Congratulations! You’ve successfully made the switch between being a sales representative and the feet on the street, as they say, and then setting up an office of your own. You are now an Independent Sales Office (ISO). The first priority is the assessment and choice of the business that you’ll collaborate with and represent as well as how they can assist you to increase your sales.
This is even more evident than in the industry of credit card processing. As a top merchant of credit cards, our employees know in person how the world of ISOs changes constantly. Unfortunately, many ISOs have been facing financial difficulties in recent times. Why? because they either) it took the time to study their partner’s company, or b) might not have been aware of the appropriate concerns to inquire about. It’s true that choosing an appropriate partner can be essential to your future and present achievement.
In this regard, that’s why we’re writing and publishing a series of articles that will help you determine what to be looking at in an ISO supplier in this field. Below are some questions regarding the sales, marketing, and informational support to be taken into consideration.
The most important “Support” Questions when researching ISO providers:
* Comprehensive On-Demand Agent Portal
One of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a service company is their information portal that ISOs such as yourself have access to at any time online and includes all the information you require to know on a regular basis. Most providers today offer just a basic database with a limited amount of information.
For the best results from your sales performance, You need an agent who can provide an agent portal that is comprehensive and on-demand. We, for instance, offer our ISOs, as well as direct sales reps, access an exclusive ISO Agent portal that allows you are able to:
Schedule daily appointments
– Manage and track the submitted deals from stage 1 until activation
Review the breakdown of commissions in full
Access all training materials and documents
Get a complete breakdown of your residual report.
– Track sales reps ‘ performance throughout the month
More than just a CRM tool, the ideal agent portal should also be a Customer Relations Management (CRM) instrument; the ideal portal for agents must also be able to:
Submit online merchant applications to speed up the approval process
– Report on batch operations daily.
Flag alerts for customer service problems
* Marketing
In the case of marketing, the first thing to consider will be the high-quality and main purpose of your potential partner’s site. It is often the first site people looking for a partner go to. Do you think it’s) professional and) more importantly, is it customer-facing? Many times, these websites can be more geared towards ISO recruitment rather than for new leads for the business. Naturally, the lead generation process is first.
Other marketing-related questions to think about Are they able to provide you with attractive collateral to help you explain the benefits of your company to potential clients and customers? Is this information accessible in easy-to-print PDF format from their website for you? Print and take whenever you require it? Do they provide pitch books that help you convey your message in a consistent, simple-to-follow layout? Also, are the pitches they offer updated quickly, or are they using data from 1995?
* Training
Training is another important aspect that will determine your success. Do they assist in training your employees to increase their effectiveness and position your company for growth in the future? What is the frequency of training offered – weekly, daily or monthly? It’s true that having training sessions accessible every day as opposed to only once per month will result in a more competent, efficient ISO. Additionally, you should determine the quality of the training as well as the qualifications of the instructor? Do they have a fully qualified trainer that has been able to successfully train many thousands of ISOs and sales reps, or are the sessions run by an employee the training in his spare time?
If you are able to do your due diligence and follow the tips above regarding marketing and sales support, You should be able to gather enough information to determine the most suitable partner who can work together with you and develop the business you run in these important areas. Check out additional articles from this collection in which compensation, as well as other areas of importance, are examined.
