Access Vice President of Partnership Marketing, Dave Bona, leads a large team in the consistent development of our merchant partnerships. He and his team are experts at forming merchant relationships, and helping these businesses find profits from customers they can’t reach on their own. We asked Dave to brag a little and give us the inside scoop on Access’s Partnership Marketing department. Look for several posts from Dave in the coming weeks.

You already know Access as a company that provides unique merchant offers to members of various organizations. But what most people don’t know is what goes into building and maintaining a successful discount program. This is where our Partnership Marketing department comes in.

One of Access’s central assets is its merchant base and the relationships it has with those merchants. The Partnership Marketing division maintains this asset exceptionally. Our philosophy is this: the company that takes the best care of the merchants will ultimately win in our space. Access currently has partnerships with over 275,000 restaurants, retailers, auto shops, travel providers, etc, the largest such network in America. That’s a lot to manage and took years to build, but it adds big value to the company, our client organizations, and their members.

Partnership Marketing serves as a connector, bringing together merchants, clients, and customers in a way that meets everyone’s needs. We’re able to acquire merchants because we have a keen ability to speak their language and understand how to influence customer spend.

In many cases, other companies don’t operate with merchants’ best interest in mind. For many of them, the goal is to provide the deepest discount possible and/or commission to themselves, regardless of whether the promotion ultimately pays off for the merchant. At Access, we have a different philosophy. We understand that all businesses are not created equal. Coupons may drive the right customer type for one business, while giving a customer more air miles may be the best bet for another business. We consult with merchants individually to understand how and when to reach customers and empower these businesses with the solutions to make it happen.

As you have probably learned by now, our Partnership Marketing team’s position is not usually front and center. We are quite content working behind the scenes to power the value that makes loyalty programs work, drive member value, and increase merchant profits. Just because you can’t see us doesn’t mean we aren’t there.

We’re here at your service whenever we may be called upon.