ISOs Should Avoid Generic Marketing Campaigns: Analyst

A general approach to marketing for independent sales organizations seeking new clients is more likely to fail than would a campaign that targets specific merchant segments, according to one analyst. “A lot of ISOs fail, and they spend a lot of time and a lot of money in marketing that is ineffective,” says Philip J. Philliou, a partner at Philliou Selwanes Partners LLC, a New York-based consulting firm. “Marketing that is generic, purely price-based and scattershot in approach is rarely successful.” Such marketing tactics work to create an overall awareness of a business in a market, notes Philliou. ISOs instead should educate their sales staffs about specific merchant categories, such as health care, and target the categories with tailored marketing campaigns that address each segment’s unique payment needs, he says. “If you are an ISO that understand health care enough to a least connect with a health care provider, they often will recommend you to someone else,” says Philliou.