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want to charge them for my inability to do that. around hidden fees, confusing contracts, equipment
leases and aggressive sales tactics point to a bigger issue.
That does not mean every merchant should be able to This is not just a training problem. It is an accountability
walk away from every agreement without consequence. problem. And at the center of that accountability has to
If a provider has priced fairly, supported the merchant, be integrity.
honored the agreement and operated in good faith, then
reasonable contractual protection may be fair. But there Good training exists. Good associations exist. Good re-
is a real difference between protecting an honest agree- sources exist. The problem is that training is not always
ment and punishing a merchant for leaving one that was required, it is not always ongoing and too many people
misrepresented, poorly supported or never properly ex- are not held accountable when they misrepresent terms
plained. or leave merchants confused.

A signed contract does not automatically mean the At the same time, I want to be clear that sales goals are
merchant understood what they signed. Transparency not the problem. ISOs need to grow. Processors need
should be proactive, not reactive. The most important volume. Agents need to earn. There is nothing wrong
terms should be discussed before the merchant signs, with wanting to win business and build revenue. The
not explained later when they are frustrated, intimidat- problem is when short-term production becomes more
ed or trying to leave. That is where too much damage important than the quality of the relationship being cre-
has been done in this industry. When sales conversa- ated.
tions are built only around rates, and the real obliga-
tions are left in the fine print, the merchant may sign the This is a longevity business. A merchant relationship
agreement, but trust was never really earned. built on pressure, vague pricing or missing information
usually does not last. The merchant may sign, but they
Yes, merchants have a responsibility to read their agree- will walk as soon as the next person gives them a reason
ments. But ISOs, agents, processors and upstream part- to. When the relationship starts with transparency, clear
ners carry a greater responsibility because we are the expectations and trust, the revenue is not only earned, it
experts in the room. Most business owners do not live is more likely to stay.
in interchange, assessments, batch fees, PCI fees, lease
obligations, liquidated damages, cancellation windows, That is the part we need to train better. I would like to
funding timelines or surcharge rules. We do. see sales training that is specific to our industry and
teaches professionals how to sell with integrity, honesty
That knowledge creates responsibility. A significant and transparency. Too many salespeople are trained to
amount of responsibility falls on all of us because we are lead with rate and urgency, but not enough are trained
the ones presenting, explaining, approving and profit- on how to explain the full relationship with confidence.
ing from the relationship. Reasonable terms should not
be hidden in fine print, minimized in conversation or When someone truly understands the pricing, the
left undisclosed until the merchant has a problem. They agreement, the equipment, the fees, the compliance con-
should be explained clearly before the agreement is siderations and the tradeoffs, transparency does not feel
signed. scary. It becomes part of the value they bring to the mer-
chant. Pressure may get the signature. Transparency is
The best professionals in this industry do not need con- what keeps the merchant.
fusion to win business. They win with trust, clear trad-
eoffs and solutions merchants can still feel good about I would also like to see ongoing education, not just a
long after the agreement is signed. That is how we pro- one-time exam. Interchange changes. Card brand rules
tect merchants, protect our reputations, lead with integ- change. Compliance requirements change. Technology
rity and raise the standard of the industry. changes. Surcharge, cash discount, funding, gateway
and software conversations all require current knowl-
edge. A certification earned once does not automatically
2. There is a difference between certification and com- mean someone understands what merchants are deal-
petence, and I think our industry sometimes blurs that ing with today.
line. CPP accreditation is a good thing. Education mat-
ters. Professional standards matter. I respect anyone Training also has to go beyond rates. Merchant sales
who takes the time to study the industry, understand professionals should understand pricing models, inter-
the rules and take their role seriously. But a credential change, assessments, PCI fees, equipment terms, lease
by itself does not change what happens on a sales call, obligations, chargebacks, funding timelines, gateway
especially when the pressure is on, commissions are in- implications, software integrations, surcharge rules,
volved and the only thing being measured is how fast cash discount rules and how each of those decisions
someone can close the account. So no, I do not believe affects the merchant's actual business. This is not just
the industry has done enough. The ongoing concerns sales. This is financial infrastructure for a business.

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