What is a ISO Partner Program?

Shaw Merchant Group
5 min readMar 7, 2024

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In the fast-paced world of finance and commerce, credit card processing is an essential service for businesses of all sizes. As a payment processor, you play a crucial role in facilitating transactions between customers and merchants, ensuring a smooth and secure payment process. If you’re looking to enter the payment processing industry, becoming a registered ISO (Independent Sales Organization) and partnering with a white label payment processor can be a lucrative and rewarding venture. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through what an ISO partner program is, how to become a registered ISO, the benefits of white label payment processing for starting a credit card processing company, how to become a credit card processor, and how to sell payment processing services to small businesses.

Become an ISO for Merchant Services

What is an ISO Partner Program?

An ISO partner program is a business partnership between an ISO and a payment processing company that allows the ISO to sell payment processing services to merchants. ISOs act as intermediaries between merchants and payment processors, providing sales, marketing, and customer support services to help merchants streamline their payment processing operations. By partnering with a payment processing company through an ISO partner program, ISOs gain access to the payment processing infrastructure, technology, and support needed to offer comprehensive payment processing solutions to their clients.

How to Become a Registered ISO?

Becoming a registered ISO involves partnering with a payment processing company that is registered with the major card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) and obtaining the necessary certifications and licenses to sell payment processing services. To become a registered ISO, follow these steps:

1. Research payment processing companies: Look for reputable payment processing companies that offer ISO partner programs and provide the support and resources you need to succeed in the payment processing industry.

2. Apply for an ISO partner program: Submit an application to the payment processing company’s ISO partner program, outlining your business goals, experience in the industry, and sales strategies.

3. Obtain necessary certifications and licenses: Depending on your location and the type of payment processing services you plan to offer, you may need to obtain certifications and licenses from regulatory bodies such as the PCI Security Standards Council and the Electronic Transactions Association.

4. Set up your business operations: Establish your business operations, including setting up a business entity, creating marketing materials, and developing a sales strategy to attract merchants to your payment processing services.

5. Start selling payment processing services: Once you are approved as a registered ISO, start selling payment processing services to merchants and providing them with the support they need to process credit card transactions efficiently and securely.

White Label Merchant Services

Benefits of White Label Payment Processing for Starting a Credit Card Processing Company

White label payment processing allows you to offer payment processing services under your own brand, without the need to build and maintain your own payment processing infrastructure. By partnering with a white label payment processor, you can take advantage of their technology, expertise, and support to start a credit card processing company quickly and cost-effectively. Some key benefits of white label payment processing for starting a credit card processing company include:

1. Branding control: With white label payment processing, you can brand your payment processing services with your company’s logo, colors, and messaging, creating a consistent and professional image for your business.

2. Technology and support: White label payment processors provide you with access to state-of-the-art payment processing technology, including terminals, gateways, and fraud prevention tools, as well as ongoing support to help you navigate the complex world of payment processing.

3. Cost savings: By partnering with a white label payment processor, you can avoid the high costs associated with developing and maintaining your own payment processing infrastructure, allowing you to focus on growing your business and serving your clients.

4. Scalability: White label payment solutions are scalable, allowing you to easily expand your payment processing services as your business grows and your client base increases.

How to Become a Credit Card Processor?

Becoming a credit card processor involves obtaining the necessary certifications, licenses, and partnerships to sell payment processing services to merchants. To become a credit card processor, follow these steps:

1. Research the payment processing industry: Familiarize yourself with the payment processing industry and the key players, including payment processors, ISOs, and merchant acquirers.

2. Obtain relevant certifications and licenses: Obtain certifications such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance and licenses required to sell payment processing services in your jurisdiction.

3. Partner with a payment processing company: Partner with a payment processing company that offers ISO programs or white label payment processing solutions to gain access to the technology, support, and resources needed to start selling payment processing services.

4. Develop a sales strategy: Create a sales strategy to attract merchants to your payment processing services, including targeted marketing campaigns, networking events, and sales presentations.

5. Provide ongoing support: Offer merchants ongoing support to help them navigate the payment processing landscape, resolve any issues that arise, and maximize the benefits of your payment processing services.

How to Sell Merchant Services

How to Sell Payment Processing Services to Small Businesses?

Selling payment processing services to small businesses requires a targeted approach that focuses on addressing the unique needs and challenges of small business owners. To sell payment processing services to small businesses, follow these tips:

1. Understand their needs: Small businesses often have limited resources and a need for affordable, easy-to-use payment processing solutions. Tailor your services to meet their needs, such as offering competitive rates, transparent pricing, and user-friendly technology.

2. Offer value-added services: Provide small businesses with value-added services such as analytics, reporting, and fraud prevention tools to help them optimize their payment processing operations and improve their bottom line.

3. Provide excellent customer service: Small business owners value personalized, responsive customer service. Be readily available to address their questions and concerns, and provide proactive support to help them get the most out of your payment processing services.

4. Build relationships: Establish strong relationships with small business owners through networking events, industry associations, and social media. Show them that you understand their business and are committed to helping them succeed.

5. Educate them on the benefits: Highlight the benefits of your payment processing services, such as faster transaction processing, increased security, and access to a wide range of payment options, to demonstrate the value of partnering with your company.

In conclusion, becoming a registered ISO and partnering with a white label payment processor can open up exciting opportunities in the payment processing industry. By following the steps outlined in this comprehensive guide, you can start your journey towards becoming a credit card processor, selling payment processing services to small businesses, and starting a merchant processing company. With dedication, hard work, and a commitment to excellence, you can carve out a niche for yourself in this dynamic and thriving industry.

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Shaw Merchant Group

At Shaw Merchant Group we specialize in merchant services agent and ISO development. We are a group of experienced payment processing industry professionals.