To improve your sales performance, adopt the Golden Rule mentality. The Golden Rule says to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It also says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The Golden Rule mentality in sales, says simply, "Sell unto others as you would have them sell unto you."
Different Strokes For Different Folks
What does this mean? Aren't there all kinds of different personalities that require different approaches and techniques? Well, yes and no. Practicing the golden rule in selling simply means that you sell to other people the way you would like to be sold to. You sell with the same honesty, integrity, understanding, empathy and thoughtfulness that you would like someone else to use in selling to you.
Seek First to Understand
If you would like a salesperson to take the time to thoroughly understand you and your situation before making a recommendation, you practice the same thing with your customers. If you would like a salesperson to give you honest information and to help you make an intelligent buying decision, you practice the same with your customer. If you would like a salesperson to be thoroughly knowledgeable about the strengths or weaknesses of his or her product or service, and that of his or her competitors, then you do the same with your product or service and your competitors.
Care About Your Customers
Perhaps the most important part of golden rule selling is the emotional component embraced in the word, "caring." Top sales professionals care about their customers. They care about themselves, their companies, their products and services, and they really care about helping their customers to make good buying decisions. If you think about the very best salespeople you know, you will recognize that they are caring individuals.
They Don't Care How Much You Know
If you think about your very best customers, you will recall that these are invariably people you care about, and who care about you. When you think about the people you buy from, you will recall that they seem to care about you more than the average. In every part of your business life, you will find that the significant people all have the denominator of caring as part of their character and their personalities.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, resolve today to sell to your customers with the same honesty, empathy and understanding that you would like them to use in selling to you.
Second, take time to genuinely care about your customers, their individual needs and their unique situations. Make people feel important and they will make you feel important.
What's Inside
Microtronic Components
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Understanding the Why in Life by Dr. Bernie Siegel
Many years ago my great grandfather told me of the persecution he experienced in Russia, which led him to come to this country. He siad the Cossacks would pursue him at night, when he was out teaching, and slash him with their sabers. One night he was on the hill above his village with his rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov. As they looked down they could see the Cossacks riding down and killing their Jewish brethren. They might have felt the same had they seen their loved ones being taken away to become slaves in a foreign land.
My great grandfather heard the rabbi say, "I wish I were God."
He asked, "Do you want to be God so you can change the bad into the good?"
"No, I wouldn't change anything. I want to be God so I can understand."
Remember our present problems are not new to mankind. Ninety percent of the natives of South America died when the explorers brought infectious diseases to their continent, and forty percent of Europeans died during plagues of the past. Man made wars and holocausts have taken millions of lives and with today's destructive weapons we are more of a threat to each other than are infectious diseases, which we can learn to resist. The question is not whether there will be difficulties and threats to our existence, but how will we deal with them and what can we learn from them.
When I was a young boy, several of my friends became seriously ill and one was hit by a car while bicycling to my house. When they all died I asked my father, "Why did God make a world where terrible things happen? Why didn't God make a world free of diseases, accidents and problems?"
He said, "To learn lessons." I didn't like that answer and I asked my rabbi, teacher and others. They said things like, "God knows", "Why not?". "Who knows?", "That's life", "To bring you closer to God." Some were honest enough to just say, "I don't know." This didn't leave me feeling satisfied or enlightened. When I told my mother what they said she answered, "Nature contains the wisdom you seek. Perhaps a walk in the woods would help you to find out why. Go and ask the old lady on the hill that some call a witch. She is wise in the ways of the world."
As I walked up the hill I saw a holly tree had fallen onto the path. As I tried to pull it aside the sharp leaves cut my hands. So I put on gloves and was able to move it and clear the path. A little further along the path I heard a noise in the bushes and saw a duck caught in the plastic from a six pack. I went over and freed the duck and watched him fly off. None of this seemed enlightening.
Further up the hill I saw five boys lying in a tangled heap in the snow. I asked them if they were playing a game and warned them the cold weather could lead to frostbite if they didn't move. They said they were not playing but were so tangled they didn't know which part belonged to whom and were afraid they'd break something if they moved. I removed one of the boy's shoes, took a stick and jabbed it into his foot.
He yelled, "Ow."
I said, "That's your foot now move it." I continued to jab until all the boys were separated...but still no enlightenment.
As I reached the top of the hill, in front of the old woman's cabin I saw a deer sprawled on the ice of a frozen pond. She kept slipping and sliding and couldn't stand up. I went out, calmed her and then helped her off the ice by holding her up and guiding her to the shore. I expected her to run away, but instead of running away she and several other deer followed me to the house. I wasn't sure why they were following me so I ran toward the house. When I reached the porch and felt safe I turned and the deer and I looked into each others eyes before I went into the house.
I told the woman why I had come and she said, "I have been watching you walk up the hill and I think you have your answer."
"What answer?"
"Many things happened on your walk to teach you the lessons you need to learn. One is that emotional and physical pain are necessary or we cannot protect ourselves and our bodies. Think of why you put on gloves and how you helped those boys. Pain helps us to know and define ourselves and respond to our needs and the needs of our loved ones. You did what made sense. You helped those in front of you by doing what they needed when they needed it.
"The deer followed you to thank you for being compassionate in their time of trouble. Their eyes said it all. What you have learned is that we are here to continue God's work. If God had made a perfect world it would be a magic trick, not creation, with no meaning or place for us to learn and create. Mankind is not yet ready for a perfect world. We do not know how to appreciate perfection. Creation is work. We are the ones who will have to create the world you are hoping for. A world where evil is to not respond to the person with the disease or pain, whether is be emotional or physical. God has given us work to do. We will still grieve when we experience losses but we will also use our pain to help us know ourselves and respond to the needs of others. That is our work as our Creator intended it to be. Life is a series of beginnings, not endings, just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements. Creation is an ongoing process and when we create a perfect world where love and compassion are shared by all, suffering will cease."
Let me tell you about people who have been my teachers. The first, a teenager sexually abused by his parents who now has AIDS. When he was about to commit suicide by jumping in front of a subway train I asked him why he didn't kill his parents instead. He said, "I never wanted to be like them." Love has sustained him and he is alive today.
How do we turn our afflictions into blessings? How do we use them to help us complete ourselves and our work and understand the place for love, tolerance and kindness? How can we learn as Jacob did from his experience of wrestling with an angel? Justice and mercy must be a part of how we treat those who hurt us, because when you understand you can forgive, and when you can forgive you do not hate, and when you do not hate you are capable of loving, and love is the most powerful weapon known to man. It is not an accident that we say; kill with kindness, love thine enemies and torment with tenderness.
If we are going to eliminate war we must love our children more than we hate our enemies. When we raise a generation of children with compassion and when parents let their children know they are loved, we will have a planet made up of the family of man where our differences are used for recognition and not persecution. We are all here to learn what it is to hurt and be hurt and only then will we be perfect enough to love and be loved. Someday we will all come to understand that in love's service only the wounded soldier can serve.
In closing, let me say that we are all the same color inside and members of one family. To paraphrase Rabbi Carlebach, "let us hope that some day all the Cains will realize what they have done, and ask for forgiveness of the Abels they have killed. In that moment we will all rise and become one family accepting that we are here to love and be loved."
My great grandfather heard the rabbi say, "I wish I were God."
He asked, "Do you want to be God so you can change the bad into the good?"
"No, I wouldn't change anything. I want to be God so I can understand."
Remember our present problems are not new to mankind. Ninety percent of the natives of South America died when the explorers brought infectious diseases to their continent, and forty percent of Europeans died during plagues of the past. Man made wars and holocausts have taken millions of lives and with today's destructive weapons we are more of a threat to each other than are infectious diseases, which we can learn to resist. The question is not whether there will be difficulties and threats to our existence, but how will we deal with them and what can we learn from them.
When I was a young boy, several of my friends became seriously ill and one was hit by a car while bicycling to my house. When they all died I asked my father, "Why did God make a world where terrible things happen? Why didn't God make a world free of diseases, accidents and problems?"
He said, "To learn lessons." I didn't like that answer and I asked my rabbi, teacher and others. They said things like, "God knows", "Why not?". "Who knows?", "That's life", "To bring you closer to God." Some were honest enough to just say, "I don't know." This didn't leave me feeling satisfied or enlightened. When I told my mother what they said she answered, "Nature contains the wisdom you seek. Perhaps a walk in the woods would help you to find out why. Go and ask the old lady on the hill that some call a witch. She is wise in the ways of the world."
As I walked up the hill I saw a holly tree had fallen onto the path. As I tried to pull it aside the sharp leaves cut my hands. So I put on gloves and was able to move it and clear the path. A little further along the path I heard a noise in the bushes and saw a duck caught in the plastic from a six pack. I went over and freed the duck and watched him fly off. None of this seemed enlightening.
Further up the hill I saw five boys lying in a tangled heap in the snow. I asked them if they were playing a game and warned them the cold weather could lead to frostbite if they didn't move. They said they were not playing but were so tangled they didn't know which part belonged to whom and were afraid they'd break something if they moved. I removed one of the boy's shoes, took a stick and jabbed it into his foot.
He yelled, "Ow."
I said, "That's your foot now move it." I continued to jab until all the boys were separated...but still no enlightenment.
As I reached the top of the hill, in front of the old woman's cabin I saw a deer sprawled on the ice of a frozen pond. She kept slipping and sliding and couldn't stand up. I went out, calmed her and then helped her off the ice by holding her up and guiding her to the shore. I expected her to run away, but instead of running away she and several other deer followed me to the house. I wasn't sure why they were following me so I ran toward the house. When I reached the porch and felt safe I turned and the deer and I looked into each others eyes before I went into the house.
I told the woman why I had come and she said, "I have been watching you walk up the hill and I think you have your answer."
"What answer?"
"Many things happened on your walk to teach you the lessons you need to learn. One is that emotional and physical pain are necessary or we cannot protect ourselves and our bodies. Think of why you put on gloves and how you helped those boys. Pain helps us to know and define ourselves and respond to our needs and the needs of our loved ones. You did what made sense. You helped those in front of you by doing what they needed when they needed it.
"The deer followed you to thank you for being compassionate in their time of trouble. Their eyes said it all. What you have learned is that we are here to continue God's work. If God had made a perfect world it would be a magic trick, not creation, with no meaning or place for us to learn and create. Mankind is not yet ready for a perfect world. We do not know how to appreciate perfection. Creation is work. We are the ones who will have to create the world you are hoping for. A world where evil is to not respond to the person with the disease or pain, whether is be emotional or physical. God has given us work to do. We will still grieve when we experience losses but we will also use our pain to help us know ourselves and respond to the needs of others. That is our work as our Creator intended it to be. Life is a series of beginnings, not endings, just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements. Creation is an ongoing process and when we create a perfect world where love and compassion are shared by all, suffering will cease."
Let me tell you about people who have been my teachers. The first, a teenager sexually abused by his parents who now has AIDS. When he was about to commit suicide by jumping in front of a subway train I asked him why he didn't kill his parents instead. He said, "I never wanted to be like them." Love has sustained him and he is alive today.
How do we turn our afflictions into blessings? How do we use them to help us complete ourselves and our work and understand the place for love, tolerance and kindness? How can we learn as Jacob did from his experience of wrestling with an angel? Justice and mercy must be a part of how we treat those who hurt us, because when you understand you can forgive, and when you can forgive you do not hate, and when you do not hate you are capable of loving, and love is the most powerful weapon known to man. It is not an accident that we say; kill with kindness, love thine enemies and torment with tenderness.
If we are going to eliminate war we must love our children more than we hate our enemies. When we raise a generation of children with compassion and when parents let their children know they are loved, we will have a planet made up of the family of man where our differences are used for recognition and not persecution. We are all here to learn what it is to hurt and be hurt and only then will we be perfect enough to love and be loved. Someday we will all come to understand that in love's service only the wounded soldier can serve.
In closing, let me say that we are all the same color inside and members of one family. To paraphrase Rabbi Carlebach, "let us hope that some day all the Cains will realize what they have done, and ask for forgiveness of the Abels they have killed. In that moment we will all rise and become one family accepting that we are here to love and be loved."
Monday, July 12, 2010
As I sit here on this rainy Monday afternoon, processing orders is a great thing! I am truly blessed to have such great customers and coworkers! Couldn't make it without them!
I am so excited about the "Fearless Women, Fearless Wisdom" book that is finally in my hands! It is truly a work of art and great stories of encouragement and overcoming obstacles....life's many challenges and glorious accomplishments! In the back of the book is a two page spread to add someone's own picture and fearless story!
Heading to Dallas this week for the eWomenNetwork International Conference - nervous and excited!! I've never been in the spotlight to this magnitude, but so grateful for this new journey. Being a Fearless Woman in this book has empowered me to step out of my comfort zone and face my foes head on. I can do great things fearlessly! We all can...Be Fearless!!
I am so excited about the "Fearless Women, Fearless Wisdom" book that is finally in my hands! It is truly a work of art and great stories of encouragement and overcoming obstacles....life's many challenges and glorious accomplishments! In the back of the book is a two page spread to add someone's own picture and fearless story!
Heading to Dallas this week for the eWomenNetwork International Conference - nervous and excited!! I've never been in the spotlight to this magnitude, but so grateful for this new journey. Being a Fearless Woman in this book has empowered me to step out of my comfort zone and face my foes head on. I can do great things fearlessly! We all can...Be Fearless!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The GPS of Happiness...by Debbie Hoffman Adair
This is to be my updated mantra....
To be happy. Who upon this earth doesn't want that simple statement to be true? To be happy. Who among us are truly happy? Can happiness be found through someone else or with a large bank account? What is it... to be happy?
It all started 24 years ago, on my 30th birthday as I arrived at a major crossroad in my life. I was so miserable, I wanted to die. Having two small children meant that checking out was not an option for me. But neither was staying where I was - miserable, filled with fear and self-loathing. I had no other choice - I had to find a way out of my crippling depression. I wanted to be happy. Truly happy.
And so the journey began, and what an adventure it has been. Not only did I learn how to be happy, it became my life's work. To help others see the possibilities in their own lives, to help them find the tools for self-empowerment that leads to happiness, this is what I try to practice in my day to day life. This is the foundation of my writing and speaking career.
Does empowerment and happiness go hand in hand? I think so. I eventually realized my life was miserable because I had no hope and felt powerless over everything.
I had to pick up the tools for my own empowerment... once I had them in place, there was no stopping me. Happy? You bet. But being happy doesn't mean you aren't presented with problems and difficult challenges; it doesn't mean your life is perfect and you have access to everything your heart desires. The very nature of life is seen in the metaphor of a pendulum... up and down, good and bad, right and wrong, cold and hot... and yes, happy and sad. Happiness has little to do with your bank account or having someone else, "make you happy." It has everything to do with learning how to deal with, and accept, this zany pendulum known as life. Eventually you begin to see and have faith that everything will work out... that the Universe actually knows what It is doing - even if it's beyond our intellect to comprehend this at any given moment.
So, what is my favorite tool on my happiness tool belt? A little thing I call my GPS.
We all have one, our own little guidance system. It comes factory direct and is built into every vintage and late-model human being. It's there even if you don't see it... and the closest thing we get for a manual is our own conscience.
My life's navigational tool is simple: G.P.S. = God / Positivity / Service.
God: Connect with your higher power, and you will be amazed at the clarity and joy you will feel. Note, I am not here to bring you to Jesus, I am not saying Buddha or Zen is the right or only way. Your concept of God only has to resonate with you. Trusting in God or a higher-power (however you acknowledge He, She or It), and asking for guidance is one of the best ways I know to bring about positive change and thus create happiness. We have a favorite quote around our home - God is a better Dreamer than we are. I am a big dreamer, lots of idea, but I have learned that my imagination is no match to Gods will. I have learned to put him in the driver seat and buckle my seat belt because when you let go and Let God, wondrous things begin to happen. I have learned that whatever the Universe wants me to do if far bigger than I can imagine, and if I trust the Universe, the journey will be awesome and fulfilling.
Positivity: As a former Negaholic, I can attest to the power of positive thinking. A positive person is not someone who resembles Mary Sunshine or Pollyanna, no. A positive person is someone who sees the world as it truly is (the good, the bad and the ugly), but makes a conscious choice to focus on what is good. A negative person (speaking from experience), doesn't see the world as it is, they only see the bad, or what is wrong.
Negative people see problems, positive people see solutions. Negative people can never see their own flaws, only the flaws of others. They feel it is their duty to point out your defects so you can work on yourself. But in reality, we all tend to have the flaws we point out in others. We can't change a character defect that we're not aware of... to say anything of actually comprehending that defect. This is precisely what keeps negative people in a negative spiral.
Look for the bad in everything and the bad will come to you - but look for the good, and that will come your way as well. Positivity is an essential key ingredient of happiness.
Service: Ask yourself how you can you be of service to the world. It doesn't have to be something grand, something simple will do. Hold the door for someone, pick up a piece of trash on the street, pay for the drivers toll behind you. Little things count. However, if you are in a position to do more - go for it.
I wake up each morning, asking for my assignment from the Universe - how can I be of service today? "Please Universe, let me be an instrument of hope for you today." And when I am given the opportunity to help others, and follow through, I receive the gift of happiness.
So, what about you? Are you still pursuing happiness? Do you feel empowered? I promise, if you use the GPS of life, you will not only feel empowered and happy, you will, in fact, be changing the world for the better...
To be happy. Who upon this earth doesn't want that simple statement to be true? To be happy. Who among us are truly happy? Can happiness be found through someone else or with a large bank account? What is it... to be happy?
It all started 24 years ago, on my 30th birthday as I arrived at a major crossroad in my life. I was so miserable, I wanted to die. Having two small children meant that checking out was not an option for me. But neither was staying where I was - miserable, filled with fear and self-loathing. I had no other choice - I had to find a way out of my crippling depression. I wanted to be happy. Truly happy.
And so the journey began, and what an adventure it has been. Not only did I learn how to be happy, it became my life's work. To help others see the possibilities in their own lives, to help them find the tools for self-empowerment that leads to happiness, this is what I try to practice in my day to day life. This is the foundation of my writing and speaking career.
Does empowerment and happiness go hand in hand? I think so. I eventually realized my life was miserable because I had no hope and felt powerless over everything.
I had to pick up the tools for my own empowerment... once I had them in place, there was no stopping me. Happy? You bet. But being happy doesn't mean you aren't presented with problems and difficult challenges; it doesn't mean your life is perfect and you have access to everything your heart desires. The very nature of life is seen in the metaphor of a pendulum... up and down, good and bad, right and wrong, cold and hot... and yes, happy and sad. Happiness has little to do with your bank account or having someone else, "make you happy." It has everything to do with learning how to deal with, and accept, this zany pendulum known as life. Eventually you begin to see and have faith that everything will work out... that the Universe actually knows what It is doing - even if it's beyond our intellect to comprehend this at any given moment.
So, what is my favorite tool on my happiness tool belt? A little thing I call my GPS.
We all have one, our own little guidance system. It comes factory direct and is built into every vintage and late-model human being. It's there even if you don't see it... and the closest thing we get for a manual is our own conscience.
My life's navigational tool is simple: G.P.S. = God / Positivity / Service.
God: Connect with your higher power, and you will be amazed at the clarity and joy you will feel. Note, I am not here to bring you to Jesus, I am not saying Buddha or Zen is the right or only way. Your concept of God only has to resonate with you. Trusting in God or a higher-power (however you acknowledge He, She or It), and asking for guidance is one of the best ways I know to bring about positive change and thus create happiness. We have a favorite quote around our home - God is a better Dreamer than we are. I am a big dreamer, lots of idea, but I have learned that my imagination is no match to Gods will. I have learned to put him in the driver seat and buckle my seat belt because when you let go and Let God, wondrous things begin to happen. I have learned that whatever the Universe wants me to do if far bigger than I can imagine, and if I trust the Universe, the journey will be awesome and fulfilling.
Positivity: As a former Negaholic, I can attest to the power of positive thinking. A positive person is not someone who resembles Mary Sunshine or Pollyanna, no. A positive person is someone who sees the world as it truly is (the good, the bad and the ugly), but makes a conscious choice to focus on what is good. A negative person (speaking from experience), doesn't see the world as it is, they only see the bad, or what is wrong.
Negative people see problems, positive people see solutions. Negative people can never see their own flaws, only the flaws of others. They feel it is their duty to point out your defects so you can work on yourself. But in reality, we all tend to have the flaws we point out in others. We can't change a character defect that we're not aware of... to say anything of actually comprehending that defect. This is precisely what keeps negative people in a negative spiral.
Look for the bad in everything and the bad will come to you - but look for the good, and that will come your way as well. Positivity is an essential key ingredient of happiness.
Service: Ask yourself how you can you be of service to the world. It doesn't have to be something grand, something simple will do. Hold the door for someone, pick up a piece of trash on the street, pay for the drivers toll behind you. Little things count. However, if you are in a position to do more - go for it.
I wake up each morning, asking for my assignment from the Universe - how can I be of service today? "Please Universe, let me be an instrument of hope for you today." And when I am given the opportunity to help others, and follow through, I receive the gift of happiness.
So, what about you? Are you still pursuing happiness? Do you feel empowered? I promise, if you use the GPS of life, you will not only feel empowered and happy, you will, in fact, be changing the world for the better...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Bringing Cashless Vending Into Focus, by Alicia Lavay-Kertes
Issue Date: Vol. 50, No. 6, June 2010, Posted On: 6/21/2010
Bringing Cashless Vending Into Focus
Alicia Lavay-Kertes
Alicia@vendingtimes.net
National Automatic Merchandising Association, NAMA, Bank of America, cashless vending, vending, vending business, vending machine, coin machine operator, vendor, vending news, bulk vending, coin-op, coin-op games, coin-op news, Vending Times, Alicia Lavay
The industry is talking about the National Automatic Merchandising Association's new Cashless Solutions program. For readers who are not familiar with NAMA's newly formed relationship with Bank of America Merchant Services, you can read more about it elsewhere in this issue.
If you are aware of it but are still confused, I have a sneaking suspicion that you're not alone. Don't get me wrong. I truly believe that this is a real game-changer, just what we need to revitalize the industry. We have recognized for years that offering patrons the ability to pay with their debit or credit cards can overcome much of their resistance to $1-plus vend prices. And we have known that alert use of today's technology can allow us to devote more attention to spending patterns and better meet patrons' desires, while learning more about those patrons. So why isn't everyone doing it? Because it costs money. Perhaps worse, it involves a great many parts, and it's not easy to see how they fit together.
The good news is that NAMA has been able to negotiate attractive processing rates with BAMS for the new Cashless Solutions program. Those who have been on the fence, wondering whether (or when) to adapt or purchase new vending equipment, now see several paths that they can follow. Access to the details gives shape to the imagination; people can envision the steps involved in getting from here to there.
For this reason, suppliers should be aware that a great many operators now will be drafting plans, even if only in broad outline, and those plans will include hardware and software preferences. Now is the time to make themselves and their products visible and desirable.
To understand the opportunity, we need to understand the choices. The NAMA program is a good place to start, because it is detailed and transparent. It is an excellent source of questions to ask prospective service providers.
When I took a step back, I recognized that my confusion largely was caused by the number of participants involved in a cashless transaction. NAMA does a good job of explaining this. In broad outline, there are four, including the cardholder. Completing the transaction involves looking to see whether the card is valid, then sending the charge to an acquiring (or merchant bank) for settlement and to an issuing bank, which issued the card and bills the cardholder. This basic structure predates wireless networks and even the networked merchant terminals used in retail stores. Underlying it was (and is) a supervisory body - a "card association" or something that does the same things - to establish and enforce rules, and to route transaction data to the cardholder's bank.
Automated transaction processing at high speed has slashed the cost of doing all this. It has made accepting cards attractive to retailers selling lower-price merchandise. For that to happen, though, more components had to evolve. These include a secure wide-area communications medium or channel (in vending, almost always a wireless network), a "payment gateway" to receive the transaction request, retrieve the data and generate reports, and a "payment processor" to receive data from the "gateway" and route it through the card association to the acquiring bank.
This complexity makes it hard to tell who is doing what, and to whom; but it does encourage competition and so widen choice, spur progress and keep costs down. Variety offers operators the ability to choose, or assemble, a program that meets their needs most closely.
This point isn't often made, but I think it should be. If one giant organization controlled every part the system, including the communications medium, and allowed no competition, it would have little reason to improve and it could charge what the traffic would bear. As it is, we have a fruitful mix of competition and cooperation that has expanded the playing field.
Another point worth making is that every advance in vending payment has imposed a cost, but also has increased sales volume and made it possible to sell a wider variety of merchandise. The ability to offer major credit and bank debit card acceptance can strengthen the appeal of "closed" (hosted internal) cashless systems in the many locations that can benefit from them. This is good for operators, suppliers and locations alike. It broadens the range of available options that operators can adapt to their locations' needs.
And, unlike coin changers and bill validators, cashless terminals give vending access to a new world of retail promotional opportunities. They represent another step (and it is a big one) in vending's long journey toward the retailing mainstream.
Operators now can, and should, study their particular situations carefully, evaluate their options, and adopt the new technology they need when they need it.
The worst thing to do would be to ignore opportunity when it knocks. We cannot let the world pass us by.
Bringing Cashless Vending Into Focus
Alicia Lavay-Kertes
Alicia@vendingtimes.net
National Automatic Merchandising Association, NAMA, Bank of America, cashless vending, vending, vending business, vending machine, coin machine operator, vendor, vending news, bulk vending, coin-op, coin-op games, coin-op news, Vending Times, Alicia Lavay
The industry is talking about the National Automatic Merchandising Association's new Cashless Solutions program. For readers who are not familiar with NAMA's newly formed relationship with Bank of America Merchant Services, you can read more about it elsewhere in this issue.
If you are aware of it but are still confused, I have a sneaking suspicion that you're not alone. Don't get me wrong. I truly believe that this is a real game-changer, just what we need to revitalize the industry. We have recognized for years that offering patrons the ability to pay with their debit or credit cards can overcome much of their resistance to $1-plus vend prices. And we have known that alert use of today's technology can allow us to devote more attention to spending patterns and better meet patrons' desires, while learning more about those patrons. So why isn't everyone doing it? Because it costs money. Perhaps worse, it involves a great many parts, and it's not easy to see how they fit together.
The good news is that NAMA has been able to negotiate attractive processing rates with BAMS for the new Cashless Solutions program. Those who have been on the fence, wondering whether (or when) to adapt or purchase new vending equipment, now see several paths that they can follow. Access to the details gives shape to the imagination; people can envision the steps involved in getting from here to there.
For this reason, suppliers should be aware that a great many operators now will be drafting plans, even if only in broad outline, and those plans will include hardware and software preferences. Now is the time to make themselves and their products visible and desirable.
To understand the opportunity, we need to understand the choices. The NAMA program is a good place to start, because it is detailed and transparent. It is an excellent source of questions to ask prospective service providers.
When I took a step back, I recognized that my confusion largely was caused by the number of participants involved in a cashless transaction. NAMA does a good job of explaining this. In broad outline, there are four, including the cardholder. Completing the transaction involves looking to see whether the card is valid, then sending the charge to an acquiring (or merchant bank) for settlement and to an issuing bank, which issued the card and bills the cardholder. This basic structure predates wireless networks and even the networked merchant terminals used in retail stores. Underlying it was (and is) a supervisory body - a "card association" or something that does the same things - to establish and enforce rules, and to route transaction data to the cardholder's bank.
Automated transaction processing at high speed has slashed the cost of doing all this. It has made accepting cards attractive to retailers selling lower-price merchandise. For that to happen, though, more components had to evolve. These include a secure wide-area communications medium or channel (in vending, almost always a wireless network), a "payment gateway" to receive the transaction request, retrieve the data and generate reports, and a "payment processor" to receive data from the "gateway" and route it through the card association to the acquiring bank.
This complexity makes it hard to tell who is doing what, and to whom; but it does encourage competition and so widen choice, spur progress and keep costs down. Variety offers operators the ability to choose, or assemble, a program that meets their needs most closely.
This point isn't often made, but I think it should be. If one giant organization controlled every part the system, including the communications medium, and allowed no competition, it would have little reason to improve and it could charge what the traffic would bear. As it is, we have a fruitful mix of competition and cooperation that has expanded the playing field.
Another point worth making is that every advance in vending payment has imposed a cost, but also has increased sales volume and made it possible to sell a wider variety of merchandise. The ability to offer major credit and bank debit card acceptance can strengthen the appeal of "closed" (hosted internal) cashless systems in the many locations that can benefit from them. This is good for operators, suppliers and locations alike. It broadens the range of available options that operators can adapt to their locations' needs.
And, unlike coin changers and bill validators, cashless terminals give vending access to a new world of retail promotional opportunities. They represent another step (and it is a big one) in vending's long journey toward the retailing mainstream.
Operators now can, and should, study their particular situations carefully, evaluate their options, and adopt the new technology they need when they need it.
The worst thing to do would be to ignore opportunity when it knocks. We cannot let the world pass us by.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Terri Starnes-Bryant, My Fearless Story...........
I am native of High Point, NC and a lifelong resident. I attended Ledford Senior High School and upon graduation, attended Western Carolina University where my selected major was Graphic Design. After three semesters at WCU, I transferred to Guilford Technical Community College and took courses in Accounting, Art and Photography. Due to life struggles, I was never able to attain a college degree, but that didn’t stop my drive for success.
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I was determined to make it in the business world one way or another. I attempted many business ventures, only to be stopped by financial limitations or family issues, but knew entrepreneurship had to be in my future someday.
I married my first husband, secretly, at 17 years old in South Carolina while at WCU. We were married for three years before we told our family and that was after we had a full blown wedding with gown, pictures, cake and all the works. Not until I was pregnant with my first daughter did I finally tell my mother how long we had actually been married. Quite a shock is an understatement.
Within nine months of giving birth to our daughter, I was pregnant with our son. Someone told me it was harder to conceive the second time around – WRONG, but anyway, we were on the roller coaster of life. My first husband was overwhelmed and turned to drugs and alcohol – I was blind to it for awhile but really had no idea until he lost his job. That was the turning point in our marriage and I left. Within one month, he took his life. He was only 29 years old and the kids were five and three.
I tried hanging wallpaper for a living, which was great for a while, and then I tried a pet sitting service, which bombed. My closest success was a courier service where I did really well until my best customer told me I had to be available 24/7. With two small kids, there was just no way to make it work. I even flipped a few houses on my own, where I was nicknamed “Terri Tool Time” – I thoroughly love working with tools. I had various jobs from bank teller to graphic designer, to finally coming to work for my future husband. I actually had to beg for the job. It’s one of those stories that you tell your kids when they start looking for a job – keep going back until they throw you out the door – well he didn’t throw me out and gave me a chance to prove myself. I offered to work for two weeks without pay just to show I could do the job. I started in the warehouse where I learned to drive a tow motor. I cleaned, filed, stacked, stocked, answered the phone, you name it, I did it. We obviously started dating and through some trials and tribulations, we finally got married.
He had two young daughters and I had a daughter and son. We weren’t exactly the “Brady Bunch”, but we tried. I previously had a tubal ligation after my son was born, but we decided to try to have a child together, so I had a reverse tubal and it worked – another daughter. Our attempt at raising the most dysfunctional family I had ever encountered turned totally upside down. Once the older kids were in their teens, we went through everything from teenage pregnancy to drug abuse to alcohol abuse to shooting BB guns at passing cars. It was horrible and I was the weak, too lenient parent who had a real hard time with discipline, so my kids paid the price and I had a stress Heart Attack at age 45. They were in and out of drug rehab and/or jail multiple times, still addicts, but now clean, prayerfully for good! We now have three beautiful grandchildren and starting to make life seem promising and exciting again.
My husband sold his company due to the economic downturns and we have made major life adjustments. Our home of 16 years burned to the ground due to a chimney fire. Our whole world was falling around us. While this was happening, I was able to attain U.S. distributorship of Microtronic, a technology product out of Switzerland and finally had my own company! I tried it on my own, but eventually partnered with a great businessman and it is quickly becoming successful! The future holds many great mysteries and adventures and I can hardly wait! My being featured in the book, "Fearless Women, Fearless Wisdom" is truly a whole new chapter in my life!
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I was determined to make it in the business world one way or another. I attempted many business ventures, only to be stopped by financial limitations or family issues, but knew entrepreneurship had to be in my future someday.
I married my first husband, secretly, at 17 years old in South Carolina while at WCU. We were married for three years before we told our family and that was after we had a full blown wedding with gown, pictures, cake and all the works. Not until I was pregnant with my first daughter did I finally tell my mother how long we had actually been married. Quite a shock is an understatement.
Within nine months of giving birth to our daughter, I was pregnant with our son. Someone told me it was harder to conceive the second time around – WRONG, but anyway, we were on the roller coaster of life. My first husband was overwhelmed and turned to drugs and alcohol – I was blind to it for awhile but really had no idea until he lost his job. That was the turning point in our marriage and I left. Within one month, he took his life. He was only 29 years old and the kids were five and three.
I tried hanging wallpaper for a living, which was great for a while, and then I tried a pet sitting service, which bombed. My closest success was a courier service where I did really well until my best customer told me I had to be available 24/7. With two small kids, there was just no way to make it work. I even flipped a few houses on my own, where I was nicknamed “Terri Tool Time” – I thoroughly love working with tools. I had various jobs from bank teller to graphic designer, to finally coming to work for my future husband. I actually had to beg for the job. It’s one of those stories that you tell your kids when they start looking for a job – keep going back until they throw you out the door – well he didn’t throw me out and gave me a chance to prove myself. I offered to work for two weeks without pay just to show I could do the job. I started in the warehouse where I learned to drive a tow motor. I cleaned, filed, stacked, stocked, answered the phone, you name it, I did it. We obviously started dating and through some trials and tribulations, we finally got married.
He had two young daughters and I had a daughter and son. We weren’t exactly the “Brady Bunch”, but we tried. I previously had a tubal ligation after my son was born, but we decided to try to have a child together, so I had a reverse tubal and it worked – another daughter. Our attempt at raising the most dysfunctional family I had ever encountered turned totally upside down. Once the older kids were in their teens, we went through everything from teenage pregnancy to drug abuse to alcohol abuse to shooting BB guns at passing cars. It was horrible and I was the weak, too lenient parent who had a real hard time with discipline, so my kids paid the price and I had a stress Heart Attack at age 45. They were in and out of drug rehab and/or jail multiple times, still addicts, but now clean, prayerfully for good! We now have three beautiful grandchildren and starting to make life seem promising and exciting again.
My husband sold his company due to the economic downturns and we have made major life adjustments. Our home of 16 years burned to the ground due to a chimney fire. Our whole world was falling around us. While this was happening, I was able to attain U.S. distributorship of Microtronic, a technology product out of Switzerland and finally had my own company! I tried it on my own, but eventually partnered with a great businessman and it is quickly becoming successful! The future holds many great mysteries and adventures and I can hardly wait! My being featured in the book, "Fearless Women, Fearless Wisdom" is truly a whole new chapter in my life!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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