CrossCheck Blog

I’ve returned from attending the MidWest Acquirers Association's 11th Annual Conference this week in Chicago. It was a good trip and I had the chance to visit with many of our ISOs and payment services partners. It’s apparent that the payment processing industry is heating up again.(Or maybe it was the 90 degree weather?) Mobile payments solutions were hot, of course, but I also received a lot of attention on our new MED-RDC service. A remote deposit capture service just for medical businesses, you ask?Well, yes, and we’re very excited about it.

Earlier in 2013, USA Today sounded the death knell in reporting the retailers that would be shuttering the most stores this year, which included Best Buy, Sears, and JC Penny. But you don’t have to be a major brand name to know that life for retailers continues to be a struggle. In the still-weakened yet ever-competitive economy, it takes far more than just a good product to stand out from the crowd. We offer some retail tips to make sure you don’t end up on the list for 2014. Introduce Demand It’s called a flash sale for a reason. Like the proverbial flash in the pan, it happens fast and it happens once. Otherwise known as, you snooze you lose. You may want to make a sale last as long as possible to reach every last customer, but people may be spurred to act if they feel they’ll miss out. Placing parameters on specials makes them, well, special. You can spread the word about flash sales through your social networking sites. Put it on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, and send an email or text blast to your faithful followers.

Clang clang clang go the slot machines everywhere you turn in Las Vegas. So like all the other tourists, you step up to a One-Armed Bandit and get ready to pull. But wait? What's wrong? You're pulling and nothing's happening (except if you break it, and then you really bought it as the security guards come out from the Eye in the Sky). What's really wrong is that you haven't dropped your penny, nickel, dime, or dollar into the slot. And if you have to pay to play in Las Vegas, why wouldn't you pay to play in business, too?

As a payment professional, you know your merchants work hard to stay in business and every sale counts. Same for you, right? One way to improve sales is through check services.

In 1983 we went to the theatres to see Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Flashdance, Sudden Impact ("Go ahead, make my day"), Scarface ("Say hello to my little friend") and Terms of Endearment. We bought records such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and “Syncronicity” by The Police. If you were young and had an active social life like my friend pictured here you went out wearing your Izod shirt with a cool Members Only jacket. You listened to music on a Sony Walkman with your favorite cassettes.

It's that time of year. Just as we start dusting off the Halloween decorations and ordering the heritage turkey, the forecasts for holiday retail sales start rolling in. Holiday sales this year are predicted to increase and many of the big retailers are putting in plans and setting up programs to make sure they capture the dollars. Cyber Monday is getting even more attention than Black Friday, and new electronics are sure to be a hit. With all this going on, how do you compete for your slice of the holiday pie?

Auto dealer general managers oversee the day-to-day operations of their location. Many of the people in these positions have long careers in the automotive industry. Even further they have either a Bachelor or MBA in business or finance. Not to mention it is common to find past experience as a sales or finance manager, which means they are numbers-driven, play hardball in negotiations and understand the sales cycle of new and used cars.

Matt Nern leads a sales team in Dallas, Texas. Matt relies on years of experience as a sales leader in the payment processing and automotive industries when he's training new reps to sell check guarantee. He's an expert motivator and sales coach, but he's always on the lookout for new sales tips. Here's a story from Matt with some valuable advice for sales professionals.

Yes, it's that time of year again: Summer is coming to a close, it's time to start making sack lunches, sign permission slips and enforce early bed times. This can mean only one thing; back-to-school shopping is in full swing! Each year there is always a new "it" product to have where kids want to impress their friends with the newest shoes, clothes and the like. What will it be this year?

Consumers continue to write checks in large numbers. The 2010 Federal Reserve Payments Study, last updated in April 2011, states the number of checks paid in 2009 is estimated to have been 24.5 billion, with a value of $31.6 billion. With the amount of checks written and their total value, it's important for merchants to understand check's value and the consequent benefits of implementing a check conversion service.