Our blog this week was going to be focused on sales but after watching the Superbowl, we decided to tweak the topic a bit. Watching Coach Carroll talking about the win, I was struck by his focus and by the attitude he fosters and ‘coaches’ on his team and it reminded me of what our team has been focused on and how we are attacking the New Year. Sales? YES- when you are talking about taking care of a team and improving results you are speaking about sales as well as every other area of success! In order to create a winning team and a sales environment that really produces, we have to focus on a few things and, according to Coach Carroll, that focus needs to begin

This past weekend, our entire team gathered together to review the past year and set our sites on an incredible 2014! The theme for this year’s meeting was Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye trans·for·ma·tion /?trænsf?r’me???n/ [trans-fer-mey-shuhn] noun 1. the act or process of transforming. 2. the state of being transformed. 3. change in form, appearance, nature, or character. 4. Theater . a seemingly miraculous change in the appearance of scenery or actors in view of the audience. Each new year brings an opportunity to assess the past, ponder the future and perform in the present! As our team embarks on our transformational year, we are working on the following 3 points and encouraging others to do the same: Transforming Internal Relationships & Communication When we are at

It is impossible to be everything to everyone! Finding your unique niche’ is incredibly important to the success of your company. LOTS OF COMPETITION If your industry is anything like the Credit Card Processing industry; you have a TON of competition. Your potential clients are looking for your product and or service, delivered in a manner that appeals to their needs. For some, just picking a product off the shelf is AOK. For others, they want more of a personalized experience. In a crowded field of competitors, identifying the customers who want what you have, delivered in the manner that you deliver them, is mission critical. YOUR UNIQUE PROPOSITION Cheri PerryMonday, January 6, 2014

INTEGRITY is one of ‘those’ words! You know- the ones that make a promise just by speaking them. Lots of people and businesses utter these promising words and yet so few really do what is necessary to deliver. As our Total Merchant Concepts team reflects on 2013 and makes plans for another incredible year, we want to share our commitment to service & Integrity with you! #1 We PROMISE to deliver on our internal promise to take care of our team #2 We PROMISE to deliver on each promise we make to our Merchants & Referral Partners #3 We PROMISE to put forth a suite of products that help you grow your business #4 We PROMISE to keep your desired end result in mind at all times #5

Over the weekend, my 17 year old son made an observation that speaks to the recent Target breach as well as our attitude towards card breaches as a society. He said, “Mom- I drove by Target today and I was surprised! The parking lot was jam packed with people. The news said Target was responsible for compromising their credit cards- why are they still shopping there?” An innocent enough question with some very thought provoking considerations! Target’s breach is just one in a long line of card breaches that feeds the 52.8 BILLION DOLLAR Credit Card Fraud Industry. http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/319071/target-and-the-10-biggest-hacks-of-2013 While full reports have yet to be released, it would be a safe bet that Target staff members and officials have taken precautions to protect card data and that

It’s that time of year- time for reflection! We met with our team and discussed the areas where we shine and the areas where we need to step it up. As you look at Your New Year, we trust that your team is taking the necessary steps to bring even more value and more service to the marketplace! Honest reflection can help all of us get better! Here are a few tips to help you and your team get ready for the fast approaching New Year! 1- Recognize Accomplishments! Nothing starts a meeting off better than taking a good look around your organization and identifying all of your reasons to smile! Teams perform much better when what they are doing well is pointed out and applauded! 2- Roundtable