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ISOs and independent payment sales professionals live and die by the business trends of the small-to-medium business (SMB) community. They are also able to grow their business portfolio when customer relationships thrive and foster on loyalty. Especially when it brings about repeat business as the same customer adds payment and/or financial products into their solution mix when they expand and grow.

According to the Q4 2015 PYMNTS.com SMB Technology Adoption Index, powered by Sage, nearly half (48 percent) of SMBs use one technology supplier to handle accepting payments, processing payroll, issuing invoices and accounting. This is great news for Sage sales representatives because it means the portfolio of Sage product offerings are exactly what you and your customers need to be successful.

"Small and medium businesses want a flexible, integrated, end-to-end system for managing the movement of money -- that is, seamlessly getting paid, making payments, and managing cash flow -- and vendors who can provide these types of solutions have a distinct opportunity," said Paul Bridgewater, CEO of Sage Payment Solutions, the payments division for Sage North America. "Price isn't necessarily the primary consideration for SMBs; rather, they want suppliers who can deliver a comprehensive solution to help them smartly manage their companies."

#h2 Integrated financial management solutions

As a Sage representative, you will have your fingertips on all of the services offered by Sage, which makes up a comprehensive business management portfolio. Moreover, each Sage product seamlessly integrates, providing the end-to-end experience every business owner wants and needs to progress.

Sage is the market leader for integrated accounting, payroll, and payment systems. They are known for reinventing and simplifying business accounting through brilliant technology. They also have an excellent track record of working with a thriving community of entrepreneurs, business owners, trades people, accountants, partners, and developers, to ensure the technologies are meaningful and effective.

The company’s dedication to helping small business owners thrive is one reason Sage has partnered up with PYMNTS.com to develop and release the quarterly SMB Technology Adoption Index, which will look at business and technology trends impacting SMBs in the U.S.

#h2 More on SMBs

In addition to the information listed above in this article, the Q4 2015 index also shed light on several other key SMB insights:

<ul>
<li>64 percent of SMBs that are not currently prepared to accept EMV cards have no plans to do so.
<li>Electronic invoicing is gaining adoption as 31 percent of SMBs use electronic invoicing, and, of those SMBs, 20 percent can also accept payments electronically.
<li>46 percent of SMBs cite not getting paid on time as the most frustrating thing related to receiving payments from customers.
</ul>

"With nearly 28 million small businesses and 22 million self-employed workers in the U.S., small and medium businesses account for about 60 percent of net job creation," said Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS.com. "It's vital for us to have a continuous understanding of the support these businesses need in order to continue to grow and thrive. The quarterly SMB Technology Adoption Index will provide that, while educating SMBs about the important technology options available to them."

As you consider which payment services platform to represent and where you want to board customers for the long term, Sage encourages you to consider our capabilities, and the possibility of assisting merchants with everything they need to manage business finances.

For more information about Sage, their business services products and the Sage Partner Sales Program, go to <a href="http://www.SagePayments.com/GoNow">SagePayments.com/GoNow</a>, or call a Sage ISO representative at 888.760.0945.
