ou're in the field talking to prospects. Many of them are your competitors' customers, and you're offering them reasons to switch to your business services.

Out there, it's all about you the ISO or merchant level salesperson (MLS) and what you promise to deliver. Merchants are choosing a credit card processor, but it's your name they trust.

They have confidence in your ability to get the job done with minimal difficulty and minimal expense. In essence, they're putting their faith in your brand.

If you aren't particularly concerned about branding, consider this: If branding doesn't matter much, why do the majority of people pay more for and buy more Colgate and Crest than generic toothpaste? It's really all the same isn't it? Or is it?

Tasting the many brands

Choosing an acquirer isn't all that different than selecting a toothpaste brand. You have many choices. There are acquirers that have been around a long time. Maybe their staying power alone is enough to convey an image of stability, success and customer satisfaction.

Other processors are narrowly focused. Maybe they process only credit and debit cards, or maybe they process everything but credit cards. Maybe their specialization is enough to successfully project that they are the best at what they do.

Some acquirers market their companies as a comprehensive solution, a one-stop shop for all of your processing needs. Others acknowledge that most of their competitors offer the same products, so they choose one area, e.g., customer satisfaction, and brand their company as the best provider of customer service.

Still think an acquirer's branding doesn't matter? We're not even close to done. Some companies specialize in high-risk merchants. Others offer free terminals (as long as you aren't high risk). There are those with the lowest transaction fees, and those that charge the most, claiming their service is more valuable.

Some acquirers base their positioning on innovative technologies. These include leaders in wireless, software and customer-service technology programs that bring new meaning to the word "tracking."

Companies also brand themselves as savvy innovators that use advanced technology to accomplish myriad marketing goals.

Harnessing the brands

So how does all of this affect you, the ISO or MLS? Certainly, you can use a company's branded identity to your advantage. If merchants are dissatisfied with their current processors because they can never get the customer service response they want, you can use the right processor's branding (best-in-class customer service) to sell this merchant on its services.

And how great it is when you actually have the branded tools and support materials, including testimonials, to put right in front of your prospects to back you up on your promise.

Maybe you have an appointment with a technology-savvy merchant. The company may be so high tech that it's intimidating to walk through the door, knowing you can't speak its particular tech language fluently.

This is a case in which you will appreciate an appropriately branded acquirer. Why? Because the only ISOs walking out with new merchant accounts these days are those emphasizing that they represent the latest, most innovative technology to service merchants' high-tech needs.

It doesn't always matter if the top 10 in an industry offer the same products and services. More important is how they've branded their products and company to be different, and how well they've communicated these differences.

Riding a known brand

What if an acquirer is branded so effectively that your prospects have a solid sense of its identity? Maybe an acquirer has been successful for so long that merchants think of it as the epitome of excellence and look for it by name.

Maybe one particular acquirer has saturated a geographic region or a particular industry. Or, an acquirer may have marketed an innovative product or service directly to an industry or merchant group.

Sales 101: Give customers what they want. Be on top of what your acquirer is marketing and to whom. Then jump on it. Use it to your selling advantage with merchants who are already aware of a product or service you can offer.

Be proactive. Make sure information about branded products or services gets in the hands of your merchant prospects or current customers. Then, get your foot in - or back in - the door to sell them your services because you have what they already want, or because you can now expand the services you currently provide.

Yes, branding really does matter. Organizations that know this and live this are more likely to reap bottom-line benefits, both in the short and long term. If a company is a noted expert in a particular area and successfully positions itself as a leader, its target audience will respond.

Branding to your strengths

How would you go about branding your own business? Do you have a great number of merchant accounts in one industry, for example, restaurants?

If so, why not market your company - brand it - as an expert in that industry? Position your company as the ISO that best understands the unique circumstances of its merchants.

Or, would it be to your advantage to be branded as the most innovative processing provider because you specialize in servicing merchants who appreciate how technologies can save them time, money and headaches? Whatever the scenario, chances are you have opportunities to successfully differentiate and brand your company.

Once you position yourself with a clear, single-minded brand identity, your business-building initiatives will be more targeted. They will seem more natural.

You may want to consult a marketing professional, but don't minimize the opportunity that may exist through your most valuable partner: the right acquirer.

Whether you begin with your existing acquirer or one you've been eyeing, explore what marketing expertise and support it can offer you and your sales agents.

Most importantly, don't look back. Honestly examine your strengths, and use them to shape a branding strategy. Then get out there and market yourself and your brand. No more generic toothpaste for you. And no more generic toothpaste for your customers.

Marcelo Paladini is the Chief Executive Officer for Cynergy Data, a merchant acquirer that distinguishes itself by relying on creativity and technology to maximize service. Steven L. Savino is President of Savino Global Group LLC, and is a marketing advisor to Cynergy Data specializing in the area of strategic brand marketing. Cynergy offers its ISOs: Vimas, a cutting edge back-office management software; Vimas Tracking, a ticketing system that makes responses to customers fast, accurate and efficient; Brand Central Station, a Web site of free marketing tools; plus state-of-the-art training, products, services and value-added programs, all designed to take its ISO partners way beyond their competitors. For more information on Cynergy e-mail Mike Grossman at mikeg@cynergydata.com .