I’ve spent enough time in business to see the difference between selling somebody something and actually solving a problem.
They are not the same thing.
In merchant services, I’ve seen plenty of businesses sold equipment that was more than they really needed.
I’ve looked at customers using a Clover Mini and wondered why they were paying around $850 for a system when they weren’t even using inventory or most of the features that came with it.
If all they really needed was a reliable countertop terminal, a Dejavoo for around $300 may have done the job just fine.
What does the business actually need?
The question should not always be, “What can I sell them?”
It should be, “What does this business actually need?”
A restaurant, a contractor, a barber, and a retail store may all take payments, but they do not all operate the same way.
Some businesses need a full POS system. Some need inventory, employees, modifiers, reporting and kitchen functions.
Others may just need to accept a payment and move on.
A good sale puts a product in someone’s hands. A good solution makes their business work better.
The product should fit the customer
That thinking carried into PayVella too.
One of the reasons we started looking at SoftPOS was because not every business needs another piece of hardware. For some merchants, the phone already in their pocket can become the terminal.
But PayVella is not right for everybody either.
If a business truly needs a full POS system, then that may be the better solution.
That is the point.
The product should fit the customer. The customer should not have to fit the product.
Start with the problem
The more involved I’ve become in software, the more I think this way. I look at businesses and ask:
What is slowing them down?
What are they paying for that they do not use?
What could be simpler?
Start with the problem. Build the solution around the customer.
I would rather tell somebody that a product is not the right fit than sell them something they do not need.
You can make a sale once.
Trust is what keeps the customer.
And when you actually solve the right problem, the sale usually takes care of itself.