Grow with a Merchant Services Referral Program

If you’re an ISO (Independent Sales Organization) and you’re not tapping into agent bank partnerships, you could be missing warm, ready-to-close leads.

Let’s start with the big picture: most community banks don’t offer in-house payment processing. They’re trusted financial advisors — but when it comes to payment tech, they lean on external partners. That’s where your merchant services referral program comes in — a solution banks can trust.

What Is an Agent Bank Partnership?

An agent bank partnership is a type of merchant services referral program, an agreement between an ISO and a local bank. The bank refers their business clients (who need card processing, cloud-based or Android-based POS systems, etc.) to the ISO. In return, the ISO provides those solutions, typically with revenue-sharing and always with white-glove service.

Think of it like this:

• The bank brings the trust.
• The ISO brings the tech and service.
• The merchant gets a streamlined solution from a name they already know.

And because this isn’t a cold call or a generic ad click, these leads arrive already warm. There’s trust baked in. All you need to do is deliver.

Why Should ISOs Care?

There’s no shortage of ways to generate merchant leads. Ads, door-to-door, LinkedIn messages, networking events… yet most are either time-intensive or yield minimal results.

Now, compare that to this:

• A local bank vouches for you.
• Their business client is already in need of payment processing ISO or a POS upgrade.
• Your offer comes as a trusted referral.

That’s a fundamentally better starting point. And it gives you something money can’t buy: credibility. So, a well-designed merchant services referral program can replace cold outreach with warm, bank-endorsed leads.

What Do Community Banks Want in a Partner?

Before you pitch a bank, you need to understand that community banks are built on relationships, not volume. They care about:

1. Personal Service: They want to know who their customers will be dealing with. If you’re just a phone number or a faceless portal, they’ll pass.
2. Simplicity: A clean, easy-to-explain offer is key. A trifold brochure, a 16x20 poster in the lobby, maybe a lunch-and-learn session. These go a long way.
3. Credibility: Can you handle legacy system conversions without a hitch? Can you support hardware installs? Can you provide cash advance options or prepaid card integrations for their underbanked clients?

When you check these boxes, you’re the go-to partner for merchant services.

Why Community Banks Benefit from Referral Partnerships

Banks don’t want to send their customers to national chains or giant processors with generic, one-size-fits-all customer service support. They want a local partner who will match their service ethos.

With you, they get:

• A reliable solution for merchants without hiring an internal team.
• A share of revenue — structured to fit their comfort level.
• The ability to offer value-added services (like POS hardware or loyalty programs) without expanding headcount.

How to Approach Community Banks (Without Sounding Like a Sales Rep)

Here’s how to start agent bank partnerships the right way. It goes beyond walking in with a slick pitch deck and rattling off features. Community banks care about relationships. Here’s how to do it right:

Step 1: Do Your Homework

Start with local or regional banks, especially ones that don’t advertise their own merchant services. Look for:

• Credit unions
• Rural or regional banks
• Banks that serve niche industries (like agri-business, liquor stores, or restaurant-heavy areas)

Find out:

• Who heads the business banking division?
• Do they currently have a merchant services partner?
• Have they worked with ISOs before?

LinkedIn, the bank’s website, or even your own business network can help here.

Step 2: Make It About Them

Your first email or call shouldn’t be about your features. It should highlight how your merchant services referral program supports their clients.

Try something like:

“Hi [First Name], I work with local banks to help their business clients get reliable ISO payment processing and POS systems, with the kind of personal support your team is known for. I noticed you don’t offer this directly, and I’d love to explore how we can help your clients without adding extra work for your team.”

This shows:

• You understand what they do.
• You’re not trying to take over anything.
• You’re focused on their customers, not your bottom line.

Step 3: Pitch Your Merchant Services Referral Program with Confidence

Bring materials that build immediate credibility. Here’s what helps:

One-Pager or Trifold

A simple, branded handout that explains:

• Who you are
• What you offer (POS, ISO payment processing, and support)
• How the partnership works
• Testimonials or case studies (especially ones showing the success of your merchant services referral program)

Custom Bank-Branded Materials

Offer to co-brand flyers or POS brochures that the bank can keep in their lobby. This helps them feel like a true partner, not just a system that consistently generates referrals.

Tips for Building Long-Term Trust

Once you’ve landed your first bank partner, treat it like a high-value strategic partnership. A few tips:

• Be available: If a banker calls or emails, respond quickly. Your speed reflects on them.
• Support their merchants: Go the extra mile for every lead they send you.
• Report back: Provide updates on each referral’s outcome to maintain transparency. It builds transparency and trust.

Banks that see you as a trusted partner will send more leads and even introduce you to their peers at other banks.

From Partnership to Pipeline: Turning Bank Intros into Steady Revenue

Once you’ve secured a couple of partnerships. Here’s how to go from occasional referrals to a predictable lead engine.

1. Set a Follow-Up Rhythm

Many banks won’t automatically send leads your way. You’ve got to nurture the relationship like you would with any high-value client.

• Schedule monthly check-ins (a 15-minute call works fine).
• Ask for feedback: “Any merchants having trouble with their current setup?”
• Offer seasonal promos or merchant-facing webinars they can invite clients to.

Consistency keeps you top of mind and proves you're in it for the long haul.

2. Build Your Referral Toolkit

Your banker contact might not sell your services, but they can refer you more easily with the right tools. Build a small toolkit that includes:

• Bank-branded landing page, with essential contact details and your unique value proposition.
• Easy-to-share email templates they can forward to merchants.
• “Success story” PDFs (e.g., “How we helped a local bakery switch from outdated POS to 2x faster checkout”).

Make it easy for them to look good while recommending you.

3. Enable Their Relationship Managers

If possible, offer a short onboarding session explaining your merchant services referral program for the bank’s relationship managers. A 30-minute Zoom with small gestures like coffee gift cards make the session memorable.

Cover:

• What kind of merchants are ideal referrals
• How your POS and services help their customers
• What happens after a referral is sent

Empowered bankers = more leads.

Why OneHubPOS Is the Perfect Fit for Agent Bank Partnerships

All of this relationship-building only works if you can back it up with the right product. Whether you’re pitching to a rural credit union or a fast-paced urban community bank, OneHubPOS checks all the boxes.

Reseller-Ready Setup

You don’t need to spend weeks customizing it. The platform is plug-and-play, which makes your life and the bank’s life easier from day one.

Features Tailored for Local Businesses

OneHubPOS is optimized for industries that local banks tend to serve most:

• Retail: Inventory management, loyalty programs, and fast checkout
• Restaurants: Table management, split bills, online ordering, mobile ordering, and integrations
• Liquor Stores: Age verification, compliance tools, and reporting

These are the very verticals that community bankers are close to. Using OneHubPOS helps you appear highly professional, reliable, and competent in front of merchants and banks.

Support That Reflects Well on You

Your reputation rides on your product. With responsive support, hardware troubleshooting, and uptime reliability, you’re not left cleaning up messes.

In short? You offer a local-level experience backed by enterprise-grade tech. That’s exactly what community banks want for their merchants.

Wake Up on Agent Bank Partnerships With OneHubPOS

Most ISOs are stuck in crowded areas: cold calls, Facebook ads, and discount wars. But smart ones are building long-term partnerships with the people who already have merchants' trust: local banks. An agent bank partnership is a lead gen strategy built on relationships, service, and shared value. 

If you're ready to:

• Stop chasing cold leads
• Work with businesses that already trust their banker
• Build a referral engine that compounds over time

…then this is the growth channel you can’t afford to ignore.

So start local. Start with value. And start now. Discover how OneHubPOS can supercharge your agent bank partnerships with reseller-ready tools, industry-specific features, and trusted support, equipping you to turn referrals into long-term, revenue-generating relationships.