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MeetTheExpert

What differentiates your approach
at Group ISO from your competitors?

Group ISO Merchant Services is a mom-and-pop, small to
midsized ISO. We are not a super ISO. We have technology
in our products, but what we focus on with our merchants
– and what they love about us – is we are kind of like the
TV show Cheers, where everybody knows your name. We
are that shop. We are a very close-knit group, we know
our merchants by name, we don't have 50,000 merchants.
We pride ourselves on our service: how we take care of
merchants, our timeliness and our turn around on any
issue. Our number one priority is our customer. That is
what sticks out to customers. We know our customer set.
We don't go after big-box retailers; that is just not our
focus.

How much time do you spend cultivating customer
relationships versus getting new clients?

Mike Fox We like to keep our sales team involved with our

customer base. We pride ourselves on having an open
book policy. We are transparent with our salespeople
hen Green Sheet Advisory Board member and agents. In turn, they share in the ownership with
Mike Fox was offered an opportunity in the merchant; therefore we expect them to also maintain
sales at Group ISO Merchant Services, he that relationship with those merchants and to ultimately
W knew right away he had found his niche. keep the merchants happy so they stay with us in the long
"I fell in love with the industry," he said. "I love that it is term. Do I expect agents to handle everything concerning
ever changing. I love that there are new things happening customer service and account maintenance? No, I don't.
all the time." Twelve years later he is the company's Vice We have an underwriting team, customer service team
President of Sales, and in addition to leading his sales and tech support that handles all of that in-house. But
staff, he is involved in the operational side of the business. we do expect our salespeople to take ownership and not
Noting that the company is at least double the size it was just push merchants to the side. A lot of how our industry
when he joined, he discussed the company's success and works today is really just a sales process. Customers kind
much more in the following Q&A. of get forgotten about in the tech support and customer
service areas that come with a merchant service provider.

What do you think makes a successful salesperson? We want our salespeople to stay in touch with merchants
when they contact us for help or have questions about
rates, equipment or software to help them expand their
Honesty, integrity, and knowledge about what they are business to reach more customers. The sales agent is the
selling. A company has to give salespeople the tools first person a customer contacts. We want to make sure
they need to be successful in selling products. If you are that they are part of that process because they know the
selling a product or service that is outdated or behind in customer.
technology, especially in the payments industry, it won't
work. You can't just sell merchant accounts for their A lot of times you have a customer service representative
own sake. You have to have a product or products with on the phone with a customer, and all it takes is that
attractive benefits to come with it, and when your product salesperson to jump on the call quickly to calm the
stands out it gets sold, and the merchant account comes customer down if the customer is having a challenge.
with it. A second voice, a voice that is familiar, can easily help
alleviate a scenario and ultimately help stop attrition.

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