ISO Merchant Referral Email Template

What should an ISO send before introducing a merchant?

Send enough to establish the opportunity and the question you need answered. That usually means the business activity, markets, stage, processing requirement and the limitation in your current channels. A full application is not needed simply to ask whether a discussion is worthwhile.

MerchantBridge's ISO service page explains our advisory and referral role. This guide goes a step further with an original introduction template and a working handoff checklist. They are practical communication tools, not a partnership agreement or a guarantee that a payment partner will consider the business.

Sources: MerchantBridge Advisors: MerchantBridge Advisors: For ISOs

What can you ask before sharing the merchant's identity?

An initial category-level inquiry can use your own details and a non-sensitive business summary. For example: I represent a US online skincare brand selling finished topical products. Our current channel cannot accommodate the proposed recurring-sales model. What facts would you need to discuss other processing options, and how should we arrange an introduction?

That establishes the topic, not the applicant's eligibility. Entity-specific review will need the actual business, public website and appropriate evidence. Keep material activities visible even in an unnamed summary, and label forecasts as forecasts. A preliminary conversation should not be reported back to the merchant as approval.

What introduction email can an ISO adapt?

Use the following template once the merchant has authorized the named introduction. Replace each bracketed item with confirmed information, remove inapplicable lines and leave unresolved questions clearly marked. Include the merchant only after agreeing that this is the appropriate next step.

Subject: Merchant processing introduction - [business name] / [specific payment need]

Hi [MerchantBridge contact], I am [name] with [ISO or agency]. With [merchant contact]'s permission, I am introducing [legal business / brand], which sells [specific products or services] through [website or sales channel] to [customer markets]. The business is [pre-launch / live] and is seeking [specific processing objective].

Our current channel cannot accommodate [accurate limitation]. Relevant context: [current monthly volume or clearly labeled forecast], [typical transaction], and [billing or fulfillment model]. The question for review is [one clear question]. Items still to confirm are [open items].

I have copied [authorized participants] and would like to [join the first call / coordinate questions before a direct introduction]. Please confirm the appropriate next step and who should request any supporting documents. We would also like to discuss [commercial or communication questions] before proceeding. Thank you, [name and business contact details].

What should be agreed before the first merchant call?

Assign practical responsibilities rather than assuming everyone understands the handoff in the same way. The following is a checklist to discuss, not a statement that MerchantBridge offers a particular white-label, exclusivity or relationship-protection arrangement. Keep a short dated record of the answers.

• Permission and scope: which business information may be shared, with whom, and for which processing request?
• Introduction owner: who sends the email, who is copied, and should the ISO attend the first conversation?
• Merchant contact: who answers operational questions and who requests missing information?
• Next action: name the person responsible for the next step and agree when to follow up; do not promise an underwriting deadline.
• Updates: agree which status information can be shared and where open questions will be tracked.
• Changes: if the activity, recipient or requested arrangement changes, confirm the new scope before forwarding more information.

When should referral compensation and other terms be discussed?

Raise commercial questions before either party relies on an assumption. Ask whether an arrangement is proposed for this opportunity, what responsibilities it covers, how any compensation would be calculated and documented, and what conditions would apply. A discussion about potential processing is not confirmation of a residual entitlement.

MerchantBridge's arrangements vary by opportunity. Compensation, merchant-contact expectations, relationship protections and any other commitments need explicit agreement; this template does not create them. Where terms are important to your business, review the actual agreement with your advisers rather than treating an introduction email as a substitute.

What happens if the next step requires documents?

Confirm the specific request, purpose, intended recipient and secure delivery route. Ask the merchant to provide only the relevant business material through the agreed process. Do not attach a historical application merely because it is convenient, and do not include raw card data, passwords, patient records or customer identity files in an introductory email.

A useful follow-up is concrete: the merchant will provide the requested business information through the agreed secure route; the named contact will confirm receipt; the ISO will coordinate the outstanding operating-model question. This keeps the introduction moving without confusing document receipt with underwriting or acceptance.

How can MerchantBridge help with the next introduction?

MerchantBridge brings full-risk ISO, acquiring-bank and international acquiring relationships to opportunities outside an ISO's present channels. We can discuss the business and processing objective, explore available options and clarify what a potential partner would need to consider the referral.

Use your own contact details to begin, include a concise business summary and tell us which questions you want answered before involving the merchant. Once the next step is clear, adapt the introduction template and coordinate the authorized handoff. Acceptance and commercial arrangements remain specific to the opportunity.