When I was a banker, I thought merchant services began and ended with referring a client to a processor. Now that I’m on the other side of the table, I see how much I could have deepened those client relationships by understanding a few key things about how payment processing really works.

Here’s what I wish I had known as a banker — and what sets MSNI apart.

• Processing Fees rise silently. Most other processors raise rates after a few months. Clients rarely notice because the increases are buried in confusing structures. MSNI does not raise rates.
• Statements are designed to confuse. Statements are often confusing, even for sophisticated business owners and accounting professionals. With MSNI as your partner, you gain clarity through an independent analysis to guide your clients confidently and build stronger relationships.
• Service matters, especially when you are developing a premier relationship. When something breaks, clients don’t want a call center. They want someone who knows their business and picks up the phone. Team MSNI answers the phone, and each client has a local member to call, NOT a chatbot or AI customer service.

Three Questions to Ask Your Clients

Merchant services can feel complex and unfamiliar. You don’t have to be the expert — but asking the right questions helps you show up as the trusted advisor.
Start by understanding your clients’ needs, then guide them toward the details that allow MSNI to help. These quick questions position you as the advisor right away:

1. How are you currently accepting card payments — mostly with a machine at your location, online through a gateway, point-of-sale software, or a combination?

→ This opens the conversation and shows whether their setup is optimal for their business model.

2. What is your monthly or yearly processing volume?

→ This frames the scale of their needs.

3. Are you open to a free analysis from our preferred vendor, MSNI?

→ Two months of recent processing statements allow MSNI to provide a clear analysis and uncover hidden costs.
→ Most clients discovered they were paying more than they realized.
→ Would you like a free technology consultation? Often, MSNI can offer a free upgrade on the technology, which can automate and make your business more efficient.

Beyond the Numbers – Here’s where your role as a banker can go even further

• Understand your clients’ needs. Instead of forwarding them along, dig deeper for their needs first.
• Educate your clients. Knowing the right questions places you as the trusted advisor in their eyes.
• Share that MSNI works like you do. We operate with the same one-relationship-at-a-time care that premium bankers pride themselves on.
• Allow MSNI to be your clients’ tech counsel. The payments technology is key and is moving fast. By leveraging MSNI, you can offer your clients integral guidance without needing to be an expert yourself.

How This Plays Out

When you ask these questions, you set the stage for MSNI to consult your clients’ on their current payment solutions, statements, and processing setup. After our discovery call, we will share with you one of three outcomes:

• They’re in a strong position → this builds immediate trust in you as their banker.
• There have been hidden costs or gaps → you’ve just helped them uncover savings and improve processes.
• They need a better structure → There are significant opportunities to improve their overall payment solution, from cost to technology and logistics to service.

Why This Matters

As bankers, our role is to protect and strengthen client relationships. Because most bankers don’t know about merchant services, with MSNI as your partner, you turn an unknown into an opportunity.

By asking the right questions upfront, you become the banker who adds clarity and value. With MSNI behind you, your client gets the specialized support they need — without you having to be the expert.

I wrote this to bridge the gap I once had as a banker — to help others see how understanding a client’s merchant setup can lead to stronger, more meaningful relationships.

At MSNI, that’s what we care about most: helping you take care of your clients the way you always have, with our Team supporting you.

Bharti Sharma
Relationship Manager