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Inspiration

Weed before planting

t the end of February, many people are looking next time a colleague is interacting with a merchant whose
forward to the first burst of spring, with buds information wasn't recorded, they will be missing key
appearing, sunshine warming frigid corners information that, if provided, could have led to successful
A and the overall renewal the season can bring. upselling or to solving a problem quickly.
Gardeners often take action at this time to prepare for
spring planting. And an important first step is to clear out Such omissions and corner cutting can lead to dissatisfied
weeds and debris. customers, which can tank a business if not addressed
swiftly. Plus, we all know it takes more money to gain a
Although 2022 is still new, payments professionals can act new customer than to retain one, so everything affecting
now to eliminate weeds and debris that might be sprouting customer satisfaction should be monitored and modified
or piling up in our businesses, catch them before they loom as necessary.
large, and prepare for prosperity as the year proceeds.
Lackluster performance
Types of business weeds and debris
Among the many ways people underperform on the job,
Weeds and debris can crop up anywhere in a business at one is to do only the minimum to get by and not take even
any time, and just like weeds in a garden, their impact one extra step that might open doors to new sales. Another
can be insignificant at first but turn into huge problems way to underperform is to pay more attention to personal
over time. Some vulnerable areas that come to mind text messages during business meetings. Another is to
are technology and network problems, steps omitted have zero curiosity about developments in the industry.
or corners cut, dissatisfied customers, plans needing
revision, underperforming people, insufficient partner Many problems with underperformance can be addressed
and employee support, and important goals neglected or by improving support for employees and partners. A
completely dropped. big part of that is ensuring that your company culture is
conducive to professional growth, as well as making sure
Take technology, for example. To stay competitive today, colleagues can communicate efficiently with one another.
an enterprise must keep its technology up to date. In the And one key area where communication is essential is
payments industry that means not only the hardware, goals. It's enormously helpful if team members check in
software, and cloud and network access you provide regularly with one another and refine goals as needed.
customers, but also all of your in-house systems. If a
network performs slowly or experiences noticeable When these areas of potential business weeds and debris
downtimes, and nothing is done to get to the root of are cleaned up before they become big problems, growth
the problem, this can hinder a business significantly, can occur just like fragrant blossoms emerge in spring.
especially if the problem is allowed to continue.

When it comes to omitting steps or cutting corners, what
if you have a terrific CRM system, but your company is
lax about ensuring people enter data? That could mean the
Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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