---
title: How ISOs Stay Competitive in Today’s Market
description: In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Ben Griefer, COO of Maverick Payments, to break down what it really takes to stay competitive today, from choosing the right upstream partners to balancing risk, operations, and sales focus.
image: https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/featured%20image-2.png
---
# How ISOs Stay Competitive in Today’s Market
In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Ben Griefer, COO of Maverick Payments, to break down what it really takes to stay competitive today, from choosing the right upstream partners to balancing risk, operations, and sales focus.
[ James Shepherd ](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/author/james-shepherd)
May 1, 2026
---
The payments landscape is changing fast—and many ISOs are struggling to keep up. In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Ben Griefer, COO of Maverick Payments, to break down what it really takes to stay competitive today, from choosing the right upstream partners to balancing risk, operations, and sales focus.
They dive into the tradeoffs between going direct vs partnering, how infrastructure decisions impact growth, and why the most successful ISOs are doubling down on sales while leveraging the right back-end support. If you’re building or scaling an ISO, this episode offers a clear look at what’s working right now—and where the industry is headed.
[Merchant Sales Podcast](https://soundcloud.com/merchant-sales-podcast) · [How ISOs Stay Competitive in Today's Market](https://soundcloud.com/merchant-sales-podcast/how-isos-stay-competitive-in-todays-market)
[](https://www.ccsalespro.com/2026) [](https://fullstackpayments.com/download-app?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ixTBkRdnNdK04oCUWDi0LV5zrtP-pTLxi4WQfzzPQYBJJnri3hmdrkID4kxlR5uYYjdCuOgEgaofCtMmq3v3Yk1xpmw&_hsmi=362963412&utm_content=362963412&utm_source=hs_email) [](https://www.ccsalespro.com/how-to-sell-merchant-services-in-6-steps) [.jpg "GetIsoAmp.com")](https://getisoamp.com/index.php/request-demo/)
## Similar posts
### [How Tap on Phone Is Changing Merchant Payments](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/how-tap-on-phone-is-changing-merchant-payments)
In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Vlad Sadovskiy, CEO of Netevia, to discuss why Tap on Phone is gaining momentum,...
James Shepherd May 29, 2026
### [How AI Is Transforming Merchant Portfolios](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/how-ai-is-transforming-merchant-portfolios)
In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Sebastian Builes Jinete, CEO of Arcum, to discuss how AI and payments data are...
James Shepherd Jun 12, 2026
### [How ISOs Can Stay Ahead of Industry Change](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/how-isos-can-stay-ahead-of-industry-change)
Discover strategies for ISOs to navigate industry changes and stay competitive by rethinking technology, onboarding, and partnerships in the latest...
James Shepherd Dec 5, 2025
### Get notified about new podcasts
Enter your email to have each new CCSalesPro Podcast delivered straight to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Text "Free" to (814) 482-2090 to get my latest eBook
[](https://www.facebook.com/ccsalespro) [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ccsalespro/) [](https://www.youtube.com/user/CCSalesPro) [](https://soundcloud.com/merchant-sales-podcast)
- [Home](https://www.ccsalespro.com/)
- [Blog](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog)
- [Podcast](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast)
- [Training](https://www.ccsalespro.com/training)
- [Partners We Trust](https://www.ccsalespro.com/companies-we-trust)
© 2026 CCSalesPro, Inc. All rights reserved. Various trademarks held by their respective owners. CCSalesPro, Inc.
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "James Shepherd",
"url" : "https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/author/james-shepherd"
},
"dateModified" : "2026-05-01T20:33:59.145Z",
"datePublished" : "2026-05-01T20:33:59.000Z",
"headline" : "How ISOs Stay Competitive in Today’s Market",
"image" : [ "https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/featured%20image-2.png" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast/how-isos-stay-competitive-in-todays-market",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/ccalespro%20-%20white%20background-2.png"
},
"name" : "CCSalesPro"
}
}
```