcast highlighting the benefits of regional shows, it's clear that conferences are the lifeblood of the payments industry.
As usual, I participated in Q&As during breakout sessions. I've never been shy about asking questions. Ashley Naggy, vice president of sales at RSPA, did a great job moderating a panel discussion about partnering with ISOs, VARs (value-added resellers), and ISVs (independent software vendors), which is one of my favorite topics.
Panelists Steve Casteel, president of Payteva; Bart Kohler, chief sales officer at Unity Fi Payment Solutions; and Travis Hare, chief revenue officer at OrderCounter Hybrid Point of Sale Solutions, had a great discussion about how to grow your business, with good action points on selling, diversifying your business and not concentrating on one vertical.
Other trending topics included selling POS systems and payment processing, and why MLSs need to target merchants that have been in business for at least three years, because most businesses fail in the first year. And of course, the importance of selling technology versus selling on price. During this discussion, I brought up the fact that MLSs' biggest competitors are Big Tech.
It's unfortunate that MLSs do not have our own trade association to help us compete against Big Tech and internet platform companies. We need to work together, strengthen our community and promote buying from local companies that provide local services. "Do business with your local payment professional" is a worthwhile message that needs to be front and center in all of our communications.
Additional presentations explored how to make your own software, leverage AI and work with ISVs, which are rapidly becoming part of our growing industry. The exhibit hall was filled with a diversified cohort of ISOs, equipment companies, POS vendors, leasing agents, and payment facilitators from across the increasingly complex payments industry landscape.
SEAA paid tribute to past leaders by establishing a scholarship in honor of John Yarmy and holding a fundraiser for a local dog rescue in New Orleans in honor of former SEAA board member Derek Vowels. People played with dogs from a local shelter, which led to an adoption and raised around $15,000 to support animal adoption.
The Green Sheet recently sponsored a B2B Vault podcast, which I co-moderated with payments industry journalist Dale Laszig and panelists from the Northeast Acquirers Association, Southeast Acquirers Association, Midwest Acquirers Association and Western States Acquirers Association. During our time together we discussed the numerous benefits of attending regional shows.
The panelists agreed that attending regional shows is especially important for MLSs. These conferences provide opportunities to meet new and existing vendors and fellow salespeople and to learn about our business. Each show is a bit different, and all attract vendors and salespeople.
I'm reminded of these benefits every time I attend a regional show. This year, for example, I met people who were new to the industry, as well as others who have been in business for years but had never attended a regional show. I welcomed them to SEAA, paying it forward more than two decades later, after Judy Foster's warm welcome in 2001.
Want to know more? Keep reading The Green Sheet and follow me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman/, where we can share ideas and help each other. 
Allen Kopelman, a serial entrepreneur, is co-founder and CEO of Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. and host of B2B Vault: The Payment Technology podcast. Email him at allen@npsbank.com and connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman/ and Twitter @AllenKopelman.
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