While agent retention has always been a top ISO concern, shrinking margins and recessionary conditions are fueling agents’ urges to shop around. ISOs must take concrete steps now to keep valuable sales representatives from becoming their competitors later.

Offering sales performance-based bonuses is a step in the right direction, but financial incentives alone do little to cultivate agent loyalty. “If ISOs expect that agents will be happy with just a larger percentage of revenues, they are mistaken,” says Christian Murray, director of business development for Global eTelecom, a Destin, Florida-based provider of value-added solutions. Touting inflated residuals and up-front bonuses with “back-end” catches doesn’t work either, he adds.

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