Adding a connected POS system may sound daunting, but the benefits far outweigh any willies.
Change is scary, but falling behind is scarier
By Rich Lindblom, AVB Marketing
It was President Franklin D. Roosevelt who famously told America, “We have nothing to fear except fear itself,” during his 1933 inaugural address.
Eighty-nine years later, his words ring just as true.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 45-plus years in the industry, it’s that change is scary. It doesn’t matter how big or small the change, dealers are all too often paralyzed by the fear of doing business differently. Whether it’s raising prices, hiring more employees, relocating your store, expanding your showroom, opening a new location or just about anything else, change is hard. And it’s hard because it’s frightening.
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In my current role as product manager of AVB Marketing’s new and proprietary SYNC point of sale (POS) system, I have seen firsthand just how frightening change can be for members. Whether it’s changing your POS system or launching one for the very first time, I’ve come to the conclusion over the past six months that this is probably the single scariest thing a dealer can do.
Basically, we’re asking dealers to forget everything they’ve been doing for the past 10, 20, even 30 years and start over again. And that is scary.
But if you stop and think about it … isn’t the alternative equally scary?
If you don’t have a modern, connected point of sale system, sooner or later you are going to get left behind. The way I see it, changing to a new POS system is kind of like having major surgery — you don’t want to do it, but you know you need to.
A lot of people think it’s all about money, but when you get right down to it, there are only 168 hours in every week. It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have, there will never be any more weekly hours than that. So, if you ask me, time is actually your most valuable asset, not money.
And that is where a quality POS system can do so much for a dealer. Imagine if, through automation, you can save even one hour a day of paperwork, bookkeeping or whatever other menial tasks you do. What could you do with an extra five or six hours a week of productive time? Or, heaven forbid, you work a half day once a week. When used properly, a connected point of sale system will do just that: give you more time to do the things you want to do instead of the things you have to do.
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Of course, a good POS system will also very likely make you more money by increasing your sales and margins. Imagine no more missed sales opportunities due to inventory errors, while seeing margins increase thanks to accurate product pricing and a much higher attachment rate for add-ons like extended warranties.
I know it’s scary, but in this day and age a high-quality connected POS system is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. And regardless of whether you choose AVB’s new SYNC system or a POS platform from one of the group’s gold partners, it’s time to face your fears and take a step forward.
AVB’s Rich Lindblom is a past principal of Advanced Maytag Home Appliance Center in Schaumburg, Ill. He now brings his 45-plus years of hard-won retail experience to fellow BrandSource members through his YourSourceNews columns and as Product Manager of AVB Marketing’s new SYNC point of sale system.
