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Education

you must determine its impact on you or your of-
fice. If a partner's goals have changed, and they
don't coincide with your goals, shop for a partner
that's a better fit.

2. Adapt internally, then execute: It's tough to
make any type of change. And if you see this as
a call for change, you may unintentionally put
up roadblocks. You have to adapt your mindset if
you want to be successful.
Before making any adaptations, ask yourself: Why
do I need to do this, and will it increase my sales?
and What's in it for me in the short and long term?
Your answers will help you adapt your mindset.

Maybe you recognize the need to increase your
knowledge of various types of POS solutions.
This is just knowledge, not adaptation. Adapting
is recognizing that your offering is restrictive, or
is limiting your opportunity when offering POS
solutions. Once you recognize this, seek other
POS options that address your merchants' needs
and increase your sales.
After gaining this knowledge, it's important that
you don't fit a square peg (the merchant) into a
round hole (the POS system). Instead adapt to find
the POS solution that best fits the merchant.

3. Recognize millennials: Many small busi-
ness owners have little memory of a time when
personal computers did not exist. They are fully
invested in today's technological devices, such
as smartphones and tablets. Thus, it is not a far
stretch to understand why they would be more
comfortable with a tablet or cloud-based POS so-
lution than with a terminal.

However, it's more important to first identify
prospects' needs before drawing conclusions. Rec-
ognize a merchant's background, but don't push
your POS solution, or anyone else's, until you ask
questions. A merchant might have certain ten-
dencies, but don't make assumptions beforehand
about what is appropriate. It may be that a termi-
nal is a perfect solution for a millennial merchant
in terms of both cost and functionality.

Take these small steps as you start 2018. There will be
more changes in store, and more adaptation will be
needed. When disruptions inevitably come, you will
find it easier to recognize and adapt. Then at the end
of 2018, you will have several reasons to celebrate.
Jeff Fortney is Vice President, ISO Channel Management with
Clearent LLC. He has more than 17 years' experience in the payments
industry. Contact him at jeff@clearent.com or 972-618-7340. To
learn about how Clearent can help you grow faster and go further,
visit www.clearent.com.
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