The Green Sheet Online Edition
June 23, 2025 • 25:06:02
StreetSmarts
Let's level-up payments industry certifications
After years of trying, our industry has yet to produce a certification program that merchants would really care about. Let's face it, we gather the same sensitive information as real estate and insurance agents, but unlike them, merchant level salespeople (MLSs) don't need a license to sell.
Certification programs help individuals project leadership in mature and competitive industries like ours. Twenty-two years ago, in 2003, Paul H. Green, founder of The Green Sheet Inc., started the National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP), which never really took off. In 2011, the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) launched its Certified Payment Professional (CPP) program; I was one of the first to take (and pass) the test.
The ETA's CPP brochure lists the following membership benefits:
- Advance your career and increase your earning potential
- Get recognized for your knowledge, skills, and competence
- Enhance your credibility and professional reputation
- Demonstrate your commitment to excellence
- Showcase your credential with a verifiable digital badge
To qualify, ETA members or nonmembers must pass an exam, administered quarterly. More information about this certification is available at electran.org/education/eta-cpp-details/#Apply.
Level up the CPP program
I agree that the ETA CPP program can help MLSs, but it's time to level up the program. While administrators have added opportunities for networking, learning and career advancement, they could do even more to protect merchants and elevate our profession. I offer the following suggestions.
The ETA CPP program could include:
- Discoverability with dedicated website and individual CPP profiles
- Code of ethics to highlight merchant and agent areas of responsibility
- Accountability with clear escalation path for merchants and accountability for MLSs
Discoverability
Currently, merchants can confirm a representative's certification by entering an individual's name on the ETA's CPP Directory at member.electran.org/eta-cpp-directory. But it is not readily accessible.
Rather than just a link on the home page, the ETA could improve access to certified professionals via a dedicated website with a bio, headshot, location, contact information and link to website and LinkedIn profile. The page could include how many years they've been in business, hours of operation, and products and services. WordPress and other plugins would make this cost-effective and easy to do.
Code of ethics
Post a code of ethics, such as Heartland's memorable Merchant Bill of Rights, on the new CPP website, to promote fair and equitable business practices with transparent and competitive pricing.
Post rules and regulations to clarify merchants' areas of responsibility, such as the PCI Data Security Standard, fraud prevention, and payments acceptance best practices. Clarify card brand rules and regulations for each type of business with clear guidance on who to call when issues arise.
I am not asking the ETA to police the industry, but if an agent agrees to the code of ethics and violates the rules, they should be removed.
Accountability
The Better Business Bureau has a straightforward procedure for handling complaints; CPP complaints could be handled in a similar way. Merchants could file a complaint on the CPP site, which would be escalated for review and response by committee.
Unless the merchant's complaint is deemed invalid, failure to address concerns would result in the CPP's decertification and dismissal. Bad actors should not be part of the program.
Affordability
As credentialed representatives, CPPs should be entitled to reduced pricing at ETA events, especially those that offer educational opportunities. At the regional shows, in addition to offering CPP credit for attending specific presentations, the ETA could offer a program the day prior where CPPs could network, learn and engage with ETA members.
Bottom line
As individual businesspeople, most ETA CPPs lack the money and scale to compete with enterprise brands. A membership discount with a lower first-year rate would help eligible members defray the cost of the examination.
Special discounts on training and education and reduced rates at payments industry events would also help the ETA fund a more accessible CPP membership directory and decrease educational costs.
It's a small world
I recently participated in a gameshow competition hosted by the ETA at the Southeast Acquirers Association's annual conference and expo, held June 2 to 4 in Orlando. "It's a Small World in Payments" was a fun event where contestants and audience members answered rapid-fire questions taken from the ETA CPP test in a Jeopardy-style competition.
The event reminded me of how much we have in common as payment professionals who use our industry knowledge to make a living. We've come a long way since 2001, when I started my business and attended my first SEAA conference—and we still have a long way to go.
I enjoyed sharing these thoughts with ETA committee members recently and would be thrilled to continue our discussion online, here, and on B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz Podcast.
Want to know more? Keep reading Green Sheet and consider following me on LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman, where we can share ideas and support each other
Allen Kopelman, a serial entrepreneur, is co-founder and CEO of Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. and host of B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz podcast. Email him at allen@npsbank.com and connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenkopelman/ and Twitter @AllenKopelman.
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