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business development initiatives, such as outreach to the support. Ultimately, it's about tailoring the journey for
petroleum market and high-risk verticals. Indirect sales each merchant, he stated.
representatives, who may include sub-ISO partners and
independent MlSs, have expertise in specific industries, "Let's remember, everyone is different," Heinrich said. "A
demographic groups and geographic regions. one-man shop wants the service provider to take all the
calls and provide level 2 support. A hands-on business
Segmenting sales teams is common practice among ISOs owner wants access to transaction data. When a customer
and service providers with multiple sales channel partners, calls in and says, 'I ran this twice,' the salesperson and
Rawls noted. Sales departments are typically organized by merchant can access transaction data on a secure portal.
business unit, such as inside and outside sales, employees Some merchants want that access; others prefer to let the
and W2s, or SMB and enterprise account specialists. These service provider handle the details."
designations help companies manage varied needs of
diverse merchant populations while helping individuals Heinrich summarized Simpay's two priorities as making
find their best fit in an organization. solutions understandable and easy to sell for MLSs and
user-centric for merchants. "We all know margins are
"[SMB merchants'] level of concern seems to vary, as it is dwindling," he added. "We offer a portfolio of solutions
not yet evident that merchants are demanding the required that are easy to talk about and can simplify your business.
solutions to address necessary priorities," Rawls said. "This We teach and support MLSs who have the time, energy
means that it is even more important for our direct and and interest in selling our products. Referral partners
indirect sales representatives to center conversations with also get a percentage of income but not as much as direct
merchants around security, data protection and business sellers."
management tools or point-of-sale, as it is our end goal to
help our customers implement solutions that enable them Blockbuster or Netflix?
to better their businesses."
David Greenberg, chief administrative officer at North
Structure partnerships American Bancard Holdings LLC, said, "There's no
question that the payments industry is moving away from
Robert Heinrich, vice president of sales at Simpay, begins hardware-centric solutions that require merchants to
relationships by asking new MlSs about their goals and touch the terminal for each firmware or software update.
business management preferences. Questions range from These outdated solutions are a liability to ISOs, who try to
how they sell and service accounts to how the company bother merchants as little as possible."
can help them and their customers grow and scale.
Noting that Netflix took market share from Blockbuster
"When agents sign up, structuring the relationship is by removing friction and creating a better customer
the first thing we discuss," Heinrich said. "Do they want experience, Greenberg said, "A company's value
to build their own merchant relationships and service proposition filters down to other areas of business and
the account? Or would they prefer to sign new business whatever you are providing to your customer base."
and leave the relationship building and support to us?
Our most successful MLSs forge close bonds with their Greenberg recalled that Netflix had an easy home
merchants. We provide the tools and support they need to delivery system before it progressed to video streaming.
build long-term, mutually profitable relationships." Conversely, Blockbuster required customers to go to brick-
and-mortar locations and return products within a small
Heinrich, a payments industry veteran and Certified window to avoid paying automatic late fees. Blockbuster's
Payments Professional, said he learned the value of policies seemed out of touch compared with customer-
having the right people and processes in place from friendly Netflix, which eventually put the company
direct experience. "When processing and technical issues out of business. With these models in mind, Greenberg
arise, sales partners need a mentor who can help them," recommended assessing ISO and MLS product suites and
he added. "Having immediate access to transaction data asking the hard question. Are they Blockbuster or Netflix?
and people who understand the nuances of software and
payment processing is absolutely critical. I know, because Lose the lock-ins
I've been there."
Lock-ins and contract termination fees are old school,
Customize services Greenberg asserted. If a merchant leaves in the middle of a
two-year and five-year agreement, an ISO may collect the
As MLSs build professional relationships, they are also money, but it can create ill will and make the agent look
building trust and looking for ways to engage with bad. "Give them value that makes them want to stay," he
merchants through additional product and service suggested. "Retail POS systems and time and attendance
offerings. Heinrich proposed having high-level discussions programs create stickiness. If merchants are happy with
with merchants on how to help them grow their business. what they're getting, they will stay beyond an original
Agents who understand a customer's needs, pain points contract term."
and priorities can curate the right blend of services and You have to be sophisticated to keep up with the Amazons
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