The Paycast Network

In Part 2 of our Women in Sales Round Table on The Paycast Network, host Chase Gunnell and Steven Morris sit down with merchant services leaders Lynn Soram, Tina Waldrop, and Raquel de la Fuente for an unfiltered conversation on B2B sales execution, mindset, and industry shifts.

Key Highlights

• The "Sell Me the Duck" Challenge: An impromptu masterclass in consultative sales positioning and creative persuasion.

• Quota Attainment Realities: Breaking down data on why female sales professionals excel in complex B2B sales cycles through active listening and empathy.

• Winning Over Gatekeepers: Actionable tactics for turning gatekeepers into internal champions and strategic allies.

• Career Lessons & Mindset: Overcoming cold-calling anxiety, knowing when to walk away from bad-fit accounts, and prioritizing personal development.

• Motivation vs. Complacency: Maintaining drive after achieving residual success and building a long-term business legacy.

• The Future of Merchant Services: Why automated AI systems cannot replicate the high-touch, 1-on-1 personal relationships required in payment processing.

Episode Breakdown

• 00:00 - Sponsor Intro (DejaVu Payment Technology)

• 00:45 - Panel Introductions & Wishlists

• 01:30 - The "Sell Me the Duck" Pitch Challenge

• 03:45 - Sales Trivia: Male vs. Female Quota Attainment

• 04:55 - Turning Gatekeepers into Best Friends

• 07:10 - Advice to Our Younger Selves & Handling Rejection

• 09:30 - Avoiding Complacency & Staying Motivated

• 12:05 - Payment Industry Future: AI vs. High-Touch Sales

• 16:20 - Panel Wrap-Up

Make sure to follow The Paycast Network on Spotify and leave a 5-star rating to support the show!

In this special Agent Roundtable episode of The Paycast Network, host Chase sits down with guests Steven Morris, Raquel De La Fuente, Tina Waldrup, and Lynn Soram to discuss what it really takes to succeed in payment sales.

The panel opens up about their wildest pre payments backgrounds, from cold calling copier sales and managing restaurants to knocking doors at age five. They break down the truth about using sales scripts, navigating industry double standards, overcoming severe burnout, and learning to delegate control to support teams so you can protect your peace while growing a massive residual portfolio.

Key Highlights

• 00:00 | Sponsor Intro & Women in Sales Trivia

• 03:45 | Do Sales Scripts Actually Work?

• 06:30 | Pre Payments Backgrounds: Copiers, Restaurants & Door Knocking

• 11:15 | The Reality of Being a Woman in Payment Sales

• 15:20 | Overcoming Double Standards & Standing Your Ground

• 17:50 | Dealing with Burnout & Learning to Delegate Control

Enjoying the show? Tap the follow button on Spotify and leave us a five star rating to support the podcast!

In this episode of The Paycast Network, Chase sits down with Raquel De La Fuente to explore her wild path into the payments industry. Raquel shares how going door to door at five years old built her early resilience to rejection and taught her how to handle high pressure public speaking before she even finished elementary school.

After years in lending, mortgage, and running a high stress credit restoration business working up to 90 hours a week, Raquel hit severe burnout. She opens up about the physical toll of overworking, how she reclaimed her personal life, and why establishing a strict 5:00 PM hard stop completely transformed her business and client relationships.

Plus, Raquel breaks down her relationship first approach to merchant services, how she helped a client boost their credit score by 155 points, her secret trick for using ChatGPT as an anger translator for tough emails, and her top two rules for long term sales success.

Key Highlights

• 03:15 | Door to door sales and overcoming objections at age 5

• 05:55 | Using ChatGPT as an anger translator for client emails

• 08:40 | The reality of 90 hour workweeks and severe sales burnout

• 09:50 | Setting boundaries with clients and the 5 PM cutoff rule

• 11:25 | Building a referral only business through relationship selling

• 16:00 | Raquel’s top 2 golden rules for sales success

Enjoying the show? Tap the follow button on Spotify and leave us a five star rating to support the podcast!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Zach Daily from Cutter joins us to discuss the art and science of residual portfolio valuation and exit strategies for ISOs and sales agents.

Zach breaks down what buyers look for when evaluating a book of business, including attrition rates, MID concentration, and industry diversity. He shares essential contract advice for new agents looking to maximize long-term equity, such as securing lifetime residual rights and non-exclusive agreements, and explains how Cutter works with agents to navigate unfavorable ISO terms to ensure a successful portfolio sale.

In this episode, we cover:

• Key factors that determine the valuation of a residual portfolio.

• Major valuation risks: High attrition, top-heavy MIDs, and lack of diversity.

• Essential contract advice for new agents: Lifetime residuals and non-exclusivity.

• How Cutter helps negotiate amendments to unfavorable ISO contracts prior to a sale.

• Equipment program considerations and their impact on portfolio sellability.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Lori Pagnozzi from Bead joins us to discuss how Bead is modernizing payment processing by unlocking 7 alternative payment tenders through a single integration.

Lori breaks down how Bead eliminates crypto volatility and chargeback risk for merchants, settling transactions directly into US dollars next-day. She details the revenue opportunities for ISOs and sales agents, explains why 89% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer digital wallets over physical cards, and shares the fascinating backstory of how she and her team originally co-founded Dejavoo. Plus, stick around for a fun round of Chicago history trivia.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Bead simplifies 7 alternative payment methods through one integration (Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, Klarna, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Crypto).

• Eliminating crypto volatility and chargeback risk with next-day USD settlement.

• Revenue models, schedule pricing, and markup opportunities for ISOs and sales agents.

• Seamless integration into Dejavoo terminals and terminal gateways.

• The shift toward digital wallets among Gen Z and Millennial consumers.

• Bonus history: Lori Pagnozzi on co-founding Dejavoo and how the company got its name.

• Chicago history trivia on reversing the flow of the Chicago River.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Hitesh from Gokul POS joins us to share how 14 years of hands-on liquor store experience led to building a specialized, highly customizable point-of-sale platform.

Hitesh breaks down what sets Gokul POS apart for ISOs and sales agents, including 24-hour custom software deployments, dual-pricing QR codes, weight scale integrations for grocery, and real-time security camera video triggers for deleted voids. Plus, watch Hitesh overcome his on-camera anxiety to take on our Sell the Duck challenge!

In this episode, we cover:

• Gokul POS history and 14 years of liquor store industry expertise.

• Rapid 24-hour software customization for ISOs and merchants.

• Compliance tech: Dual-pricing QR codes & real-time camera void triggers.

• Expanding Gokul POS to smoke shops, grocery, and general retail.

• Partnering with Gokul POS as an agent across 17 states.

• Hitesh takes on the Sell the Duck challenge.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Scott Morley and his son Nick Morley join us to discuss their experiences navigating card-not-present (CNP) and medium to high-risk payment processing together.

Scott and Nick share how they balance their roles across high-level sales and operational underwriting, what it takes to mentor the next generation in complex payment verticals, and why face-to-face networking at conferences like MWAA remains indispensable for building long-term industry partnerships. Plus, stick around for a quick round of Chicago history trivia.

In this episode, we cover:

• The father-son business dynamic and four years of working together in payments.

• "Baptism by fire" mentorship in card-not-present and high-risk underwriting.

• Dividing roles between high-level sales and operational risk management.

• Strategic value of exhibiting versus walking the floor at trade shows.

• Why face-to-face networking continues to drive new partnerships.

• Chicago history trivia on the Western Hemisphere's first planetarium.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Joe Cherry (Founder of Xectrus) and Steven Morris (MWAA Board Member) join us to discuss how offering healthcare perks to merchants completely disrupts traditional payment processing sales strategies.

Joe shares his personal journey from growing up in Boston to building Xectrus, explaining how Xectrus 360 Healthcare provides 24/7 telehealth, prescription savings, and life insurance at zero cost to employees and under a dollar a day for business owners. He breaks down how this model slashed merchant attrition to 1.7% over 15 years, details Xectrus's exclusive partnership with MWAA to bring healthcare access to 1099 agents, and takes on our Sell the Duck challenge.

In this episode, we cover:

• Joe Cherry's background and evolving Transact into Xectrus.

• Replacing rate-slashing margin wars with high-value employee benefits.

• Xectrus 360 Healthcare: 24/7 telehealth, $10,000 life insurance, and prescription savings.

• How Xectrus achieved a 1.7% merchant attrition rate over 15 years.

• Wholesale healthcare benefits for ISOs and 1099 sales agents.

• The exclusive partnership between MWAA and Xectrus.

• Joe Cherry takes on the Sell the Duck challenge.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Kevin O'Connell from Dejavoo returns to the set to discuss the rapid expansion of Dejavoo's hardware and software ecosystem.

Kevin highlights Dejavoo's latest integration with Beed, bringing crypto, Bitcoin, Klarna, PayPal, and Venmo straight to P Series terminals. He explains how Dejavoo balances robust features with simple merchant experiences, dives into the massive growth of Dejavoo Pay Pro with direct DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub integrations, and discusses the untapped opportunities in unattended payment terminals. Plus, stick around to hear Kevin put on a masterclass in the Sell the Duck challenge with a clever charity twist.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why hands-on trade show demos drive adoption for new terminal lines.

• Expanding payment options with Beed crypto, PayPal, Venmo, and Klarna integrations.

• Software updates across Enroll & Pay, Blocko, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

• How Dejavoo simplifies omnichannel payments through Cloud POS and iPOS Pay.

• Dejavoo Pay Pro growth, KDS features, and Android table mapping.

• Tapping into the multi-billion dollar unattended payment terminal market.

• Kevin O'Connell's charity edition Sell the Duck challenge pitch.

Sponsored by Cutter

Curious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!

In this episode of our Paycast Network series live from Chicago, Melissia Fernander, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Development at PayTech Women, joins us to discuss the organization's 21 year legacy of empowering women across payments and fintech.

Melissia shares how PayTech Women drives education, advocacy, and mentorship for over 6,000 members across the United States and Canada. She breaks down the impact of their 20 local chapters, details for the upcoming Annual Leadership Summit in Atlanta, and why male allyship is becoming a vital part of supporting women in executive leadership. Plus, stick around for a lively Chicago history trivia round covering local architecture, the 1893 World's Fair, and city founder Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.

In this episode, we cover:

• The 21 year origin story and evolving mission of PayTech Women.

• How PayTech Women supports 6,000 members through mentorship, education, and networking.

• Local chapter growth across 17 US cities and 3 Canadian regions.

• Details for the upcoming Annual Leadership Summit in Atlanta.

• The critical role of male allies and Gen X advocates in fintech.

• Chicago history trivia covering the 1893 Ferris Wheel and Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.

Sponsored by CutterCurious about the true value of your payment processing residual portfolio? Whether you are looking to retire, reinvest in your business, or secure liquidity, Cutter purchases residual portfolios from agents and ISOs with no obligations, no new business requirements, and no lock in contracts.

Find out what a full or partial residual sale could do for your business today: https://cutterfinancial.com/paycastnetwork/

If you are enjoying our MWAA coverage, follow the show on Spotify, leave us a rating, and share this episode with fellow payments professionals!