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Spotlight Innovators

or over two decades Humboldt Merchant
Services has been the premier provider of credit
card processing solutions for high-risk or hard-
F to-place merchants, offering competitive pric-
ing and first class service. Combining dedication with
knowledge and a primary focus on customer satisfaction,
HBMS has grown to become a leader in the credit card
processing industry. Offering superior processing, and
the latest in payment acceptance solutions, we are at the
forefront of innovative payment thinking.
What’s New:

Understanding specialty merchant selling

O ften, when new sales recruits enter the payments industry, they aren't fully aware of the complexities involved

in selling payment acceptance products to merchants. These individuals realize quickly there is much to learn
about interchange rates, analyzing statements, compliance, and even overcoming objections.

With the right training, salespeople will gain enough knowledge to handle payment deals in a consultative manner.
Eventually, they may even be ready to seek business from merchants with specialized payment needs involving security,
online or overseas selling, and software integrations.

"In the payments industry, it's common for salespeople to follow an ongoing training plan," said Amanda Beam, Director,
Partner Relations at Humboldt Merchant Services. "We are constantly running our sales partners through new trainings
to ensure they are up to speed with new regulations, the latest practices, and any new solutions we are launching."
Step up your game (and your income)

According to Beam, training is fundamental to achieve sales success in the payments industry. More importantly, as a
sales person begins to diversify and expand their portfolio, additional training provides the insights needed for branching
into more lucrative sales arenas.
For example, HBMS focuses on boarding specialty merchant categories that need a higher level of attention for
successful approval, boarding, and support. Industry trends show many sales professionals in payments tend to pass
up opportunities to sell to specialty merchant categories, often due to a lack of knowledge about these accounts and the
boarding requirements.

Beam encourages all payments sales professionals to explore a selling relationship with a specialty payment processor.
She feels it's, "worth learning the extra details," and her team works closely with the HBMS recruiting team to help new
sales partners learn how to board specialty accounts.

"When new partners come through, they are intimidated by perceived risk, so we walk them through the application and
boarding process to help them understand and feel more comfortable about bringing new business forward," Beam stated.

According to Beam, while some accounts may appear to have a greater level of liability, there's a good chance it isn't the
kind of risk that turns into a loss. For example, a merchant might be deemed specialty for reputation or longevity reasons,
which may not pose a significant processing liability.

Beam also indicated many specialty merchant categories are still acceptable merchant types that just require special
handling. "Each account falls into its own level of risk and all applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis at HBMS
to assure we're supporting everything we possibly can," she said.

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