sk Merchant Level Salespeople about any training they've had, and they'll probably respond, "What training?!" The fact is, if you're an MLS, you probably know what you know because you learned it the hard way - from mistakes you made along the way.

ISO/MSP Nationwide Payment Solutions, LLC strongly believes in taking time to train its agents - not only to make better salespeople but also to bring in bigger and better merchants. Nationwide wants its sales reps to be the best trained in the industry.

"The results we've seen for agents are bigger residuals and bigger volume," said Jamie Nonni, Chief Operating Officer at Nationwide. "Maybe the training even helps give them the confidence to sign accounts they never would have approached."

Jamie Nonni, Brian Stevens and Patrick Allen, the principals of Nationwide, have nearly 30 years of combined experience in payment processing and sales.

They share this knowledge with their sales force through Nationwide IMPACT!, an intensive month-long training program intended to help agents achieve higher residuals and improve merchant retention.

Nationwide is registered under Buffalo, N.Y.-based HSBC Bank and provides merchants with credit and debit card processing and several value-added solutions such as electronic check services, gift cards and long distance.

This MSP targets a variety of merchants, including retail, restaurant, lodging/hospitality, mail order, petroleum, auto dealers, colleges, car rental, government, grocery stores and fast food.

Nonni, Stevens and Allen founded Nationwide in November 2002, shortly after the company where they worked as sales managers was acquired. The men decided to venture out on their own.

"We saw there was opportunity to form a company because there was unemployed talent in the area as a result of the acquisition," Nonni said.

The threesome obtained funding, established several partnerships on the back end and began processing within seven days, albeit on "an informal, skeleton-type basis," he said.

Nationwide reaches its merchants through two independent sales channels - a network of more than 120 Merchant Level Salespeople and seven regional managers scattered throughout the U.S.

The regional managers are highly experienced bankcard sales professionals who build and manage sales teams and recruit salespeople outside the industry. Nonni said Nationwide adds about 10 new sales reps each month, some with prior experience in the industry, some without.

"We hand our regional managers leads that we get from recruiting and help them build up their sales force," Nonni said. "And we provide training through Nationwide IMPACT! to get those people started."

Nationwide IMPACT! is a 16-hour training class focused on how to be successful in the field in order to build a residual-based portfolio. It's intended for all different levels of salespeople.

Attendees learn how to target merchant accounts that process at least $240,000 a year. Topics covered include prospecting, statement analysis, relationship evaluation, documentation, installation, follow-up skills and retention; the class also provides plenty of sales ideas, fresh approaches and success stories for inspiration.

Nonni leads the sessions over the phone while trainees (typically 15 to 20) follow along using Web-based materials downloaded from Nationwide's Web site. Class meets twice a week for two hours - a total of eight classes. Anyone who misses a class can download a taped audio file of it from the Web site.

"The training is a good steppingstone for new people who want to know what to ask their merchant customers," said Gary La Tulippe, President and CEO of Schmooze, Inc. and also a Regional Manager for Nationwide. "It gives them a head start on the industry and helps them focus on where they have to go and what they have to do to get there."

In his role as a regional manager, La Tulippe provided input for the training classes. He said he and the other regional managers also took the class themselves.

"Both new recruits and seasoned salespeople have done the training, and the feedback we've received is they've all learned something and it has improved the way they do business," Nonni said. "Many of the experienced salespeople have said, 'I never thought of doing it this way.' "

Nonni said one particular agent who received training from Nationwide took the time to write a letter of praise. Tanya Hauss, owner and President of Merchant Sellutions, Inc. in South Florida, wrote: "I have other choices where I can place my business, but I choose Nationwide because I know I will retain my customers. Your service is the best!"

Hauss told The Green Sheet, "Any new sales rep or any old sales rep can get a deeper understanding of the industry and how it works. The training can help sales reps improve their customer retention rates."

Bob Busanovitch, an independent sales agent for 2 1/2 years, attended Nationwide's very first Nationwide IMPACT! class. Busanovitch said the training helped him decipher the complexity of interchange rates and helped him learn how to communicate rates effectively to his merchants.

"(Nationwide) wants to get a feel for their agents out there, and whatever we're lacking, they'll try to provide," Busanovitch said. "They keep modifying their training and support to fit our needs."

Nationwide's own in-house merchant support/help desk team is available 24/7/365, but the company also makes sure its agents are involved in servicing merchants beyond the installation. Nationwide does this through an automated agent-notification system that informs agents what is going on with their accounts.

Whenever a merchant calls Nationwide's help desk, the salesperson assigned to that account will receive a "contact report" within minutes after the call. The report contains a complete description of what was discussed on the call and any pertinent historical information.

This process allows sales agents to monitor their accounts and contact a merchant to verify that any issue has been resolved to the merchant's satisfaction.

"We have found that merchant retention has been phenomenal," Nonni said. "If you empower your sales reps to be in the loop of communication with the merchant and the support team, then they will be able to service that account even better than the company can."

Another program offered by Nationwide is an Agent Rewards Incentive Program. It allows productive Merchant Level Salespeople the opportunity to earn points for monthly applications, processing volume and quality of accounts.

Each point earns $25 and is paid without sacrificing any portion of the residual stream. It is not uncommon for a salesperson to earn in excess of $500 in reward money in a given month.

"We are excited about this program and feel it is attractive to agents who are struggling financially while in the process of building their residuals," Nonni said.

"We have excellent agent retention. If we lose someone, it's typically not because of anything to do with us - the training or the company - it's because that person can't afford to get to the point where their residuals will support them. That's the challenge."

Nonni said Nationwide designed all of its programs and services in order to attract a higher caliber salesperson - someone who sees value in doing business with them because of the training and programs they offer versus doing business with them simply based on rates.

"MSPs tend to overlook the real value of the salesperson," he said. "It's important to remember that the salesperson is the one who brought the relationship to you in the first place. I'm talking about the value that a quality service-oriented salesperson brings - it's one of the most important ingredients in our company."

To receive future Nationwide Payment Solutions press releases, e-mail jnonni@GetNationwide.com