he Institute for Payment Professionals (IPP) hosted its inaugural event on November 15, 2003, in Dallas. IPP was founded to provide both basic and advanced knowledge about the payment system to everyone who wants access to it, at a price anyone can afford.

Paul Martaus and Brett Mansdorf head this independent training company; between them, they have a combined experience of 50 years in payment processing.

To facilitate accessible industry training, IPP will take its show on the road with a series of seminars in major cities across the country. Industry veterans will provide personal insights on best practices and answer questions at each venue. In Dallas, the presentations were informative and well received. The topics ranged from general business information to specific product discussions.

Here's what some of the attendees had to say about the IPP event:

"[IPP presented] an opportunity for both beginner and veteran to understand and prosper in this business. From prospecting to pricing, all the way to retention, [it was] geared toward the street individual and their success."

- Elbert Enrique, ISO/MSP Recruiter, Best Payment Solutions

"Coming in with little experience, I could really appreciate an overview of the industry in basic layman's terms. The format was not way over my head and brought a lot of things to light. This is an excellent confidence-builder in understanding things like the flow of money in a transaction and how to improve the quality of your service."

- Craig Jenschke

"Brett and Paul have a thorough knowledge of the industry today ...Their personal insights...give the salesperson a greater understanding of how to best utilize their products in the marketplace."

- MLS attendee

However, attendance at the Dallas IPP event was lower than had been expected. Recognizing that the format needs some revision, organizers posted a survey on the IPP Web site. We encourage our readers to let them know what seminar format would work best.

To participate in the survey, check out future seminar dates and learn more about IPP, visit the Web site at www.i4pp.org.