I met Mary Dinh during the ASE party sponsored by EngageBDR/A4D and as luck/fate would have it – she lives not more than 15 minutes from me in Northern Va. She is one of the most cerebral women I have met and totally driven by success and relationships. I wanted to dig a little deeper and truly find out about her and her background so here it is…
Mary, if you would be so kind, please tell us about yourself and what you are currently doing.
I am a member of the Business Development team at Meritus Payment Solutions and focus on creating strategic and sustainable business relationships with our clients– with the interest to help grow business for our clients.
You are a USC grad and have a Masters from Harvard, how did you find yourself working in the Affiliate Marketing industry?
Ricky, you haven’t heard of Affiliate Marketing 101 at Harvard? [smile] I have found that my start in this industry has been similar to the start of many other endeavors in my life– my academic studies included. I’ve been fortunate to align myself with extremely talented, intelligent, and ambitious individuals in this arena whom extended me a unique opportunity. I find great intrinsic reward in helping people. In our business environment, my clients provide me with the opportunity to achieve this satisfaction through serving as a resource for them to grow business. For some of my clients, getting approved for payment processing is the first step in achieving their longtime dream of owning a successful business. And for my seasoned clients, the approved account can mean business expansion they never thought was possible. I pride myself in sharing these victories with all my clients.
How have you found this industry to be? Was it what you thought it to be?
I’m a firm believer that talented people are the key drivers of success behind every thriving endeavor. And in this regard, this industry has been everything I imagined it would be. My goal in each relationship is to understand what the business owners are looking to achieve, and then identifying where Meritus has the possibility to add value– this is truly where synergy and win-win outcomes are achieved.
There are more and more women playing a significant role in this industry, what do you attribute that to and more importantly – do you think that to be the case going forward?
More and more women are playing a significant in many industries and I think this will continue to be the trend moving into the future.
Talk to me a bit about the payment processing landscape, with all the FTC and compliance issues, how has that affected your business?
Meritus plays a very proactive role in working with our clients to navigate the increasing regulations mandated by FTC, and to maintain compliance for long term viability and growth. We work closely with our clients to develop online presences that promote honest marketing, clear communication, and we pride ourselves in working with clients who have an interesting in staying in business with us for years to come.
We recently launched a Chargeback Management System tool which enables our in-house team to monitor client accounts for trends in processing which should be flagged, essentially enabling our clients to see any clouds before a potential storm arrives. The tool also allows clients to view their processing activity and address charge backs on real time, anywhere in the world from a mobile device. I feel great knowing that my clients are confident their accounts are safe with us, and at any given time can reach out to me through all communication channels to address any potential concerns or issues.
What are your favorite must read industry blogs or websites?
www.rickyahuja.com and Performance Marketing Insider! There are no others.
Now for a few FUN questions:
You are fluent in Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and English – If you could go and retire in any of these associated countries, which would it be and why?
It has been a dream of mine to own a vacation home in Italy for a very long time, Ricky. Having said this, I would love to retire right here in America, with the ability and resources to travel the world– and perhaps more time at this future vacation home in Italy than I would in other foreign countries. My entire family is in America and home is where the heart is. The stupendous coastline, great food, and warm culture in Southern Italian home would make a very fun base to enable all of my family and friends to enjoy vacations with me.
I have heard some of the best affiliate marketing strategies have been conjured while vacationing in Italy. You’re welcome to visit any time, Ricky!
If you could pick the brains of anyone – dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Just one person? Oh my. Could I narrow it down to individuals from a specific genre or category in history? I would like to ask all the legendary religious and political leaders if they are satisfied with the impact their existence has made on modern-day humanity– and why. I would also like to ask them what they would have done differently during their time in this realm.
What advice do you have for my female readers who are looking to get into affiliate or online marketing?
I would share that this is an extremely fun space which invites creativity, seeks innovation, and is a wealth of resources for ideas and talent to learn from. Keep an open mind, always be willing and ready to learn, and never underestimate the value of any individual met or relationship created.
