Merchant Account Blog - Straight Pass Through » Suggested Reads/Vids

Make Some Money and Feel Good Doing It!

Robb Lejuwaan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:39:15 +0000

Referral or affiliate programs are a dime a dozen. In the industry I’m in almost every merchant account provider has one of these programs. I know this is true because in preparation for creating another website I’ve become referral partners with many of them. That is exactly why I am introducing our Referral Partner program today – I have looked at the merchant account referral programs out there and have found many of them to be wanting. Sure these programs pay well but the key question is, can you feel good about referring your friends, family members and associates to them?

For me, if I am going to refer someone to another business I need to know three things:

The product or service has to be great
The cost must be fair
The customer service better be outstanding

If I can find these three things in a business I refer to then, and only then, do I consider what my compensation will be. After all, my relationships are more important than making some extra money.

This where many of the programs in my industry fail. With some programs it’s the rates and fees (many hidden) that I just can’t encourage people to accept. With others I know that after a merchant signs up they will be just another number with no personal touch to be found. The bottom line is, knowing what I know about merchant accounts, I just can’t feel good sending people to most of these companies. So we at Cocard Synergy have created our own referral program; below are some the benefits:

Merchant Benefits

Transparent pricing – cost plus our profit margin, no super low “teaser rates”
Interchange Plus price model – no “mid-qualified” or “non-qualified” tiers
No annual fee
No early termination fee
No batch header fee
No minimum processing fee
Assigned Relationship Manager who knows them by name
Free authorize.net setup

Referral Partner Benefits

Upfront bonuses up to $750 per merchant
Monthly residual income equaling 20% of our profit

It works very simply, just fill out the referral form here and we take care of the rest. Then every month the check shows up in your mail box. I know this is nothing new but we are very exited about it.

Another “Why” Behind This Program

Each week I receive emails and calls from sales people looking for a job. They are from all over the United States and typically have some experience with merchant accounts. We could be like every other merchant account provider and hire them as agents. Just put them under contract and let them go. The problem with that is that we don’t know who they really are. Do they share our values of transparency and exceptional service? Will they be honest? Will they represent our company the way we want to be?

I have been down this road before; hiring sales people who I don’t know and I learned the hard way that is not the path to go down if you want to build a great business. So we have decided to only hire sales people we know personally or who are referred to us by our clients. What his means is we have chosen to grow primarily through our referral partners. Here is a list of some of the reasons we chose to go this way:

We are accountable to our referral partners; if we do not deliver our business will not grow
We can focus on doing what we do best – serving businesses and managing their merchant accounts
We are able to control what type of service all our clients receive
We can build a community of clients and referral partners who can benefit one another
We can have much more fun – partners, community, new clients, all good!

So now you know all about our referral program. If you have questions feel free to comment below or contact me directly. If you want to sign up and join with us just click the button below.

Some Quotes to Do Business By

Robb Lejuwaan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:05:45 +0000

It is Saturday morning and I’ve made a commitment to myself to write a blog post every day except Sundays. So I am sitting here wondering what I should write about. I mean how many things can I write about merchant accounts! The truth is there is plenty top write on that subject but today I just don’t want to! So I have decided to share some of my favorite quotes from a few books I have laying around my office. I use highlighters profusely so I am quoting my highlighted passages.

Book: It’s Not How God You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden

“When it can’t be done, do it. If you don’t do it, it doesn’t exist.”

“Don’t covet your ideas. Give away everything you know and more will come back to you.”

“Fail, fail again, fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

“If everything is under control your not going fast enough.” – Mario Andretti

“Success is going from failure to failure with no lose of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Book: Love is the Killer App – By Tim Sanders

“Such people, who say they care for others but who share no real business value, don’t sustain themselves for long. No one believes them. Their professions of love waste everyone’s time. They are toxic to the work place.”

Book: Authenticity – What Consumers Really Want by Joseph Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II

“Axiom 1. If you are authentic, then you don’t have to say you’re authentic.”

“Axiom 2. If you say you are authentic, then you’d better be authentic.”

“Axiom 3. It’s easier to be authentic if you don’t say you are authentic.”

“Business in particular must accept greater responsibility and transparency in all activities…”

“Any company that encourages its people to genuinely care about customers and respond to their individual needs…appeals to exceptional athenticity.”

Book: The Master Key System by Charles Haanel

“It is evident therefore that we are to hate nothing, not even the “bad”, because hatred is destructive, and we shall soon find that by entertaining destructive thought we are sowing the “wind” and in turn shall reap the “whirlwind.”

“You must first have the knowledge of your power; second, the courage to dare; third, the faith to do”

This concludes my random quotes from books in my office. I hope you enjoyed them.

Great Lessons for Small to Mid-Sized Business Owners

Robb Lejuwaan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:26:36 +0000

Source: WikipediaAmerican Express has begun advertising a new website they call “Open Forum – Networking, Ideas and Expertise for Business Owners.” Before I visited the site I thought it would be cheesy – I was wrong. They recently shot a bunch of videos at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with leading business thinkers and practitioners. Here is a list of who was interviewed:

Seth Godin is the author of 9 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 20 languages. Permission Marketing was a New York Times bestseller, Unleashing the Ideavirus is the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

Sean Parker is the co-founder and Chairman of “Project Agape,” a new network that aims to enable large-scale political and social activism on the Internet. Sean is also a Managing Partner at The Founders Fund, an early stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Previously, Sean was the co-founder of the category defining Web ventures Napster, Plaxo, and Facebook.

Jimmy Wales is the Internet entrepreneur best known for founding Wikipedia.org, as well as other wiki-related organizations, including the charitable organization Wikimedia Foundation, and the for-profit company Wikia, Inc., which operates Wikia.com.

Susan Sobbott is President & General Manager of OPEN from American Express, the division dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. OPEN is the fastest-growing proprietary business unit within American Express, and the nation’s largest credit and charge card issuer for small business. Daughter of the owner of a small trucking business, Susan returned to her small business roots when she joined the OPEN team in 2003 and was named its President in 2004.

The topics they cover include Web 2.0, radical transparency, blogging, viral marketing, building a community out of your clients, social networking and a bunch more. Here is a sample video:

Click here to checkout the site.

Why are You in Business?

Robb Lejuwaan — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:24:09 +0000

Business, as a practice, is neutral. It can be used for profit, power, financial survival, personal expression and even making the world a better place. The truth is, the typical business is used for all of the above and more. What I am wondering out loud is why I am in business? What do I want to accomplish? How can I use my business to make the world a better place to live?

I am asking myself these questions because I just watched the winning video from Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Week innovation tournament. Check it out:

RubberBandTogether

Guy Kawasaki writes the following about this video, “The challenge for the tournament was to use an everyday object to create as much value as possible. The “RubberBandTogether” teams goal was to sell the ball and donate the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Cost? $1/band or $3,056.”

If you would like to buy the ball go ahead an e-mail.

So what about you? Why are you in business? How could you make your business life more enjoyable? Even fulfilling? How could you use your business to make the world a better place? Please comment below.

The Superman Syndrome

Robb Lejuwaan — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:46:03 +0000

I was just reminded of a very provocative book I read a few years back, The Superman Syndrome, by Gene N. Landrum, PH.D . On the book’s back cover the "superman syndrome" is defined as "a series of common behaviors that permit an otherwise average person to rise above the norm."

When I read a book I am not big on high lighting key points. This book, however, was an exception, the whole book is marked up with high lights and notes.
Here are a few quotes to peak your interest:

"People hate their jobs precisely because they are working for the money…" (Page 36)

"We can’t achieve until we stop trying to achieve. Cut off your head and your system will function quite well whether it is in romance, money or sports."(Page 36)

"You don’t have to change anything, just stop thinking about it." (Page 200)

Here are some bullet points, again from the back cover:

Chasing money is entropic and the path to the poorhouse
Happiness is a by-product of being – never trying
Romance only comes to those not trying to find romance
Anxiety is a result of unrealistic expectations
Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs

So if you are looking to read a unique business book that will speak to you no matter what situation you are in or if you just like to have your thoughts challenged this is the book for you. Just by reviewing my highlights from two years ago I am energized and rethinking some of thoughts that have been driving my actions lately. I hope you enjoy what Dr. Landrum writes as much as I have.

By the way, Amazon.com only has four copies of this book left, so act quickly if you are going to purchase this book!

I Love Tom Peters!

Robb Lejuwaan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:45:14 +0000

I have a confession to make: I love Tom Peters!

To clarify I love his mind, what he writes and what he says. If you do not know who I am talking about it is about time you learn. Tom is by title a business consultant and author. You may recall what may be his most well know book In Search of Excellence. More importantly to me he is a disruptive thinker, a counter business culture philosopher and I get pumped up when I read what he has to say. I mean it, when I read what Tom has to say I can’t sit down, my heart rate increases and I get excited about what could be.

Here are a few of my favorite Tom Peters destinations:

His Blog

His Power Point slides

Free Tom Peters stuff

His Book – Re-imagine!

You owe it to yourself to take 10 Minutes to review some of this material – I bet your heart starts pumping a little stronger too.

Stories For Your Enjoyment

Robb Lejuwaan — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:09:49 +0000

Since my merchant account writing is on hold for the moment I thought I would share of couple of interesting stories I came across over the weekend. I hope they make your Monday a better day.

The first is a lecture from Randy Pausch, a 46-year-old Carnegie Mellon computer science professor who is has terminal cancer and has just a few more months to live. This is his last lecture entitled, “How to Live Your Childhood Dreams,” about his life’s journey and the lessons he’s learned. Take the time to at least watch the segment form Good Morning America:

Good Morning America Summary Full LectureThe next story comes from one of my favorite radio shows, This American Life. Episode 192 from last weekend is entitled “Meet the Pros.” The whole show is very entertaining but in particular I enjoyed the story of a New Jersey teenager, Luis Da Silva, one of the stars of a popular series of Nike commercials featuring professional and amateur basketball players doing dribbling tricks. Luis didn’t even start for his high school basketball team, so how did he end up starring in a commercial with NBA stars? Listen:

This American Life – Episode 192

Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends

Robb Lejuwaan — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:01:30 +0000

Normally I wait until I finish a book before recommending it to others. In this case I have to make an exception. I bought this book written by Tim Sanders , Yahoo!’s Leadership Coach, several years ago and it set on my bookshelf until a few days ago. The title of the book is Love is the Killer App, How to Win Business and Influence Friends .

Fast Company summarized the message of the book – "If you want to fix your future, start by fixing yourself. In the face of war and recession, what the business world needs is less greed — and more love. So says Yahoo senior executive Tim Sanders, who argues that now more than ever, the road to prosperity is paved with a commitment to generosity. . "

In the book Sanders tells his own story about how he came to realize that love is what makes the business world go around. He defines what he means by saying that this "biz love" is made of of three key ingredients:

Sharing our knowledge
Sharing our network
Showing compassion

I don’t have time to write any more I just want to let you know that if you have not read this book already go out and get it today!

Wait a minute, I want to qualify who should read this book. If you…

want feel good about how you do business
always knew deep down there must be a better way
if you want do business with friends

Then go out and get this book .

When Pete Carroll Speaks I Listen and So Should You

Robb Lejuwaan — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:16:55 +0000

Ah yes, college football season is upon us. The team I was raised (brainwashed) to love, the USC Trojans, play the weak and feeble, University of Idaho Vandals this Saturday. I will be there, at the L.A. Colosseum, rooting my team on and hoping for a complete slaughter.

The first USC game I went to was in 1974 when USC was down to Notre Dame 24-0 one minute before half time. USC came back, opening the second half with 102 yard, Anthony Davis kick off return for a touchdown, eventually beating the Irish 55-24. Needless to say, I was hooked.

Since then I have seen the Trojans have good seasons, horrible seasons and over the last five years, excellent seasons. The excellent seasons have occurred under the leadership of Pete Carrol l. Here is what he has accomplished in first five years at USC:

Two BCS Championship Game appearances (win over Oklahoma , loss to Texas)
Five Associated Press Top-4 finishes, including the split 2003 national championship and the undisputed 2004 national championship .
A record five consecutive BCS bowl appearances
A record five consecutive years as PAC-10 Champions or Co-Champions
A national-record 33 consecutive weeks as AP’s No. 1-ranked team
A winning record of 65-12 (84.4%), including 10-2 against traditional rivals Notre Dame and UCLA
A NCAA-record of 63 straight 20-point games
Nineteen All-American first teamers
Three Heisman Trophy winners (Carson Palmer , 2002; Matt Leinart , 2004; Reggie Bush , 2005)
Four Top-5 recruiting classes
Still-active win streaks for home games (32) and Pac-10 home games (21).

Here is a list of his personal awards:

2003

2003 American Football Coaches Association Division I-A Coach of the Year
Home Depot National Coach of the Year
Maxwell Club College Coach of the Year
ESPN.com National Coach of the Year
Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. Coach of the Year
All-American Football Foundation Frank Leahy Co-Coach of the Year
Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year

2004

2004 National Quarterback Club College Coach of the Year
2004 ESPN.com Pac-10 Coach of the Year

2005

Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year

2006

Pac-10 Coach of the Year

So you can see when I find out what Pete’s secret is, in his own words, my ears perk up. This past Sunday the L.A. Times printed a small, out of the way, article entitled, “Carroll goes by the book to teach football at USC ,” written by Kurt Streeter , I felt like I had found a buried treasure.

It turns out “the book” that Pete Carroll goes by is “The Inner Game of Tennis .” Carroll says it is full of teaching that inspires his life and that he uses to help his players perform — even if they don’t know it.

So why this post? Well, I wanted to brag on USC football and point out an article that it no one seems to have seen.

Bottom line: read the article and buy the book . Who knows maybe you can become the Pete Carroll of your business field.

Merchant Account Blog - Straight Pass Through » Suggested Reads/Vids

Make Some Money and Feel Good Doing It!

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Some Quotes to Do Business By

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Great Lessons for Small to Mid-Sized Business Owners

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Why are You in Business?

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The Superman Syndrome

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I Love Tom Peters!

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Stories For Your Enjoyment

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Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends

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When Pete Carroll Speaks I Listen and So Should You

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