#image_5 According to a report recently released by Mercator Advisory Group, the use of retail gift cards grew 9 percent in 2014. Now that summer is in full swing, it’s time for retailers and other merchants to start considering how prepaid gift and loyalty programs can boost business over the holidays. While it may seem a bit early to get started on holiday campaigns, studies show the most successful end of year campaigns require well planned strategies and ample time to ramp up. Many merchants outside of the traditional retail industry also utilize these promotional programs to support year-round loyalty initiatives, making mid-year a perfect time to throw out a winning gift and loyalty program pitch.

Dragos Gheorghe, Sage Payment Solutions EFT Manager, Gift & Loyalty, urges all ISOs and agents to adopt mid-year touch plans for presenting Sage prepaid and loyalty programs to merchants. In fact, Dragos often reminds his company agents that waiting until the last minute to talk with merchants about these lucrative programs detrimentally impacts both the merchant’s and the agent’s bottom line. “Agents will miss out on sales and revenues if they don’t help merchants think ahead when it comes to implementing a gift and loyalty campaign,â€ Dragos said. “It can be extremely hard to get custom cards printed, implement a program and train line staff when it’s too late in the game.â€

#h2 The only payment card that promotes new business

The Sage Payment Solutions EFT channel works with tens of thousands of industry resellers and provides a dedicated training program aimed at helping sales agents feel comfortable selling Sage value-added services. They strive to help agents build a sustainable portfolio of merchants that will take advantage of Sage gift and loyalty programs year after year. The Sage EFT channel also offers a hands-on agent support team equipped with far more than the standard complement of information and collateral. Sage support team members assist agents with presenting products, and personally hand hold every deal, offering expert subject matter guidance to agents and merchants throughout the entire sales process.

According to Dragos, this is one key advantage to selling for Sage, “We are our own Gift & Loyalty processor, so we control everything from the transaction flow and program set-up, to the actual plastic card printing. This service allows our agents to sell an all-in-one payment package instead of piecing together service providers, gaining them a 30% higher chance the merchant will remain with them.â€

The Sage support team also works closely with agents to help them optimize the inherent advantages of selling gift and loyalty card products. In short, gift and loyalty products are the only payment processing solution merchants can utilize as a marketing channel to attract new business. As a result, these programs are much easier to introduce to a merchant, and agents are also able to forge a different type of trust bond, which leads to greater retention and opens doors for bundling in other Sage payment applications.

Additionally, ISOs serving particular geographic areas can offer a “shop localâ€ program where a group of merchants pool together in a joint prepaid gift or loyalty program. For example, a band of merchants who belong to the same chamber of commerce organization, vendors that participate in the same music festival, or retailers from the same shopping mall can team together to offer consumers a single loyalty program.

In total, Sage gift and loyalty solutions offer ISOs and agents with a perfect win-win proposition. Each product offers options to earn one-time and/or residual income streams, merchants appreciate the built-in marketing value and everyone benefits from a longer-standing relationship. 

If you’d like to explore selling Sage Payment Solutions gift and loyalty solutions, or would like to know more about Sage EFT and its support team, visit <a href="http://www.giftcardtraining.com">www.giftcardtraining.com</a>, email us at sales@giftcardtraining.com or call us directly at 888.884.7171.