Consulting Services
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- Acquisitions, sales, mergers, leveraged recapitalization
- Sales and channel strategies
- Analysis of legal and regulatory matters
- Conversion project management
- New product design & development
- Raising capital for technical innovation or growing your business
- Merchant payment audits
- Technical evaluation of potential improvements
ACQUISITIONS, SALES, MERGERS, LEVERAGED RECAPITALIZATION
Our experience in the sale of merchant payment related businesses is one of the broadest in the industry. The group has successfully directed over twenty sales/acquisitions. As with any financing situation, knowing how to package the opportunity is integral to receiving the best deal possible. By understanding what potential buyers or sellers are looking for, N&A Consulting can ensure the best possible return for your investment. Additionally, N&A Consulting has completed leveraged recapitalizations and other funding vehicles to allow existing owners to take advantage of liquidity without giving up control of their businesses.
Sometimes it is almost more important than the price to ensure a flawless conversion of the merged entity. Our responsibility does not have to stop with the signature on an agreement. We direct the development of a carefully planned conversion strategy and we monitor the project throughout the process. By working with you through every step of the effort, we reduce your risk and ensure that the conversion and ongoing support efforts do not compromise your decision to sell/buy. N&A Consulting can insure the effective transition of customer bases obtained through acquisitions to maximize the value of your investment. In addition, we can identify cost savings methods through "right sizing" and maximizing of internal resources, service contracts, product sets and sales and marketing strategies.
Back to the topSALES AND CHANNEL STRATEGIES
Having a great product or services does not guarantee success. You need the right sales and marketing plan with a strategy that aggressively targets the right channel with the right resources to achieve the desired results. With over 75 years collectively in sales and marketing in the payment processing industry, N&A Consulting has the industry knowledge to assist with:
- Direct and/or indirect channel sales and marketing strategies
- Defining value proposition of the product or service being offered
- Providing content for sales presentation, marketing, and training materials
- Creating sales compensation and commission plans
- Growing business units through creative sales and retention efforts
ANALYSIS OF ASSOCIATION AND REGULATORY MATTERS
In today’s world of complex processes that are subject to association and regulatory requirements, it is imperative to have expert advice on underlying business needs. With literally over 100 years of experience in all facets of the payment industry, our technical and regulatory understanding of the industry can be brought to bear on issues that confront and challenge your business interest.
Back to the topCONVERSION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Taking advantage of scale economies requires timely, well-managed conversions. In addition to directing over ten conversions associated with various acquisitions, N&A Consulting has also converted major point-of-sale networks from one supplier to another. We have been responsible for converting over 500,000 merchant customers to various service providers.
N&A Consulting members have expertise in the area of delivering cost effective results achieved through "right sizing" and maximizing internal resources. Effective integration, in which significant operating efficiencies are met, is an important part of a successful acquisition. Our experience can assist in achieving meaningful, predicted results.
Back to the topNEW PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
In today's world of ever-increasing pressure on margins, you must have unique products to maintain profitability. Having developed over 100 different products in the issuing and acquiring businesses provides a foundation that allows N&A Consulting to quickly turn basic concepts into tangible products. Among the areas of assistance N&A Consulting can provide are the following:
- Business and marketing evaluation
- Concept design recommendation
- Identifying and securing infrastructure providers
- Managing system development and implementation
Understanding Your Business
Through careful evaluation of your current strengths and weaknesses, N&A Consulting can help to identify strategies that will broaden your understanding of the profit and retention drivers that will increase your profitability. By understanding your existing base, you can better manage margins that will improve your business.
New Products
Without proper planning and aggressive follow-through, many cutting-edge products never get off the drawing board. Given that the greatest margins are found where others have failed before, one can expect an uphill battle as a product moves from idea to reality. All those involved, from the hardware manufacturer to the back-end service provider, will typically not be familiar with your product’s unique requirements and, unfortunately, will many times have no interest in your ultimate goal. N&A Consulting can help bridge the gap between the disparate players that must work together invisibly yet seamlessly if you are to be successful.
Back to the topRAISING CAPITAL FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION OR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
Sometimes the best of ideas or products cannot get the funding they deserve. Having raised in excess of $100,000,000 for such efforts, we pride ourselves in being able to bring together ideas and the right investor in order to turn opportunity into reality. N&A Consulting has utilized many different methods of raising capital. We will target the right alternative for your needs, including:
- Venture Funding
- Mezzanine Financing Alternatives
- Related Business Financing
- High Net Worth Individuals
N&A Consulting can assist you in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions advisory. Our goal is to combine industry expertise and strong relationships to help raise capital from early stage through mature businesses.
As your fundraising advisor, we help our clients prepare for the process. We make sure that information materials are properly packaged and suited to the targeted buyers or investors. Our clients are educated on the process and will be ready to respond to the questions and needs of qualified buyers and/or investors. N&A Consulting will assist you through every step of the process.
Back to the topMERCHANT PAYMENT AUDITS
Our experience in understanding acquirer and processing company fees and billing practices is the broadest in the industry. We assist major national and multinational merchants by educating them in all areas of the payment acceptance process including technical, operational and financial.
A merchant’s internal processing procedures can be causing significant financial costs for technical errors that should not be a cost of doing business. Part of our review is to recommend procedural changes that can be made in merchant procedures and processes that reduce the costs associated with obtaining and utilizing payment services. By optimizing qualification level, downgrades, chargebacks, payment product mix, and more, we can typically save our client significant processing expense. Our experience in this area suggests that changes in the way payments are accepted and in how responses are made to retrieval requests and chargebacks will result in significant savings.
A formal submission of a professionally completed RFP usually produces a financially favorable contract with improved services for our client merchants. In past proposals in which we have participated, our clients have seen resulting contracts that have lowered pricing, improved operational processes, streamlined technical interfaces, and provided more valuable products/services with better reporting.
In the last few years, new payment solutions have been introduced almost every year. Depending upon a merchant’s unique situation, these additional services such as on-line debit, check services from authorization to conversion, stored value solutions and more, may be of particular benefit by reducing costs and increasing sales.
N&A Consulting performs audit reviews to insure negotiated services are benefiting the merchant as described in the proposals and agreements. To insure the changes made per our initial “assessment”, we offer an ongoing audit service. It is essentially an update to the in-depth review that was originally provided. However, the goal here is to ensure that a continuance of the newly implemented costs and services are being properly provided by the service provider.
Back to the topTECHNICAL EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS
In the world of venture capital investments, technical assessments of market potential are critical. N&A Consulting provides succinct, practical assessments in the areas of data communication services and payment transaction-based products and services. We have broad experience in evaluating the business opportunities and technical feasibilities. Not only do we evaluate the marketability of a product, we also project timeframes for implementing technology based products in the payment transaction services arena. In particular, we specialize in providing our clients with useful and market-tested information that will enable organizations to make the right decision about developing, deploying, or investing in a new technology service.
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