Selling In The Post COVID-19 World: How To Help Merchants Operate In The New Normal

By Nate Hirshberg, Shift4

Your clients are turning to you as their trusted advisor for advice as to which solutions are needed for them to succeed in the new business reality created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you ready?

You built your business on a strong foundation consisting of thoughtful business processes, targeted marketing, and reliable hardware and software. Businesses operating in the retail and hospitality industries have employed the same strategies to build their shops and restaurants.

But these merchants have most likely been too busy managing day-to-day operations to notice the cracks that have been forming in their business’ foundations since they first set up shop. These ticking time bombs include things such as poor security, faulty backups, and the creation of siloed systems that make it difficult or impossible to exchange data between unrelated systems.

They’ve been able to survive despite these unrecognized problems until the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic exposed them and put a strain on the merchant’s ability to function. Suddenly these business owners have to stop and rethink the entirety of their business operations to determine what they need to do to thrive in a post-COVID world.

As a trusted advisor, you are positioned to help these shop and restaurant owners make better, more informed decisions by having conversations with them about the technologies available that will speed up their recovery and repair any foundational cracks that are reducing the agility they need to react to whatever economic turmoil comes next.