Back to bankcard actionI've been working in the payments industry and have met some exceptional people along the way. During this journey, I've greatly appreciated your publication; it has always delivered concise and relevant information that has been essential for me to understand many complex issues and be on the pulse of what's happening.
I've been out of the industry for a short time, went to Iraq ... am now back in one piece, so let me stop taking your time up. If you could advise me on two things it would be outstanding.
1. There is a young sales associate working with me who's just entering the industry. He is filled with enthusiasm and is so hungry for learning all that he can to develop his career, including learning about pricing and professional development.
What books do you believe are essential tools for career development for new agents that cover the industry, strategies and how to succeed? What resources do you believe have relevance and direction for them to learn how to understand interchange ... pricing models and delivery methods? He doesn't have a lot of extra money. So perhaps if you can recommend books that are less then $40 that would be great.
2. I am trying to find an industry ranking of processors and their market share and their specialties in order to get an understanding of which processor may be the best fit for various market sectors. Do you have any industry reference tools, papers or publications that I should go to?
Thanks for all that you've done to make the payments industry a more enjoyable community experience for all of us. Your publication is power to all of us, because it gives us a targeted view of so many things in such a short space, and it's focused on the people in the trenches.
Kevin Treider
Kevin,
Thank you for letting us know how helpful The Green Sheet has been to you. We hope to be of service to you and your colleagues for a long time to come.
Regarding your first question, our Web site (www.greensheet.com) contains a wealth of information about all aspects of the industry. We also maintain an online archive of all issues of The Green Sheet and GSQ dating to 1995.
To find articles pertaining to interchange, type the word in our Fast Finder search engine, which appears right below our logo in the upper left-hand corner of our home page. Some articles that appear will be news stories about proposed interchange legislation; others will be educational articles pertaining to pricing. Typing in "professional" or other career-related terms will likely produce useful results as well.
In addition, the following books and reference materials may be helpful to the young man you are mentoring. We offer free PDFs of Paul H. Green's books. We do not have pricing information on the other publications:
On our Web site, we also host GS Online's MLS Forum, which is open to all merchant level salespeople (MLSs). It is a place where MLSs can post questions and receive informed answers from their peers, many of whom have decades of experience. To join, just click "Register Today!" in the upper right-hand corner of our home page, and follow the prompts from there.
Regarding your second question, we do not know of a resource that analyzes processors' specialties. However, "Bankcard today: 2008 Acquirers report," GSQ, Vol. 11, No. 4, December 2008, lists the top seven acquirers as of that date and provides much useful information about the current state of acquiring.
Welcome back to the industry, Kevin. I hope this information helps you flourish.
Editor
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