November 12, 2009

PowerPay Direct is the only single source provider solely dedicated to the Direct Response industry, with a wealth of DR knowledge we love to share!

We want to help take your DR business farther, faster. PowerPay Direct goes beyond payment processing to help increase your sales... and your success!

Product Spotlight:

PowerPay provides online transaction reporting which can be used to access real time transaction and batch detail.

Through the Virtual Transaction module, you’ll have the ability to view reasons for transaction declines. Many times a decline happens because of strict security settings you set up with your gateway or an address mismatch. With this front-end solution, you’ll have the ability to search for the transaction by the credit card number, verify why a card declined and be able to correct the problem, resulting in a possible sale. Another great feature is the ability to see how many times a credit card number is charged, which will aid in disputing chargebacks.

Our back end processing solution provides processing information. This secure online service is offered to PowerPay merchants at a charge, which can be added to your monthly statement. You'll be able to view 180 days of historical data including chargebacks, retrievals, funding, batch history and 12 months of statements. Through the Accounting module, you'll have the ability to view when funds are transferred in and out of your account so you can keep a pulse on your daily sales revenue.

With both our front-end and back-end solutions, you'll have the ability to print out detailed reports and export them to an Excel spreadsheet.

If you're interested in either of these services, please contact your Relationship Manager for more information.

Department Spotlight: Underwriting Department

Unlike most processing companies, PowerPay’s deep experience and wide range of services means we find more ways to approve Direct Response businesses with fewer restrictions.

Our complete in-house Underwriting team is comprised of 12 Underwriters and 9 Underwriting Support Specialists that are trained specific to the Direct Response industry. This allows a better approach to understanding each business as a whole. Most processors approve merchant accounts based on the foundation of good credit and don’t take the time to get to know and understand the business. This can cause problems on the back end resulting in termination. Our Underwriting process is different because we speak individually to each of our merchants and we focus on the core of the business. We work with each business to help identify potential problems on the back end and provide flexible solutions to allow for higher volume with less restrictions.

Featured Article:

Shift In Media Buying Makes It Hard For DRTV

DRTV marketers have been in a tight spot when it comes to media buying. In the first part of 2009 it was easier and cheaper to book into primetime slots, due to the economic downturn, they paid lower prices than normal and had the opportunity to appear in network primetime slots which boosted sales.

However, since July, it’s been increasingly difficult to squeeze into primetime because of the shift of advertisers moving away from print and toward both online and television. Now that the primetime space is being shared with traditional advertisers, there’s not much left over.

Click here for article

Meet your team:

Kevin Smith
Director of Underwriting

Kevin Smith is the Director of Underwriting at PowerPay. Kevin oversees a team of 12 Underwriters and 9 Underwriting Support Representatives. Responsible for the overall direction of the department, Kevin manages all underwriting processes, policies, procedures, and productivity. Kevin works with all business development channels, affiliates, sales executives, and other PowerPay departments to ensure consistency and continuity within those relationships. Kevin is also responsible for identifying initiatives, projects or new products to improve the department workflow.

Prior to joining the PowerPay team, Kevin was working independently as a Senior Commercial/Residential Loan Consultant. He has 18 years of varied commercial/retail banking and financial institution experience, most recently for 5 years as a Senior Business Officer/VP with Gorham Savings Bank. Kevin also has previous international business experience while managing operations and consulting in Eastern Europe.

Kevin attended Florida State University majoring in Finance and Accounting. He has a passion for the game of baseball, and enjoys skiing and playing golf. Kevin has three daughters.

Underwriting Staff:

Pictured from left to right:

Back row: Matt Best, Tom Lanoix, Stacy Smith, Quin Peel, Kevin Smith, Colleen O’Connor, Geoffrey Starrett, Jess Smith, Grant Reynolds

Front Row: Aaron Lawton, Julie Swett-Haskell, Melissa Evans, Kara Marcigliano, Vicky Tibbetts, Nicole Pierce, Elizabeth Ives, Eric Babcock

Not Pictured: April Damon, Katy Kinney

Give us a shout – we look forward to working with you!

Call us, email us or visit us online!