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Insights and Expertise

StreetSmarts SM

Winning the back-to-school season:

A playbook for ISOs

By Jaki Kackert Today's schools may process payments for:
Kackert Marketing • Spirit wear and student stores

ack-to-school season is making the grade once • Athletic events, performances and school activities
again, and it represents far more than a rush for • Field trips, yearbooks and graduation items
notebooks, laptops and backpacks. According • Donations, fundraisers and PTO events
B to EMARKETER, U.S. back-to-school retail
sales are projected to reach more than $85 billion in 2026, • Summer camps and enrichment programs
fueled by increased spending on technology, school
apparel and online purchases as families continue to
embrace digital shopping. Many schools still rely on disconnected systems, paper
forms and manual reconciliation, creating unnecessary
At the same time, the National Retail Federation reported work for already stretched administrative staff and vol-
that parents are shopping earlier than ever. Nearly one- unteers. By implementing an integrated payment solu-
third of back-to-school shoppers surveyed, searching for tion, administrations can simplify these processes while
the best deals and greater convenience, had begun their improving the experience for parents and students alike.
purchases by early June. Lead with solutions, not processing rates

For ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs), this pres- One big mistake payment professionals make is opening
ents a tremendous opportunity to introduce schools to every conversation by discussing fees.
modern payment processing solutions.
Although costs are important, schools are not shopping
Educational institutions are no longer simply places of for the lowest processing rate; they are looking for ways
learning; they're operating multiple revenue centers that to save time, reduce administrative burdens and provide
require secure, convenient and efficient payment accep- better service to families.
tance.
Whether you are calling on public school districts, private Rather than asking who currently processes their credit
schools, charter schools, colleges or universities, your con- cards, start a conversation about how they are accepting
versations should focus less on payment rates and more payments today. Learn where frustrations exist, whether
on solving operational challenges. that is collecting checks, reconciling payments, managing
registrations or providing parents with convenient online
Schools process more payments than ever before payment options.
Today's schools collect payments for every aspect of cam-
pus life. The days of relying solely on cash and checks are Those conversations naturally uncover pain points and
quickly disappearing as parents increasingly expect the position you as a caring consultant who offers solutions
same digital convenience on school campuses they experi- that solve real problems instead of just another salesper-
ence everywhere else. son offering one-size-fits-all solutions.

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