2.1 — The Golden Rule of Discovery

If you cannot clearly explain the merchant’s business back to them, you have not earned the right to pitch Clover.

2.2 — Required Discovery Information

Must collect and understand

• Sophistication of inventory management

• Tax structure & accounting software

• Monthly processing volume

• Employee count and roles

• Online ordering needs

• Peak business hours

• Current software costs

Discovery Rule

• If you don’t know these answers, you cannot recommend hardware or pricing.

2.3 — Vertical-Specific Qualification

Restaurants / Food & Beverage

• Connectivity (cellular, hotspot, Wi-Fi)

• Offline expectations

• Printer limitations

• Typically simpler inventory

• Counter-service vs table-service

• Kitchen printers and routing

• Split checks and modifiers

• Employee management software sophistication level

Retail

• SKU depth

• Barcode scanning

• Variants (size, color, etc.)

• Returns and exchanges

2.4 — Red Flags (Pause or Stop the Sale)

Do not proceed without clarification if you hear:

• “I just need a card reader”

• “I don’t want to build inventory”

• “I need this installed today”

• “I need out of my contract”

General Rule

• You must ask further questions and really understand the core reason why.

2.5 — Setting Installation Expectations

Must Clearly Explain

• Inventory must be built before install and is done by us — we are a premium service

• Merchant responsibilities vs agent responsibilities

• Setup requires time and testing

• Follow-up adjustments are normal

Outcome

• Clear expectations. Clean installs. No surprises.

Chapter 3 — Apply the Use Case (Feature-Level Execution)