1.1 — What Clover Is (and How It’s Used)

Clover is a fully integrated point of sale (POS) system designed to support a wide range of business types. It provides a general-purpose operating framework for payments, inventory, employees, reporting, and order flow.

Clover is intentionally built as a flexible, general-use platform, not a single-industry or single-workflow system. Because of this, Clover does not arrive pre-configured for any one business type.

The Role of the Sales Representative

Our job is not to sell a one-size-fits-all solution. Our job is to determine whether Clover is a good fit, and if so, how it should be used for that business.

Requirements for Success

• Understand how the business operates

• Map Clover’s core capabilities to that operation

• Identify where Clover fits well and might not fit well

Customization Isn't Optional

When we say customization is not optional, we are not referring only to configuration or setup. Before Clover can be installed, we must identify the genre of business and define Clover’s use case. Remember, Clover is a general-use POS. It becomes effective only after its role in the business is clearly defined.

Defining the Use Case

Sales Representatives Are Expected

• Identify type of business (food truck, counter-service restaurant, retail, healthcare, hybrid, etc.)

• Understand how the business operates day-to-day

• Determine how Clover will be used within that operation

Clearly Explain

• What Clover is responsible for handling

• What Clover is NOT responsible for handling

• Which features matter for this business

• Which features are unnecessary

General Rule

• If you cannot clearly explain Clover’s use case for this merchant, the sale is not ready to move forward.

Confidence Requirement

Must Be Confident Enough To

• Verbally explain and understand the merchant’s workflow

• Explain how Clover supports that workflow

• Justify the hardware selection

• Explain why Clover is a good fit for this specific business

Explanation Must Be Clear Enough That

• Anyone can immediately understand the use case

• You already envisioned how to install the system

• The merchant recognizes their own business in the explanation

Why Fit Matters

Ideal Client

• Setup decisions are straightforward

• Feature gaps are identified early (before the sell, if any)

• Expectations are aligned before install

Non-Ideal Client

• Workarounds increase

• Support issues are seen with an important issue in the future

• Merchant dissatisfaction is endemic if a particular feature or operation is not available or not set to standard

General Rule

• Clover does not fail — unclear use cases do.

1.2 — Hardware Overview

Clover Flex

• Best for: food trucks, line-busting, mobile checkout

• Strengths: portable, all-in-one payments

• Limitations: screen size, printer capacity

Clover Mini

• Best for: counters, small restaurants, retail, sometimes a secondary device

• Strengths: full POS functionality in a compact form

• Limitations: limited mobility

Clover Station Duo / Solo

• Best for: full-service restaurants, bars, counter-service restaurants

• Strengths: dual screens (Duo only), kitchen routing, speed

• Limitations: space and cost

General Rule

• Hardware is selected after the use case is defined — never before.

1.3 — Core Clover Software Capabilities

Sales Representatives must be able to do more than name Clover features — they must be able to carry a structured conversation with the business owner and clearly translate how the business operates into a working Clover setup.

Discuss and Visually Describe

• Items the business sells

• Categories those items belong to

• Modifiers and modifier groups (sizes, add-ons, options, upcharges)

• Multiple menus (by time of day, order type, or device)

• Printer labels and routing (what prints where, and why)

Should Be Able To

• Walk a merchant through how their menu or inventory will look inside the Clover dashboard

• Explain how that setup translates to physical hardware (Flex, Mini, Station, printers)

• Identify potential complexity before install (modifier depth, printer routing, menu duplication)

This conversation should feel natural and collaborative, not technical or scripted.

General Rule

• If you cannot mentally visualize the menu flow, printer behavior, and device usage, the configuration is not ready. Clover performs exactly as it is designed, built, and mapped.

1.4 — Sales Representative Guardrails (Non-Negotiables)

These guardrails exist to protect the client and Atlas Payments. Violations stem from cost misrepresentation and unapproved incentives, not technical errors.

Clearly Understand and Communicate

• Hardware, peripherals, apps, and services have real costs

• That risk must be intentional, approved, and justified by the opportunity

• Any offer of “free” or discounted hardware represents assumed risk by the organization

Best Practices

• Ensure the merchant is a verified good fit before any cost-incurring incentives are discussed

• Understand that incentives are tied to merchant quality, volume, and longevity

• Be able to explain why an incentive makes sense for this specific merchant

• Escalate any uncertainty around pricing, incentives, or risk

Worst Practices

• Promise credits, rebates, or reimbursements that have not been approved

• Offer free hardware, peripherals, or services without proper approval

• Imply that hardware is automatically free, included, or guaranteed

• Use free equipment as a default closing tactic

General Rule

• If it costs money, it cannot be given away casually.

Chapter 2 — Merchant Qualification & Discovery