Letters to the Editor
To Editor:
As of 1-1-97 California Legislature passed a bill to provide a statutory fee in regards to returned checks. How does this relate to your article "Bad Check Fees, are They Important?" Please advise or refer...
Checkcare Systems will open its first office in California 5-1-97.
John Goodyear
Checkcare Systems
Dear John:
Thanks for the trip through history. I had to look back over fourteen months of articles to find the story that you are asking about. The case of Debbie Newman, et al v. CheckRite, Inc. has not yet gone to trial (scheduled this summer), however, the recent change in California law will not have an impact on this case.
While it is true that the new $25 fee, which may be charged to a "Bad Check" writer, along with the new language which permits additional charges for a second "Bad Check," was passed by the California legislature, it is up to interpretation if this is simply a clarification or new thinking.
In any event, the charges in the CheckRite case have to do with alleged excess charges, as well as the practice of a consumer paying to stop the possibility of legal action. The case also questions the attorney's standing in the case.
In addition, thank you for your information about the opening of the first Checkcare Systems office in California. This event must be one of the reasons that you are giving this issue such a careful review.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
Hello, Great informative site!!!
I have a personal question that might relate to more people looking for sales positions in the industry.
I have recently been looking for an ISO to become a sales rep or a sales manager for. I have seven years previous experience in the cc processing and POS industry.
I want to make the best decision possible to give 100% of my knowledge and time to. As you know there are many ISOs to chose from. Here are a couple of questions I have that I hope you can help me with.
* How do you feel about paying an initial up-front fee, around $100 to be a sales rep for an ISO? This fee will include business cards, services such as processing all paperwork for reps on all sales, other sales rep support.
* Since there are so many different programs and ISOs around, are there scams going on that you know of that I or we should be aware of while searching for the best opportunity?
Thank you so much for any information you can provide to these and any other related topics you might have regarding this.
Thank You,
Joel A. Clifton
Joel:
Even though you are new in the marketplace, it will not take you long to find out that not all programs are created equal. You should start by reviewing the first issue of The Green Sheet for 1997, for over forty company profiles of ISOs looking for agents. You can look this up on-line at greensheet.com. Watch for the company profiles that are looking to hire employees and/or area management, that particular issue has several.
As far as specific earnings amounts, some programs have more up-front money than others. If you are more focused on up-front income than on longer term rebate payments, you should check out the AmericanMidwest Bank program, which offers Bankcard, Check Guarantee, Verification, and Debit, all with a significant up-front payment. This program can earn you as much as $750 in up-front money on ordinary accounts that you can sell everyday. And, before I forget, it also does have residuals as well. AMB bank can be reached at 847-823-5100, and tell them that The Green Sheet suggested you call.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
I enjoyed your response to Cardservice in the last Green Sheet it reminded me of snappy answers by the editor to the letters in Mad Magazine.
Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Barry P. Nackos
Barry:
It is hard for me to be sure if your note is a positive or negative statement, so I will just assume that you like Mad Magazine. We apparently do share some of the same audience.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
Your newsletters are so relevant to my current interests in both business and my hobby (sales). I am an agent for a small ISO and I want to expand to the next level. Your newsletter is helping me accomplish this goal and I love the information on selling.
Please keep up the great work!
Anthony Johnson
Anthony:
Thanks for the kind words. Maybe you can help me, help you. Let me know about any industry information or other things that would help you, that we are not covering.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
I have always found The Green Sheet to be interesting and informative, quite the opposite of the opinion expressed by Chuck Burtzloff in Issue 97:04:01. Perhaps the fact that you and he are direct competitors in the check guarantee business may have a little something to do with his low opinion of your "rag?" I notice no mention was made of that in your reply and frankly I'm surprised you even bothered to print his letter. I would also think that someone of Mr. Burtzloff's stature in our industry would have better things to do with his time than to write a letter like that.
Sincerely,
Bob Joyce
Chestnut Card Services
By the way, I've received a pretty good response to the ad I'm running in the current issue. I will be advertising again. It works!
Can you tell me who the top 10 ISOs are in the USA by total number of merchant accounts ? Thanks.
Paul Hagan
Schiumberger Smart Cards & Sys.
Paul:
The answer to your question is anything but straight forward, due to the definition of what or who is an ISO. I would define ISO as an Independent Sales Organization, and would therefore list as some of the largest ISOs: Data Transfer Associates, CBS, National Bank Card Association, IRN Payment Systems to name just the obvious organizations.
Visa and MasterCard have created definitions that basically describe any organizations that is performing any element of work in the bankcard process, for either card acceptance or issuing, and is not a "Member Bank," as an ISO. We are working on a future Green Sheet story that will expand upon this idea.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
To Editor:
Congratulations, Paul. You've done it again. Anytime you can piss off someone . . . [like] Chuck Burtzloff, you must be doing something right. . . . Unlike Mr. Burtzloff, I do find your "rag" to be very informative in a timely manner. You very often have your finger right on the pulse of many of the changes and happenings transpiring in our industry. I also want to make note for everyone out there of the very high level of integrity I have found in all my dealings with you and your Green Sheet. You refuse to be backed down by threats of legal action by very large companies when you know the person that presented information to you was correct. I again want to thank you for the way you stood behind me in our tiff against the Zon Jr XL. They finally did make the necessary corrections with a new chip, but how are they going to update all of the thousands of XLs that are still "ticking time-bombs" in thousands of merchant locations? Keep up the good work. I look forward to receiving The Green Sheet and send copies to all of my sales reps.
Best regards,
Bob Miller, President
California Bancard Systems
Bob:
Thank you for your nice words and strong support. Those of us working on The Green Sheet are very much aware that some people find The Green Sheet helpful and others find it worthless, and we see very little middle ground among those in the industry. Our vantage point is from that of having been an Independent "Sales" Organization when ISO was a four letter word. We have not forgotten what it means to wake up each day and need to make today's opportunities work just a little better than the day before, and therefore are attempting to place meaningful industry information, money making ideas, and sales tips in each issue.
You are right that we do, from time to time, make some people angry. Your organization like hundreds of other just plain old I"Sales"Os continue to do the one thing that banks and new-founded Independent Service Organizations can't do, SELL! My hat is off to California Bancard Systems, and the many organizations like yours.
Good Selling!SM
Paul H. Green
