Three Tips to Grow Your Payments Portfolio

Three Tips to Grow Your Payments Portfolio

Advantages of a BOLD portfolio

Building a portfolio with BOLD is a unique experience that many may struggle to find elsewhere. Whether you are building off of an existing book of business or starting from scratch, BOLD has the resources to assist with your company’s growth. Unlike what most find in our industry, BOLD has complete transparency and a network of diverse team members. One of BOLDs top benefits is the lion’s share of the revenue. Providing full control over your portfolio the BOLD team works to curate a personal experience that best suits every partners’ needs.

Working with the Partner Relationship team can help meet goals and maximize return on investment. It is important to understand the benefits of residual income and ways it can drastically help your business. I have partnered with BOLDs Senior Partner Success Manager Ciara Watson to bring you her top three tips on growing a portfolio. Ciara has twenty years of industry experience under her belt and as a previous business owner herself, she understands the needs of merchants.

Tip #1 Keep an Open Mind

When you first start building your book of business it is a good approach to stay focused on a specific target market. As your portfolio continues to grow, having an open mind to other markets will allow you to be a part of endless opportunities. Branching out into new markets may bring up some unexpected obstacles. Becoming educated and staying informed on new avenues can be the key to overcoming any hindrance and generating a great deal of revenue.

You may try new pricing structures or different product offerings depending on a merchant’s needs. For example, some ISVs and VARs are hesitant to dive into Dual Pricing. Dual Pricing has proven to be successful with many of our partners as it allows merchants to save considerably on processing fees. Given proper education on the subject many merchants find themselves open to potential savings. While your customers continue to be approached by salesmen looking for their business, give them a reason to stay. Additionally, having accessibility to a variety of product offerings may also improve merchant retention.

Tip #2 Have Confidence in Your Skillset

Understanding your strengths and knowledge within this industry will help build a profitable strategy. Networking and attending different trade shows can help develop known weaknesses. The BOLD team finds that people are eager to educate others when given the chance. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals and have an open line of communication with merchants. Reach out to software companies directly if you are unfamiliar with their product. All it takes is one new software or product to master, and a new target market can be acquired. Continue to build your existing skills and portfolio expansion will follow.

Tip #3 Analyze Your Current Book of Business

When analyzing your current book of business, growth can be measured in a number of ways. With BOLD you have full control over your portfolio. Growth may be tracked by revenue earned, merchant accounts boarded, monthly volume, or customer satisfaction. Reviewing current accounts is a good place to start forming a strategy for growth. Can you identify businesses that are not producing? You may find valuable resources are being misplaced. Ciara likes to refer to the 80/20 rule also known as The Pareto Principle. It is important to exert the right amount of effort to achieve desired results.

Conclusion

Applying Ciara’s tips and suggestions to your business will help revenue grow at an accelerated pace. Remember to always have an open mind when selecting a target market and be willing to explore new strategies. Have confidence in your current skills and determine areas of improvement. Continue to build on existing skills by analyzing your current book of business. Asking the right questions is essential and can help you properly allocate valuable resources. At BOLD we strive to meet our core values and exceed partner expectations.

Coming Soon

With all these things in mind, we look forward to bringing you part two of this series where Ciara’s tips will be implemented on a partner portfolio and real results will be presented.

 

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The Upcoming Changes to PCI-DSS and Timeline for v4.0

The Upcoming Changes to PCI-DSS and Timeline for v4.0

The PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a global standard that provides a baseline of technical and operational requirements designed to protect account data and information.

Recently, the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI-SSC) announced changes coming to the Data Security Standard. It includes vital information every ISV, VAR, and business accepting credit cards should be aware of in order to remain compliant and avoid compliance fees.  

The beginning stages of v4.0 started in 2017 with changes to v3.2.1. These changes were adopted in the latest version of PCI-DSS and initiated in Q1 of 2020 during the global pandemic. The switch from v3.2.1 to v4.0 happened in a time of uncertainty. With the completion of v4.0, supporting documents (linked below), programs, and updates to training material were completed and rolled out in Q4 of last year (2021). 

The development of PCI-DSS v4.0 was driven by industry feedback and furthers the protection of payment data with new controls and flexibility for the merchant. As the payment card industry evolves, so does the technology and attacks against it. Version 4.0 allows the PCI-SSC to adopt a system of being ahead of the curve and create avenues to help businesses upgrade from v3.2.1. 

The 4 Main Changes for PCI-DSS v4.0

1. Increased requirements for Yearly Diligence for Merchants and Service Providers

      • Every 12 months and upon a significant change, businesses must document and confirm the PCI DSS.
      • For any merchant that uses the customized approach (info found here), a target risk analysis must be performed and approved by senior management
      • An annual review of hardware and software must be completed with a plan to remediate outdated technologies

2. New Customized Approach (info found here)

      • This customized approach still retains the requirement to evaluate risk, but it allows for a more strategic pathway for businesses with robust security processes and strong risk management practices 

3. Expanded Risk Analysis Guidance

      • PCI DSS 4.0 has also provided expanded guidance on conducting risk analysis. Risk analysis has always been a part of PCI DSS, significantly used as part of the compensating control worksheet. In this new version, there is a Sample Targeted Risk Analysis Template (PCI DSS Appendix E2). The template provides more information on how the PCI-SSC expects a risk analysis to be carried out. 

4. Clarifications to “Significant Change” Standard 

      • PCI DSS v4.0 has also provided clarity for some of the key concepts of PCI-DSS, especially what signifies a “significant change”. While the description is more complex in v4.0 than it has been in the past, older versions were not specifically defined. V4.0 offers clarity and examples of the term “significant changes” and processes to stay compliant during changes. 

Projected PCI v4.0 Implementation Timeline

PCI DSS v3.2.1 will remain active for two years after v4.0 is published. However, it is never too early for ISVs, VARs, and merchants to become familiar with the latest version and build a plan for implementing changes as needed.

PCI DSS v4.0 provides clarity on common issues related to PCI DSS and offers significant levels of flexibility for the merchant who has their own security standards in place. As changes are announced, BOLD will continue to update this article with the latest information provided by the PCI-SSC.

Sources:
https://blog.pcisecuritystandards.org/countdown-to-pci-dss-v4.0
https://listings.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/PCI-DSS-Summary-of-Changes-v3_2_1-to-v4_0.pdf
https://www.mwe.com/insights/pci-dss-4-0-introduces-transformational-change/

Looking to learn how to get started on PCI-DSS v4.0?

Fill out the information below and a BOLD representative will contact you shortly.

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