We recently connected with Katherine Dow and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Bay State Merchant Services distinguishes ourselves in our industry by providing each and every client of ours a local payment professional to service and grow an ongoing relationship. We are a relationship based business. We provide a level of customer service that you will not find in our industry by focusing on our local communities and growing life-long relationships with our merchants. Every merchant has a direct line to their representative within Bay State Merchant Services company that they can call or text, 24/7. It is something that we have implemented from the beginning of our business in 1996 and it will continue to be a service we provide our customers so that they can ensure they will receive the service their business needs, when they need it.
Katherine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Katherine Dow, Certified Payments Professional, and my business is Bay State Merchant Services. We are a family owned business that was started by my father, John Perkins, in 1996. I grew up listening to my father sell merchant services, fill out applications and install credit card terminals. It was something I never really thought much about until I was in college. When I started learning the business part-time I could not believe how much information felt so familiar from my childhood.
At Bay State Merchant Services we offer merchants credit card processing services, Point of Sale solutions, gift card and loyalty programs as well as in-house financing opportunities. We solve problems for our customers. Our goal is to reduce the costs of accepting credit cards in their place of business, streamline their payment processes to increase revenue and implement programs that will drive repeat customers.
We differentiate ourselves in a crowded marketplace by offering excellent, hands-on, local customer service and our Merchant Spotlight program. Our Merchant Spotlight program is a way in which we can give back to our customers and say thank you to them for trusting Bay State with their merchant services needs. How this program works is our marketing team develops a video and/or blog post about the merchants business. We then promote that video on our website and social media platforms using our advertising budget to grow their audience and hopefully bring new customers to their place of business.
I am so proud of the brand my father created and the continued growth we are achieving together within the company. It is truly such a gift to work along side my father and watch our business surpass any vision he once had for the company. My father and I are very passionate about changing merchants experience with their credit card processing provider. We stand by our promise to lower any businesses credit card processing rates, provide free equipment, provide local service and no term contracts. Its our promise to you, the business owner, and we guarantee our services will provide savings and service that your growing business needs.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been our Merchant Spotlight program and referrals!!! Our customers are our best referral source. With our ongoing promise to reduce rates, place free equipment and provide excellent customer service, our customers do business with us because they WANT to. Unlike many of our competitors who lock merchants into term contracts, we have merchants that want to be partnered with Bay State Merchant Services because they love the cost, service and relationship they experience with us. Consequently, our merchants become the best referral sources for new opportunities and new businesses to partner with.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Bay State Merchant Services was founded on Cape Cod, MA. We now have offices all over the country. Southcoast of MA, Rhode Island, New York, Wisconsin, South Florida, Southern California, and North Carolina. We build our client profile but working in areas that we can cultivate personal relationships through local support and excellent service. I cant say it enough, in our industry most companies focus too much on the transactions and volume and forget about the relationships and service they provide. At Bay State Merchant Services we are a relationship based business! Our clients are confident in their ability to reach either myself or their representative, any time of day, 7 days a week, and that loyalty is what helps to foster further brand awareness and growth within our company.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://baystatemerchantservices.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/save.with.bay.state?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveWithBayState
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bay-state-merchant-services/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: @baystatemerchantservices6489
Image Credits
Jocelyn Mariah Photography