Increase Your Program’s Value to Students
With Outside Merchant Relationships
CREATING VALUE
Presented by: Mikhail B. Ilin, Esq.
Manager of Campus Card Services
Suffolk University Police Department
Outline
About Suffolk What is Value
Who are the Customers
Building Outside Merchant Relationships
The Why and The How?
Benefits
To Merchants To Students To Institution
Miscellaneous Topics
Contracts, Compliance Checks Ethical Considerations
About Suffolk University
Large Urban institution enrollment 10,000 across the three
schools.
Campus in downtown Boston.
4 Dormitories.
Odyssey TPS
30+ (and growing) merchant network on UGRYD
Card Vending
GET
CS Access Link for access control
End User: Students, employees, alumni, external business
About Suffolk
Campus Card Services Structure
Chief of Police and Security Department Manager of Campus Card Services Systems Administrator Campus Card Assistant HUB Student Workers
Senior Vice President / Treasurer
Value Defined
Value – a word / concept of many meanings
Good deal
How much someone is willing to pay for a good or service
The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance,
worth, or usefulness of something.
How useful is an ID card to student?
Identification and Access Token are the primary uses
Tag on more services on the same card value will go up. What services:
Library Card Laundry Services
Purchasing in side and outside of your campus
Who are our customers
Students
Faculty and Staff
Parents
Why Outside Merchants
“We have internal dining facilities, why bother with external
entities?”
Variety – provide students with options Ethnic foods
Increase card usage
Increase Social Goodwill
Help local businesses
Involve local businesses in school life. Why?
How to build relationships
Initial outreach and merchant screening
Factors to consider
Location / Proximity to campus Goods/Services offered
Diluting market share – so what?
Student Requests
Merchant reputation – Why?
Discussing the “program” with merchants
Applicability of the truth in advertising statues Ex. MGL ch 93A
Program administration costs – does your institution has a fiscal stake? “Although the program has costs – “here is what I can do to offset them” Promise only what you can deliver. bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush
How to build relationships
Convincing merchants to sign up
“Sell” the program and all wonderful features that come with it. Follow up
Anticipate and be ready to answer any questions
May need to give the pitch several times to manager higher on the
organizational chart.
Best time to do this.
If you are reaching out or returning a call back Tuesday / Wednesdays after three pm.
Why?
If the merchant has contacted you
Speak with them now if at all possible.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR
ME?
Benefits to Merchants
Marketing – the Suffolk Way
Constant Contact – Merchant of the week every week Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Challenges and raffles Merchant on-site visits
Suffolk Night at the merchant
Participation in on campus programs “Taste of Boston”; “Bingo Nights”;
Student Leadership Luncheons; Cooking 101 Club, etc
Introductory Events Sponsorships
Welcome Packets
Printed Materials and web site listing “Your ram card is accepted here”
Remember! Not all merchants will participate we can make
Benefits to Merchants
Differentiate yourself from other modes of payment.
Assumption: Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover, LevelUp, Google
Wallet, Apple Payment Systems, etc all charge less of a fee so why would a merchant pay more to accept your card?
What is one critical leverage point that you have which no one
else does?
Direct Access to your student population! Word of mouth advertising
Benefits to Students / Parents
Functional alternative to Credit / Debit Card
It is an ID, Residence Hall Key, Meal Ticket, Cab Voucher
Marketing in cooperation with PD – going for a run leave your
valuables behind carry an SU ID.
Safer alternative to Credit Card / Debit Card
Can you recall last time you lost your credit card – What happened? Our IDs are replaced on the spot 7 am to 11 pm 365 days a year
Educational and Career opportunities to our students
Suffolk Internship example
Special promotions and offers
Consumer Protection / Truth in Advertising Statutes – Who carries
Miscellaneous Topics
Our Advertising Vision – we see purpose of the program as not
to have students spend more money, we merely seek them to
spend money they otherwise would have spent, with our
preferred financial instrument.
Contracts and Compliance Checks
We promote RAM card as a socially responsible way to purchase
goods and services:
No Alcohol
No tobacco products
To prove this we conduct compliance checks twice a year. Compliance check methodology.
Ethical Considerations
How to deal with Merchant’s “Tokens of Appreciation”
Cultural differences
Conflicts of interest
