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her work with clients. By showing them that she has faced
The very point of salery point of sale
The ve similar challenges, she builds trust and creates common
ground.
Following are her recommendations for helping merchants
become more comfortable with technology:
• Walk in their shoes: Merchants are not the only
people who procrastinate when it comes to learning
new technology. Busy payments professionals
may also put aside an automobile's user manual,
Make tech work for software installations and other rainy day projects.
"It's normal to avoid things we don't want to do," she
your merchants said. "It can be challenging if you let it, but it can
also be a ton of fun if you let it."

By Dale S. Laszig • Overcome fear: Fear of new experiences can hold
people back, Horn noted. For example, seasoned
DSL Direct LLC professionals may hesitate before trying something
new because they don't want to feel like beginners.
t's a well-known fact that merchants want pay- But Horn observed that we're at our most joyful
ments acceptance to be fast, simple and seamless. when we're productive. "Putting your mind to
However, a recent survey by the National Small something new, like software programming, can be
I Business Association found a majority of small satisfying," she added.
and midsize businesses (SMBs) lack the time, skills and
resources to fully utilize their POS systems. • Project confidence: Sometimes thoughts and inner
narratives, such as "I never win anything," or "I'm
The association's 2019 Technology and Small Business not technically savvy," can be limiting, Horn noted,
Survey cited technology implementation as the number adding that if you think differently, feel differently
one challenge facing SMBs. Among 551 SMB owners and act differently, you'll get different results. The
surveyed, 74 percent said keeping up with technology brain, like any muscle, needs to be exercised. "What's
and "taking appropriate security precautions" were top wrong with a challenge?" she said. "It's fascinating to
concerns. Nonetheless, NSBA researchers found that most keep using the brain; not using it is a leading cause
respondents rely on themselves, rather than experts, to of memory loss."
protect their networks and ecommerce sites.
Horn went on to say that technology is a means, not an
"Nearly all small businesses maintain an online presence end. She made technology work for her and her clients
for their business, and 34 percent of small business owners by having clear objectives and keeping her eyes on the
personally maintain their company website," NSBA report prize. "I'm a lifelong learner, and I had to learn a lot of
authors wrote. "Furthermore, more small-business owners technology when I started an online business," she said.
are handling their company's IT themselves than at any "There are so many resources online that were helpful. In
point in the last nine years." time, I learned which software companies provide the best
support services."
A frustrated clerk scowling behind the counter while Protect their investment
attempting to run a customer's credit card transaction is
not a good look. Neither is a POS technician who installs The NSBA study found SMBs increasingly use
a system, addresses questions in a clipped, patronizing smartphones, cloud-based solutions, ecommerce sites
manner, and departs without having explained how the and online business management platforms in their
system actually works. Merchants feel undervalued when businesses. These technologies facilitate social media
ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs) don't take the engagement and telecommuting, they noted. Sixty-seven
time to help them understand and fully implement their percent of respondents use Facebook and 62 percent use
POS solutions. How can payments pros help merchants LinkedIn to stay connected to customers and employees.
feel more comfortable with technology? Nearly half of business owners surveyed employ remote
workers routinely. On the negative side, proliferating
Help them help you
cloud, mobile and virtual technologies have increased the
Katrine Horn, life coach, TEDx speaker and self-love SMB community's susceptibility to attacks.
activist, has been helping people conquer fear of the
unknown to reach their full potential. Like many business Researchers found that cyberattacks can be costly and
and life coaches, she draws from her own experience in time-consuming for SMBs, taking on average from three
days to two weeks to resolve. Respondents that work with
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