Licensing or Accreditation for sales reps
I've heard a few people in the industry suggest that sales reps should be subject to special licensing or accreditation in order to sell MCAs or business loans. Usually this is pushed forward as a possible solution to ending poor practices by a small segment of players. It's a very interesting topic and I think one that has a lot of challenges.
The Electronic Transactions Association for example created their own professional licensing program known as a CPP (Certified Payment Professional). The accreditation must be renewed every 3 years for a price of $350 and with the requirement of additional testing. We are coming up on the first 3 year anniversary since the accreditation came into existence and some are calling it a failure.
The gripe seems to be focused around the argument that merchants don't know what a CPP is so being one or not being one doesn't matter to them. Contrast that against whether or not your accountant is a CPA.
Here's a link to the Green Sheet article that questions whether or not the CPP is DOA: http://www.greensheet.com/emagazine.php?story_id=4075
Any thoughts?
Licensing or Accreditation for sales reps
The problem with industry certifications that the entities that issue them get greedy and start charging unreasonable fees because they see it as a Cash Cow for them. I agree with Finance1,,,if we let the Feds or States enter the mix it will be a disaster. I held a Mortgage Lender, a Real Estate Sales, and appraisal licenses prior to the crash and saw first hand the mess government involvement caused. Finding a balance will be key. Sadly, issuing a license or certification isnt going to magically make anyone ethical.