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Inspiration

Transition to spring

he transition to spring is traditionally known • Earth Day initiative: With an Earth Day initiative,
for renewal. In some climes, snow melts, green- you'll be able to encourage your merchant custom-
ery sprouts, flowers bloom and people put ers to switch to eco-friendly POS options, such as
T away heavy garments for lighter garb. Even in having their staff offer customers a choice of receipt
temperate regions, people enjoy more sunshine and fewer options. Many consumers will choose email over
clouds and rain. Everywhere it seems people enjoy longer paper. Other services to offer some business types
days and the prospects of new life born within forests, are paperless billing or electronic invoicing. This
farms and ranches. initiative also enables you to highlight steps your
company is taking toward sustainable commerce
With this year's punishing winter storms didn't it seem, at and encourage merchants to join you in efforts to
times, like winter would never end? Yet, here we are, with reduce their impact in the environment.
a bit more bounce in our steps, ready to recharge and take
on new projects and initiatives. Thinking about initiatives • Attend spring events: Set up a booth at spring
that might be just right for our industry at this time, I came events, such as farmers markets or outdoor festi-
up with some things you might want to try: vals. You can showcase your services and build rela-
tionships with potential customers, many of whom
• Spring cleaning campaign: Launch a fresh cam- know little about the payments business and will
paign and call it "spring cleaning." Encourage your be fascinated by the information you can provide.
merchant prospects to clean up their payment pro- You could also demonstrate your payment process-
cessing systems and switch to your services. List ing technology or provide free consultations to mer-
all the reasons why your company stands apart chants who attend.
and above the competition, and consider offering a
discount or some other incentive to merchants who • Spring-related social media campaigns: Social
sign up during the campaign period. proof is a powerful reputation builder, and social
media is a great place to get it. Encourage merchants
• Spring-themed contest: Create a step-in-spring to share how they've engaged with your business
contest with your sales team that targets companies through one of your spring events or campaigns,
that often see increased activity at this time of year. Create a hashtag, and ask them to post photos or
These could be companies that are associated with videos of how your services are helping them grow
gardening products, outdoor activities or spring their businesses this spring.
fashion. The team member who signs the most new
merchant accounts could win a prize or bonus, and These are just some of the possible ways to take advantage
merchants who join during the step-into-spring ini- of the bounce spring brings to our lives. In your own
tiative could receive a discount for a specified time. unique way, you can refresh your offerings and launch
new campaigns or initiatives that ultimately attract and
• Partnership with local businesses: You could not engage new customers.
only sign new merchants, you could also partner
with local businesses, such as florists or gardening
stores, to offer joint promotions and discounts that
promote each other's services.
Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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