Blueprint Playbook for NMI (Network Merchants)

Who the Hell is Jordan Crawford?

Founder of Blueprint. I help companies stop sending emails nobody wants to read.

The problem with outbound isn't the message. It's the list. When you know WHO to target and WHY they need you right now, the message writes itself.

I built this system using government databases, public records, and 25 million job posts to find pain signals most companies miss. Predictable Revenue is dead. Data-driven intelligence is what works now.

The Old Way (What Everyone Does)

Your GTM team is buying lists from ZoomInfo, adding "personalization" like mentioning a LinkedIn post, then blasting generic messages about features. Here's what it actually looks like:

The Typical NMI SDR Email:

Subject: Streamline Your Payment Processing Hi [First Name], I noticed your company is growing fast - congrats on the recent expansion! We help ISOs and payment facilitators like you modernize their payment infrastructure with our unified platform. With 150+ processor integrations and automated merchant onboarding, we can help you scale faster. Are you available for a quick call next week to discuss how NMI can help you grow revenue? Best, Sales Rep

Why this fails: The prospect is an expert. They've seen this template 1,000 times. There's zero indication you understand their specific situation. Delete.

The New Way: Intelligence-Driven GTM

Blueprint flips the approach. Instead of interrupting prospects with pitches, you deliver insights so valuable they'd pay consulting fees to receive them.

1. Hard Data Over Soft Signals

Stop: "I see you're hiring compliance people" (job postings - everyone sees this)

Start: "Your 47 restaurant merchants average $89K monthly volume vs your 12 tavern merchants at $104K" (internal transaction data with specific numbers)

2. Mirror Situations, Don't Pitch Solutions

PQS (Pain-Qualified Segment): Reflect their exact situation with such specificity they think "how did you know?" Use government data with dates, record numbers, facility addresses.

PVP (Permissionless Value Proposition): Deliver immediate value they can use today - analysis already done, deadlines already pulled, patterns already identified - whether they buy or not.

NMI Overview

Company: NMI (Network Merchants)

Core Problem: Organizations struggle with fragmented, complex payment processing ecosystems that require managing multiple disconnected vendors, slow integration cycles, and prevent them from monetizing payment capabilities. NMI eliminates this by providing a unified, modular platform that accepts payments across all channels without forcing rip-and-replace technology cycles.

Product Type: B2B SaaS - Embedded Payments Platform

Target ICP

Industries: Payment Services & Processing, Software/SaaS platforms with payment needs, Banking & Financial Services, ISOs, Payment Facilitators, ISVs, Multi-MID operators

Company Size: Mid-market to enterprise with merchant networks; $13k-$50k+ monthly processing revenue potential; 100+ to 1000s of managed merchants

Primary Persona: ISO Director/VP of Payments or CTO of Payment Services managing merchant acquisition, commission management, payment processor selection, transaction routing, and revenue growth

NMI PVP Plays: Delivering Immediate Value

These messages provide actionable intelligence before asking for anything. The prospect can use this value today whether they respond or not.

PVP Public + Internal Strong (9.3/10)

ACH Routing Error Detection

What's the play?

Identify merchants in a bank's portfolio who are routing ACH payments through card processing rails at 2.75% when ACH direct costs only 0.8% - a 195 basis point unnecessary fee leak.

Why this works

This identifies a specific technical configuration error that costs merchants real money. The cost savings are massive and verifiable. You're showing technical depth by understanding their infrastructure while delivering immediate P&L improvement opportunity.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - payment method routing and processor rate structures
  2. Bank processor rate cards - ACH vs card transaction costs

The message:

Subject: Your ACH merchants routing to card processor 6 merchants processing recurring ACH payments route through card rails at 2.75% when ACH direct costs 0.8%. That's $1,840/month in unnecessary fees you could eliminate for them. Should I send the routing fix for these accounts?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires transaction routing visibility to identify ACH vs card payment methods, combined with processor rate comparison across the bank's contracted processor network.

This routing intelligence synthesis is unique to NMI's multi-processor platform visibility.
PVP Internal Data Strong (9.2/10)

Volume Threshold Pricing Optimization

What's the play?

Use merchant volume growth tracking to identify accounts that will cross $100K monthly volume in the next 90 days, enabling proactive pricing tier optimization that benefits both merchant and ISO.

Why this works

This is proactive revenue optimization with perfect timing. You're using growth data the ISO may not be actively monitoring to create a win-win scenario - better merchant pricing improves retention while increasing ISO residuals.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - merchant volume growth patterns and pricing tier assignments

The message:

Subject: 8 merchants eligible for lower rates today 8 merchants crossed $100K monthly volume in the last 90 days but still on starter pricing tiers. You could re-price them to volume discount tiers, improve their margin by $640/month combined, and still increase your residuals. Want the accounts with current vs optimal pricing?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires merchant volume growth tracking with pricing tier assignment analytics across the ISO's portfolio.

This is proprietary data only NMI has from platform transaction visibility - competitors cannot replicate this play.
PVP Internal Data Strong (9.1/10)

Vertical Performance Benchmarking

What's the play?

Compare authorization rates and transaction volumes across merchant verticals within an ISO's portfolio to identify operational improvements (like pre-auth tab handling) that can increase merchant revenue.

Why this works

This uses the ISO's actual portfolio data to surface actionable operational changes. The pre-auth insight helps their merchants succeed financially, making the ISO more valuable to their merchant relationships.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - authorization rates and volume by merchant MCC/vertical

The message:

Subject: Your restaurant merchants converting 11% below taverns Your 47 restaurant merchants average $89K monthly volume vs your 12 tavern merchants at $104K. Taverns run higher authorization rates (94.2% vs 88.1%) because they pre-auth tabs before closing - restaurants don't. Want the merchant-by-merchant breakdown showing who could adopt tab pre-auth?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires transaction data segmented by MCC/vertical with authorization rate analytics across the ISO's merchant portfolio.

This is proprietary data only NMI has - competitors cannot replicate this vertical performance comparison.
PVP Internal Data Strong (9.1/10)

Subscription Revenue Recovery Analysis

What's the play?

Identify subscription merchants with high failed payment rates compared to peers using smart retry logic, quantifying the exact revenue recovery opportunity from configuration optimization.

Why this works

Failed payments directly impact subscription merchant revenue. By comparing within their own portfolio, you're providing credible benchmarks with specific dollar recovery amounts and implementation guidance.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - payment success rates and retry logic configuration status

The message:

Subject: Your subscription merchants missing 12% of revenue Your 19 subscription merchants have 12.3% average failed payment rate vs 4.1% for those using smart retry logic. That's $8,900/month in recoverable revenue they're losing. Want the merchant list with retry configuration guides?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires payment success rate tracking with retry logic configuration status and performance benchmarking across subscription merchants.

This is proprietary data only NMI has from transaction-level visibility across thousands of subscription merchants.
PVP Internal Data Strong (9.0/10)

Predictive Tier Crossing Alerts

What's the play?

Use predictive analytics on merchant volume trends to identify accounts that will cross pricing tier thresholds in the next 30 days, enabling proactive re-pricing conversations before they outgrow current plans.

Why this works

The timing is perfect - proactive optimization before threshold crossing. This helps banks improve merchant satisfaction through better pricing while increasing bank revenue, using growth trajectory data they may not be monitoring.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - volume trends with predictive tier threshold crossing analytics

The message:

Subject: 3 merchants hit tier pricing thresholds next month 3 merchants in your portfolio will cross $250K monthly volume in the next 30 days based on current growth trajectory. They're on flat-rate pricing - switching them to interchange-plus saves them $890/month combined and increases your processing margin. Should I flag these accounts for re-pricing conversations?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires merchant transaction volume trend tracking with predictive analytics on pricing tier threshold crossing.

This is proprietary data only NMI has - competitors cannot replicate this predictive tier optimization.
PVP Public + Internal Strong (8.9/10)

Card-Not-Present Routing Optimization

What's the play?

Identify CNP merchants routing to higher-cost processors when lower-cost alternatives are available in the bank's contracted processor network, quantifying the margin improvement opportunity.

Why this works

This is specific to the bank's merchant portfolio with real cost impact. Shows margin improvement the bank can either capture or pass to merchants for competitive advantage, with verifiable math.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - transaction routing and processor assignments
  2. Bank processor rate cards - CNP rate comparison across contracted processors

The message:

Subject: Your CNP merchants routing to wrong processor 17 of your card-not-present merchants route through Processor A (2.89% + $0.30) when Processor B's CNP rate is 2.65% + $0.25. That's $2,340/month in unnecessary interchange you could capture as margin or pass to merchants. Want the routing optimization report for your portfolio?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires transaction routing data for the bank's merchants combined with real-time processor rate comparison across their contracted processor network.

This routing intelligence synthesis is unique to NMI's multi-processor platform visibility.
PVP Internal Data Strong (8.8/10)

Chargeback Threshold Alerts

What's the play?

Identify merchants in an ISO's portfolio exceeding 0.9% chargeback ratio (dispute fee territory), with specific focus on subscription businesses not using automatic retry logic on failed cards.

Why this works

This identifies a revenue leak the ISO can fix for their merchants with concrete dollar impact. The retry logic solution is specific and implementable, making the ISO look proactive and merchant-focused.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - chargeback ratios by merchant and payment retry configuration status

The message:

Subject: 23 of your merchants losing money on chargebacks 23 merchants in your portfolio exceed 0.9% chargeback ratio - that's dispute fee territory costing them $4,100/month combined. 8 are subscription businesses not using automatic retry logic on failed cards. Should I send the list with retry setup instructions?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires chargeback ratio tracking by merchant with payment retry configuration status identification.

This is proprietary data only NMI has from transaction-level chargeback visibility across the ISO's portfolio.
PVP Public + Internal Strong (8.8/10)

Mobile Payment Routing Optimization

What's the play?

Identify merchants using mobile card readers who are routing to higher-cost processors when lower mobile-specific rates are available, quantifying the margin leak opportunity.

Why this works

This shows deep understanding of the bank's processor rate cards with device-type routing intelligence. Pure profit improvement with no merchant impact - easy yes with clear value.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - transaction entry method (mobile vs terminal vs CNP)
  2. Bank processor rate cards - mobile-specific rate comparison

The message:

Subject: Your mobile merchants paying 19 basis points extra 12 merchants using mobile card readers route to Processor C at 2.84% when Processor D's mobile rate is 2.65%. That's $430/month in margin you're leaving on the table across those accounts. Should I send the account list with optimal routing configs?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires transaction entry method tracking (mobile vs terminal vs CNP) combined with rate comparison across the bank's contracted processor network.

This device-type routing intelligence is unique to NMI's transaction-level visibility.
PVP Internal Data Strong (8.7/10)

Settlement Timing Optimization

What's the play?

Identify home services merchants who batch transactions 8 hours after typical job completion, delaying settlement by a full business day and costing them working capital access.

Why this works

This surfaces operational behavior insights the merchants may not realize are costing them cash flow timing. The fix is immediate and implementable - helps merchants improve financial operations without selling them more.

Data Sources
  1. NMI Internal Transaction Data - batch submission timestamps correlated with typical business hours by MCC vertical

The message:

Subject: Your home services merchants batch 8 hours late Your 31 home services merchants batch transactions at 9PM average - 8 hours after typical job completion at 1PM. That delays settlement by a full business day and costs them working capital access. Want the list with recommended batch schedule changes?
DATA REQUIREMENT

This play requires batch submission timestamp tracking by merchant with correlation to typical business hours by MCC vertical.

This is proprietary data only NMI has from transaction-level settlement timing visibility.

What Changes

Old way: Spray generic messages at job titles. Hope someone replies.

New way: Use internal transaction data to find ISOs and banks with specific optimization opportunities. Then mirror that opportunity back to them with evidence.

Why this works: When you lead with "Your 47 restaurant merchants average $89K monthly volume vs your 12 tavern merchants at $104K" instead of "I see you're growing your payment portfolio," you're not another sales email. You're the person who did the analysis.

The messages above aren't templates. They're examples of what happens when you combine real data sources with specific situations. Your team can replicate this using the data recipes in each play.

Important note on Internal Data plays: The PVP plays above leverage NMI's unique transaction-level visibility across 150+ processors and thousands of merchants. This proprietary data cannot be replicated by competitors. Each play includes the specific data requirements needed to execute the targeting strategy.

Data Sources Reference

Every play traces back to verifiable data. Here are the sources used in this playbook:

Source Key Fields Used For
NMI Internal Transaction Data Authorization rates, transaction volume, merchant vertical, payment method, processor routing, chargeback ratios, batch timestamps, pricing tiers Vertical performance benchmarking, revenue recovery analysis, routing optimization, settlement timing
Bank Processor Rate Cards CNP rates, mobile rates, ACH rates, interchange-plus pricing, flat-rate pricing, volume tier thresholds Routing optimization analysis, margin improvement calculation
Merchant Volume Trends Monthly processing volume, growth trajectory, tier threshold crossing predictions Predictive tier optimization, pricing analysis
Payment Configuration Data Retry logic status, batch schedules, payment method routing rules Chargeback reduction, settlement optimization, revenue recovery

Why NMI's Data is Unique

NMI's platform provides transaction-level visibility across 150+ processor integrations and thousands of merchants. This creates proprietary data assets that competitors cannot replicate:

  • Cross-processor performance benchmarking (approval rates, latency, costs)
  • Merchant vertical performance analytics across payment channels
  • Routing optimization intelligence spanning multiple processors
  • Payment configuration impact analysis (retry logic, batch timing)

This data enables PVP plays that deliver immediate value to ISOs and banks - insights they cannot get anywhere else.