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Cover Story continued

Certainly, the ISO can set down ethical rules and Anita Meeks
can train the agent in the principals of sales best President
practices. However, the ISO that relies on indepen- Allure Payments
dent sales agents has little control over what hap-
pens in any particular sales call. 1. There is a difference between protecting a business
relationship and trapping a merchant in one. Legitimate
B. It is incumbent on an ISO to train its sales agents protections are reasonable, transparent and tied to real
as to its business principles and sales best practices. costs. If a processor, ISO or agent invests time, service,
And as every registered ISO is responsible for reg- equipment, pricing concessions, implementation sup-
istering the name of every independent sales agent port or custom work into a merchant relationship, I un-
with the card brands, the registered ISO is held derstand protecting that investment.
responsible for the sales activities of its registered
independent sales agent. But the terms have to be clear before the merchant signs.
Not discovered after. Predatory behavior starts when
In my long experience with merchant services, I the agreement depends on confusion. Buried cancel-
have found that some ISOs do not do enough to in- lation penalties. Long-term equipment leases nobody
spect their expectations of ethical sales standards clearly explained. Auto-renewals nobody mentioned.
of their independent sales agents. Pricing dressed up to look better than it really is.

C. An ISO has a responsibility of care to its mer-
chant prospects and clients to train its agents re- A fair agreement should be able to stand in the light.
garding what are acceptable and unacceptable sales If the terms become uncomfortable once they are ex-
practices. Every ISO should have a verifiable pro- plained clearly, the issue is not the merchant. It is the
gram of training for every independent sales agent agreement. I have a strong personal line on cancellation
with frequent re-training and testing to make sure fees. I believe excessive cancellation fees are unethical,
sales best practices are being followed. unprofessional and damaging to the credibility of the
provider and the industry as a whole. They may protect
D. I have met and worked with many professional revenue in the moment, but they do not build trust. My
independent sales agents who practice the highest philosophy is simple: if I cannot take care of a merchant,
level of sales acumen and ethics. As an industry, serve them well and do right by them, I would never
we need to support the efforts of these profession-
als by continuing to promote professional organi-
zations of sales agents. 2026 Events

2. I believe the merchant services industry needs some FinovateFall
new sales approaches. It is for this reason that several Sept. 9 – 11, 2026 , New York
colleagues and I have created a new merchant sales
channel for ISOs. We've created Omnia Payments Mar- Wespay Payments Symposium 2026
ketplace, where merchants can get matched up to an ISO Sept. 10 – 11, 2026, Las Vegas, Nv.
provider that has the right payment solution for them
Spotlight Innovators and get a competitive quote for merchant services. Sept. 27 – 30, 2026, Nashville, Tn.
MAG Payments Conference 2026
Omnia is designed to let business owners shop online
for merchant services the way they want to—by getting
spotlighting innovators in the payments industry good information and a deal on payment processing Money20/20 USA
(similar to the services of SelectQuote, Insurify or Lend- Oct. 18 – 21, 2026, Las Vegas, NV
ing Tree). Omnia matches a merchant to a payment solu-
Dedicated series of pages to showcase your company’s unique message. tion and a quote. And only when the merchant accepts Clarion Events, Payments Leaders’ Summit
the quote do they find out who the ISO is. That way the
• Your own, customized News from the Wire that highlights stories about your company merchant knows the details of the deal before they ever Nov. 10 – 11, 2026, San Diego, CA
have contact with a salesperson.
• Featured Content: updated monthly, either provided by you, or written by one of our own writers Visit www.greensheet.com/datebook.php for
Omnia is a different channel for merchants and ISOs to
• Custom infographics and videos connect. Many ISOs are excited about the opportunities more events and a year-at-a-glance event chart
Omnia is bringing them. We believe Omnia represents or email events@greensheet.com if you have a
• And so much more... the best parts of free enterprise: open communication, event/show you wish to be listed.
Contact us for more details & pricing options full disclosure of rates and fees, fair competition, and
sales best practices.
707.284.1686
Sales@greensheet.com

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