Chris Venza - Bold Integrated Payments

Four Ways Small Businesses are Finding Additional Revenue Sources During an Economic Shutdown

by Chris Venza | Apr 2, 2020

The world has changed, and so has the restaurant and retail industry.

Through no fault of their own, companies are scrambling to find ways to keep their business afloat. Many restaurants have had to completely shift their business model relying on ingenuity to generate revenue when patrons are forced to stay and shelter.

BOLD is keeping a close eye on the events unfolding and the effects on our industry. This includes constant communication with our partners in hopes to share merchant success stories outlined below. While a few of these solutions may seem reactive given the current situation, it is important to consider the long term benefits these will have as consumer buying habits will shift when things get back to normal.

1- ONLINE ORDERING AND CONTACTLESS PICKUP

For restaurants, online ordering has been the lifeline for keeping their doors open during this pandemic. For those who had an online ordering “ecosystem” in place along with a healthy social media presence to promote their service, the transfer was a little easier. Others have had to scramble to fill the demand. Thankfully, many online ordering solution providers have stepped up to offer risk free periods for merchants. Some have even gone completely POS agnostic.

eTab– A stand alone online ordering solution that can be quickly activated and implemented into BOLD’s merchant accounts.

Retailcloud– From now until July 2020, merchants can activate their online store for free. After 90 days merchants have the choice to keep the site, upgrade for more products, and add additional features.

Restaurants are also promoting “Contactless Pickup”. Consumers are looking for as little human interaction as possible. When an online order is placed via phone or online, many businesses are capturing a description of the car used ot pick up the order. The food is then walked to the car and placed on the hood without the customer ever having to get out of the vehicle.

2- CASH DISCOUNTING

COVID-19 has forced many merchants to cut costs and monthly recurring fees. Depending on the merchant, “Cash Discounting” helps merchants eliminate monthly service fees and save hundreds to thousands of dollars a month in processing fees.

BOLD’s Cash Discounting Program eliminates merchant processing fees for businesses by passing the fees onto the customer as a “non-cash adjustment”. It is treated as a discount given to ALL customers who pay with cash, not as a surcharge added to a credit card transaction. Simply put, ALL goods and services are priced with the “Non-Cash Adjustment” and the discount is applied at the point-of-sale for cash purchases.

It is also important to note that due to the situation that we are in, merchants are running many non-qualified (manually keyed) transactions resulting in higher interchange fees. Merchants taking advantage of the Cash Discount Program benefit by avoiding these additional fees.

3- SIMPLIFIED AND FAMILY-STYLE MENUS

Restaurants are running skeleton crews. Many have limited their meal selections to family-style meals in order to streamline the kitchen and limit the food preparation and serving time. Other restaurants, like Tony Baloney’s mentioned below, are finding creative ways to stay afloat by selling kits of their menu items so families can pick up and prepare at home.

Examples of Some Restaurants Shifting to Family-Style Meals

1. A statewide limit on groups is never good for a catering company, so Quinn’s Catering in McDonough, GA found a way to stay active by offering curbside pickup for family meals.

2. Tony Baloney’s in New Jersey changed their online ordering selection to include DIY Pizza Kits that can be picked up.

4- PROTEINS AND ALCOHOL TO GO

The food shortages at grocery stores have given restaurants an opportunity for another short-term revenue source. With proteins hard to come by in the grocery aisles, restaurants are finding some success by offering curbside pickup on proteins and, depending on their city, alcohol.

Examples of How Selling by Bulk is Helping Restaurants

1. Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of State Health Services to issue guidance allowing restaurants to sell bulk retail products from restaurant supply chain distributors directly to consumers.

2. Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors, a protein distributor in Atlanta, is now providing home delivery directly to consumers. Prices are similar to what restaurants were paying.

3. In many cities, such as Las Vegas, local governments are adjusting regulations by temporarily allowing restaurants to serve alcohol along with curbside pickup in order to discourage congregation and allow a revenue source for restaurants.

No one could have expected the country to be in the position we are in. With the Federal Government extending social distancing guidelines until April 30, 2020, it is imperative for restaurants to find solutions to weather this storm.

If you have or need ideas on how you can help your merchants, please call the BOLD Response Team Hotline at (877) 515-1003.

Bay Area POS Finds a Home with BOLD

by Chris Venza | Jun 6, 2019

SUMMARY

Founded in 2005 as an IT company offering technical solutions to local companies, Bay Area POS (BAPOS) transitioned to a POS company in 2009 and continued to expand their offerings to meet the evolving needs of their 500+ clients. BAPOS ultimately found a niche in offering POS solutions to restaurants. This shift and narrowed focus put them on track to become one of the fastest growing SoftTouch POS dealers in the nation.

THEIR SOLUTION

Critical to their success, BAPOS recognized and took advantage of a growing trend among restaurants regarding how they purchase point-of-sale systems. Restaurateurs want lower up-front cost and a modular system that can be customized to fit their unique needs.

“Ultimately, we chose SoftTouch POS as our main solution because it is a robust restaurant POS that is hard to beat” says Shane Jones, owner of Bay Area POS. “It offers a licensing structure that allows the merchant to buy it now or pay a monthly subscription that covers software updates and 24/7 support.”

Finding a customizable solution like SoftTouch POS was crucial in BAPOS’ success. Some of SoftTouch’s features include:

Dine In
Takeout/Express Menu
Table or Quick Service
Delivery
Caller ID
Drive Thru
Fast Bar Interface

Online Ordering
Mobile/Enterprise Reporting
Semi-integrated EMV Solutions
Pay-at-the-Table
Real-time Dashboard Reporting
Cash Discounting Integration
PCI-DSS Out-of-Scope

BAY AREA POS FINDS A HOME WITH BOLD

In addition, BAPOS recognized the benefits of offering merchant services as part of their solution and the resulting impact doing so has on their revenue stream. The difficulty lies in finding the right processor with the right support at the right revenue split.

“When we compared our residual splits with BOLD versus other processors we have used, BOLD’s payout was the closest to matching their Schedule A than the others.” says Shane. “Typically, other processors produce about a 50% or less split after fees. BOLD gives us the majority split of the revenue that is true to their Schedule A.”

But what is a lion’s share split without reporting to back it up?

Shane went on to mention “the [residual] reporting is also the best I have seen. You can see residuals at the transaction level.”

“After reviewing our payout with BOLD, it is our assessment that BOLD pays about 15-20% better than the other processors.”— SHANE JONES

Another area BOLD separates themselves from the competition is their partner and merchant support. BOLD takes a personal approach when supporting their partners and it shows.

“They always handle the problem same day and have the skills to adapt and supply temporary solutions or workarounds on the fly to offer continuity” says Shane. “No down time. They know the devices well.”

FUTURE PLANS

What does BAPOS plan for the future?

“Our main focus this year is cash discounting” says Shane. “We have great relationships with our clients, and providing a solution that can save them $50,000 a year in merchant processing fees is a no-brainer”.

BAPOS will expand their sub-agent channel with a focus on SoftTouch POS and merchant processing via their partnership with BOLD The plan for agents is a full assistance approach with a process that allows the agent to become acclimated with SoftTouch POS while earning residuals – all without forcing contracts or quotas on the agent.

Interested in becoming a Bay Area POS reseller? Email info@bayareapointofsale.com to find out more.

The Digital Marketing Cycle- From Lead to Customer

by Chris Venza | May 31, 2019

Digital marketing has evolved and will continue to change for the unforeseeable future. In its infant stages, a business could see a good bit of traction from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) alone. Fast forward to recent times, many companies have had to find creative ways to drive “clicks” to their site in order to win the “Google Game”.

Many businesses have found great success by providing informative content meant to drive clicks to their site. Their hope is to attract readers looking for information about their industry and not necessarily their company. What many companies miss when doing this is the benefits of integrating all of their digital services so the lead can stay informed from conception to close.

THE LEAD

When a company receives a lead, this is when the integration between Customer Relation Management (CRM) software and Email Engine (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc) should start. The status of that lead/contact should always be in sync between the CRM and Email Engine throughout the sales cycle. This allows the reader to receive information relevant to them.

Drip marketing campaigns should start as soon as the lead willing to receive information is entered into your CRM. A drip marketing campaign is a series of emails that are scheduled and can be sent based on actions of the reader (opens, clicks, etc). For leads, emails should be useful information about your/their industry with a sprinkle of information about your company. You can quickly see your unsubscribes go up if the lead continuously feels “sold” to.

There are a few benefits to these emails. The benefit we are covering in this piece are “clicks”. Clicks to your site from external sources (social media, email campaigns, etc) are huge when it comes to Google looking for relevant websites. As users visit your blog, Google identifies the traffic. An active page containing a subject will be ranked higher as prospects search for that subject stored on your blog/site. Combined with pay-per-click (social media post boost and Google Ads), your blog can find a good amount of traffic.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Once the lead expresses interest and a demo/quote has been presented, a conversion in your CRM should update the status in your Email Engine. This starts an entirely new drip marketing campaign. These emails are slightly more forward about your company and should include a call-to-action. It is also helpful to make these emails more personable. For example, it is a good idea to write a few emails directly to the prospect from your personal address on topics they might be interested in (i.e.- “Hey [first name], We just had a new blog post hit today that I thought you might find useful.”)

THE CLOSE

Congratulations! Looks like your hard work paid off. Now it is time to include your new customer in more useful information. A customer no longer needs to be “sold” on your service. A customer is now looking to be nurtured with information on the product/service they purchased. This is when an online knowledge base can be useful for your company. Emails can direct your customers to your site (again, still driving “clicks”) with training or commonly asked questions about your products and service.

The digital marketing process can be a long one. In fact, it is common for it to take 4-6 months before you feel any impact from it. The important thing is to stick with it. When done correctly, the benefits can snowball…quickly.

Tips on Informing Your Merchants About Additional Services Your Company Offers

by Chris Venza | May 23, 2019

Topics

The Power of an online Blog
Benefits of a client facing knowledge base
Using drip marketing to stay consistent
Use Priority I.S. as a resource

You have an amazing company, and you’ve worked hard to include value added services that can help your merchants grow. The final, and probably the most difficult, step is informing your customers and capitalizing on their interest.

Outside of using your company’s time and resources to physically call on each of your merchants, there are cost-effective tools available that can help your communication. Below are some ideas on getting started and the steps you can take to maintain a strong online presence with your customers while attracting new prospects.

TOOLS TO CONSIDER

Below are some great tools to make your site more interactive for your clients. Another HUGE benefit is the traction your site can receive ultimately driving up your search engine ranking.

Online Blog

Tap into your knowledge. No one knows your business like you, so share it. Willingness to share this information builds credibility with your prospects and clients as well as drive traffic to your website. It is important to remember that the typical reader of your blog may not be a potential client. What you do earn are clicks, and that can go a long way on search engines.

Another great tip is to use your resources. Ask your employees for topics or even write-ups. This can make a huge impact by building credibility throughout your team and displaying the versatility of your office.

Online Knowledge Base

A knowledge base can not only be informative to your current clients, it can also drive new traffic to your site. When prospects search for solutions that fit the topic of your post, search engines look for indexed pages that fit that search based on activity and age of the page. When one works in conjunction with a blog and email engine, the click rate and page ranking can increase drastically. Below are some benefits one would consider when deciding to implement an online knowledge base:

Decrease your support load by directing your clients to an online resource.
Use the knowledge base to inform your clients about new features and offerings.
Clicks to your knowledge can mean more traction for your site elevating your in the “Google Game”. Now, when prospects search for a topic in your knowledge base, you are closer to the top of the list.

Email/Drip Marketing

Drip marketing can be a great way to stay in front of current and future clients. Emails can be automated and sent based on the users interaction with your emails. When your systems are working together, it can be a great resource to deliver the information hosted on your blog and knowledge base. Depending on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and email client you use, drip marketing can me set on autopilot by simply checking a box in your CRM.

KEYS TO REMEMBER

Stay consistent. A typical marketing strategy can take 90-120 days to drive results when done correctly. Once it takes off, you will witness a snowball effect.
If needed, use outside resources to help you with your content strategy and creation
Priority I.S. has a marketing department available for our partners to help them get started. Email us at marketing@priorityis.com to get over your goals and develop a game plan.

Understanding and Preventing Merchant Processing Holds and Reserves

by Chris Venza | May 14, 2019

There are a number of reasons a merchant can experience a credit card hold/reserve. There are also a number of things merchants can do to prevent this headache.

Knowing the basics of credit card reserves and holds can save merchants quite a bit of frustration and hopefully help them avoid experiencing a delay when receiving their funds.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ACCOUNT RESERVE AND FUNDS WITHHELD (HOLD)?

Account Reserve is money set aside as a security deposit. It is usually due to the nature of the business (i.e.- a business at a high risk for chargebacks). When a processor determines a reserve is needed, it is common for the processor to hold a percentage of the merchant’s batches until a predetermined amount is reached.

Funds Withheld (Holds) take place when red flags are triggered by an unusual transaction type and the merchant processor holds the funds until further research is done or the chargeback deadline has passed.

WHY DO ACCOUNT RESERVES AND HOLDS EXIST?

Acquiring Banks (the merchant processor) are basically a line of credit until the chargeback time limit expires (at which point the card holder can not refute the transaction. Learn More About Chargebacks Here). If the cardholder disputes the charge, the merchant processor can use the reserve/hold to repay the consumer rather than try to recoup the amount from the merchant directly.

WHO DECIDES WHAT FOR A MERCHANT ACCOUNT RESERVE

Ultimately, it is the merchant processor that takes on the risk for merchant processing by funding merchants for transactions that can be disputed at a later date. It is up to the merchant processor to decide the parameters for the account reserve and sometimes looks at it as a case-by-case scenario (i.e.- length of time the merchant has been processing, the goods sold, chargeback history, etc).

Reserves

It is typical for high-risk merchants to need a reserve, and the processor can require a reserve as soon as the merchant begins processing.

Holds

The merchant processor can put a hold on an account based on an individual transaction that may look out of the ordinary (uncommonly high tip, larger than usual transaction, etc). When a merchant first signs up for merchant processing the merchant processor requests the expected average monthly volume, average ticket size, and highest projected ticket amount. The processor can use these queues to setup red flags in their system to identify unusual credit card activity. For example, if a restaurant claims their highest ticket is $1,000 but runs a $2,500 transaction for a catering order, the merchant processor will review that transaction and determine if a hold is needed until the chargeback deadline is cleared.

HOW MERCHANTS CAN PREVENT RESERVES AND HOLDS

Set the right expectations up front

When deciding the average ticket/monthly volume and the high ticket amount, it is important to be as accurate as possible to reduce any unnecessary red flags while processing. Merchants will also want to confirm their SIC Code (a four-digit codes that categorize companies by the type of business activities they engage in) is correct at the time of their application boarding. The wrong SIC code may categorize them as a high risk merchant resulting in unnecessary reserves.

Be upfront with the processor about the nature of the business

It helps to provide as much information as possible during the boarding process. Previous statements, chargeback history, business history, etc all can benefit the merchant by building credibility with the processor. Don’t lose hope if the processor requests a reserve on the account. Depending on the processor, the merchant can sometimes provide additional information at the time of approval to either avoid the reserve or lessen the amount requested.

Notify the processor about unusual transactions before they are batched

The best way to avoid holds on individual transactions is to notify the processor before the transaction is authorized and batched. It is typical for the processor to request either a signed invoice or a back story of the transaction. The risk department will take note of the transaction and usually fund the merchant for the full amount with the correct documentation.

While not ideal, reserves and holds are a necessary “evil” when it comes to keeping the merchant and processor safe from losing money. It is important for merchants to talk to their processor to find out what they require and to confirm the parameters they have on file are accurate based on the volume that is ran.

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