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Education

What matters most when I choose? There is no
simple answer to this. But
selling POS solutions? an MLS can proactively
take steps to address this
concern – without having
By Jeff Fortney to master the workings of
all POS functions. It starts
TouchSuite by recognizing these key
facts.
hen I first started in this business the term point of sale (POS) applied to
the Zon Jr. XL. The concept of transactions running over the phone and • You can't sell just a
depositing funds in merchants' accounts in three days was a significant step
W forward. Merchants didn't have to take paper to the bank and deposit it square peg, no matter
how great the peg. I
like checks. For the first few years, it seemed the POS terminal evolved every six months. have been asked often
The memory would expand, the details collected would become more complex, and the by MLSs which POS
speed improved from between 7 and 10 seconds to 5 seconds (these were primarily dial system should they
connections). master. My response
doesn't change: mas-
This evolution continued from faster terminals to computer-based solutions that do more tering one solution
than just accept payments, handle checks or process gift cards. The POS is now a valuable (no matter how ro-
tool for multiple functions outside of payment processing. Sure, payment processing is bust) restricts options
a component of the unit, but often not the primary use. Functions that were previously and ultimately nega-
unaffordable for many merchants became cost effective with the advent of cloud-based tively impacts your
and software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based processing.
success.
To most of you, none of this is news. It's also not news that, as the millennials have become It is important to un-
merchants, multifunctional POS solutions have become the rule, not the exception. For derstand various POS
the merchant level salesperson (MLS), the sales process is now more complicated. It's no solutions and include
longer about processing alone. Merchants expect their POS systems to provide tools that them in your market-
help them expand their businesses through more efficient management of staff, tables, ing toolbox. These
menus, scales and more. need to vary in cost,
Helpful facts to remember type and functional-
ity. Don't sell a solu-
In the past year, I have often heard a rhetorical question along the lines of: Do I need tion to a merchant,
to become a specialist on all functions of a specific POS, and if so, which one should sell the one that fits
the merchant's needs.
If all you sell is the
Rolls Royce of POS
systems and a mer-
chant needs only a
Honda Civic, the odds
are you won't get the
sale. And you'll lose
out on the residual in-
come.

It's the merchant's
needs, not what the
POS system does that
matters. Before offer-
ing any POS option,
start by finding out
what the merchant
requires today, and
what functions the
merchant foresees
needing soon.

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