EVO Payments International Canada CEO, Mark H. Lachance, is a highly motivated, results-driven entrepreneur and executive with a strong background in business and corporate development. A born leader, Mr. Lachance is well respected in his field and is known for his unconventional vision and successfully aggressive sales and marketing strategies. Mark Lachance possesses the unique ability to both develop and oversee the execution of corporate strategies and tactics in start-up and Fortune 500 environments.
BeTheBoss: Tell us about the EVO Payments International Canada concept.
EVO provides cutting edge payment processing solutions to its clients across Canada via a network of independent sales organizations and franchisees. We help our clients accept Visa, MasterCard, Debit Cards, American Express, China Union Pay and Discover at the Point of Sale. Our mission is to differentiate ourselves from the competition by providing our clients with value added services that drive increased foot traffic, increased revenues and repeat business through intuitive payment, gift card and loyalty products. All of this while offering unparalleled customer service and the lowest pricing in the industry. Our independent sales organizations and franchises enjoy lifetime revenues from the clients they bring on board.
BeTheBoss: How and when did you become involved with EVO Payments International Canada?
I have been with EVO since its inception. We are the Canadian division of a much larger entity that has been in existence for 30 years. The company has over 400,000 clients and operates in both the United States and Canada.
BeTheBoss: What was your background prior to joining EVO Payments International Canada?
I have 15 years of payment processing industry experience. Prior to this I was the President of a smaller Canadian payments organization for several years. I learned the art of negotiation as a professional hockey player agent. That was certainly an exciting time in my life but I much prefer the stability and predictable growth of the payments business.
BeTheBoss: What are some of the advantages in being a EVO Payments International Canada franchisee?
The advantages of working with us are simple; there is little to no overhead to launch your sales organization, just the burning desire to get ahead and service your clients properly whereby generating a consistent stream of referrals for the lifetime of that client.
BeTheBoss: Who is your ideal franchisee?
The ideal candidate is an individual that is motivated to help her/his clients save money as well as generate additional revenues. There is a significant opportunity to differentiate oneself from the major financial institutions via over servicing your clients. Should a candidate take this customer centric approach to doing business, then building significant monthly recurring revenues will not a problem.
BeTheBoss: Tell us a little about the credit card processing industry.
Banks have recently deregulated the payments industry in Canada. Now 3rd party payment processing companies like EVO have the ability to service small to medium sized businesses. Regardless of the industry, larger institutions typically view and treat their smaller and medium sized clients as just a number which leaves a tremendous opportunity for companies like us to provide these clients with excellent service whereby winning their business.
BeTheBoss: What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned in growing this franchise?
In dealing with our sales organizations across the country, I find that the highly successful groups provide their clients with an added layer of service above and beyond what our competitors offer. They provide that face to face relationship management which beats phone service every time. The best source of generating new business is via referrals from happy existing customers. Therefore by providing top notch service, your business will grow exponentially.
BeTheBoss: Do you have a mentor and is their someone you use for inspiration?
That’s an easy one, my father. His work ethic is unparalleled; his entrepreneurial spirit along with his coaching and teaching abilities is second to none. Having grown up on a farm, he certainly knows about an honest day’s work. He was able to transfer that work ethic into a successful business and on to his 3 sons. As a matter of fact, 2 of his sons run very successful businesses and the other played in the NHL for 14 years and is now an executive for an NHL franchise. If I am ever in a mental rut, I pick up the phone for a quick chat and strategy session with him and I am back on track!
BeTheBoss: What advice do you have for someone looking to acquire a Franchise?
If you are aggressive and want to create lifetime revenue and are intent in providing your clients with true value, then you certainly need to consider working with EVO. Not only will you save your clients money and provide them with the best possible service in the market, but more importantly, you will be giving them what they really need which is methods and products to help them increase their revenue.
BeTheBoss: In your opinion, why do you think that EVO Payments International Canada would be a great opportunity for someone?
As stated before, there are not too many opportunities to build lifetime revenues and we certainly are one of them. An individual needs to be sure that they are partnering with an organization that can support them as well as their clients; they also need to have comfort that the revenues will be there each and every time payments are due to them.
