his is the first article in a series to help determine whether adding ATMs to your product line is the right move for your business. In this series, I will walk you through the decision-making process. I'll help you ascertain if ATMs will complement your current product line. I'll explain how to select an ATM company and how to successfully incorporate ATMs into the sales process. I'll also help you decide how much to participate in the ATM industry.

Let's get started. At first glance, the answer to the question in the headline might appear to be a no-brainer because merchant level salespeople (MLSs) should grab any well-priced product and run with it, right?

I disagree with the "grab and run" philosophy. When evaluating any product or service as a potential new offering from your sales toolkit, consider the following:

• Will ATMs Add Value to My Business?

As an MLS, nurture the good, trust-based client relationships in which you've invested. Before introducing any product, consider the financial return on time and asset investments.

When selecting a new product offering, the ultimate goal should be two-fold. Any new solution should create additional monetary value for both you and your clients. It should also be a product that will help strengthen vendor/client relationships.

This will create the perception that you are a partner, helping customers build their businesses.

• Will ATMs Add Value to My Current Customer Base?

If you can identify businesses within your portfolio whose customers want convenient access to cash (i.e. convenience stores, sports bars, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues), then these businesses would benefit from having an ATM on premise.

On-premise ATMs dramatically increase sales by increasing customer spending power. In addition, businesses with an ATM on site attract new customers. ATMs can save your customers money and reduce liability from bad checks.

• Will ATMs Add Value to My Future Customer Base?

Evaluate long-term plans for growing your business and expanding your customer base, and assess whether new clients would benefit from having an ATM. Think of an ATM as a venue for providing an ever-increasing menu of products and services demanded by consumers.

Suddenly, the opportunity to provide greatly enhanced services and new revenue categories to your clients allows you to multiply exponentially the return on your time and investment.

Retail categories in which ATMs have proven to be successful include hotels, motels, truck stops/plazas, bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and liquor and grocery stores.

• Will Selling ATMs Diminish the Ability to Remain Successful in My Current Sales Role?

This is one of the most important considerations to make. I would never encourage MLSs to "grab and go" with a new product at the detriment of their established success. While making a current and future customer base evaluation, honestly assess how well ATMs would integrate into your existing sales toolkit.

Also, determine whether adding a technology product would fracture the focus of your core competency. The goal is to make the business more successful, not compromise what you already have. If this is not the right time to add ATMs, write a business plan that moves you toward that goal.

Every day, research affirms that we have more money than time, and we are willing to pay a premium for convenience. As technology evolves to meet growing consumer demands, ATMs will continue to provide new product offerings.

What we once considered a kiosk in a bank lobby or at a drive-through window changed when we weren't looking; today's ATM is not your daddy's ATM.

ATMs now provide multiple revenue streams from which you and your customers can benefit: surcharge revenue (remember, the average convenience store has 200 - 300 transactions per month), interchange income, and commission on equipment sales or leases, to name a few. Add all these up, and an ATM could mean a significant new income opportunity.

I encourage you to answer the questions I've posed. If you answer "yes" to the first three and "no" to the fourth, then consider adding a line of ATM products and services to your sales offering. Exciting opportunities are available, if the fit is right.

In the next article, I'll address how to pick the right ATM partner. If you have any questions or comments about this article or suggestions for future articles, please e-mail me at @netbank.com . I look forward to hearing from you.

Tommy Glenn is President of Fort Worth, Texas-based NetBank Payment Systems (NPS). serves on the Board of Directors for ATMIA, the ATM Industry Association. He is also on the Board of Deliver Me, a service group that provides food, shelter and clothing for the elderly. E-mail him at tommyg@netbank.com , or call him at 817-334-8871. NPS, formerly Financial Technologies Inc. (FTI), is the nation's third largest ATM deployer and the single source provider for payment processing solutions. It offers a full range of ATM products and services. NPS is a wholly owned subsidiary of NetBank, the first commercially successful Internet bank. Visit NPS' Web site at www.netbankpaymentsystems.com