I
f you are like most small businesses, you are the owner, customer service repre- sentative, sales executive, bookkeeper,
and anything else that becomes urgent that day. Because of this you feel frustrated, unappreciated, and don’t have the time to look at the bigger picture as you are trying to solve the daily problems. Your logic is simple: keeping the customer happy will make you money and money will make in- vesting in more help or soſtware tools seem possible. I am here to tell you that you are on a lifelong cycle that will look like you are living in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Follow a few simple steps and you won’t end up that way.
Where do you start? Te first thing you should do is create a plan. It doesn’t have to be difficult or 20 pages long. But a basic plan will guide you in your process. Don’t be a dreamer. Find out what makes your customers call you back. Focus on the type of customers that fit your strengths. Create realistic sales goals. Set a budget to allow for investments in marketing. Tis is where I need you to be honest with
yourself. Are you saving every contact you meet in your contacts? Are you even asking for their information? How about puting them in your spreadsheet of prospects? Where are you meeting these people? Are they giving you a business card? Are you following up with them? How are you doing this? Voicemail or email? How many times do you atempt to contact them before giving up? What is the message you are delivering? Finally, if you get in front of them, do you follow up aſterwards? How many times? Did you set expectations? I could go on and on but these questions should start you thinking about the things that could be automated and scalable for you as you grow your business. Geting organized goes beyond just ef-
ficient sales and marketing but let’s focus on this area. You want to simplify your process, keep track of contacts, appointments, task and marketing communications all in one
52 datia focus
place. Store the special details about your customer so everyone in your company can access that information—even on the go. If you are not using the cloud to make your company’s information accessible, start now but make sure you keep your files secure.
Next Steps Let’s talk about technology. I’m sure you have goten the newest cell phone over the last year, so I know technology doesn’t scare you. What scares you is what to do with it other than Facebook. You have to dedicate yourself and your sales team to changing the way you look at the technology tools you select to use. You have to treat the new strategy like there is physically no other way except the way you have chosen. Otherwise you will find yourself working around and avoiding the new technology that you have invested money and time into seting up. For example, you learned how to follow DOT regulations and processes for DOT mandated drug testing. You can’t avoid the guidelines and do it any other way so you forced yourself and everyone else in your company to follow these guidelines. What should you use? Microsoſt Outlook?
Maybe you’ve been using Excel for years and it simply isn’t good enough either? First off, the only common thing in your business for the last few years is you. Don’t get in your own way; take a look at the options you have never explored before. I said earlier your time is short so anything you can do to save time in the long run and produce beter results is perfectly aligned with your goals. Outlook and Excel are valuable tools but alone they are not sufficient enough to support a scal- able sales plan. You have to go beyond just having the list on your hard drive. Many of you, if you have been in business over the last 10 years, have probably used email market- ing with Constant Contact or Aweber. While these tools have become more user-friendly and robust, they may not support your goals. You want to choose a platform that fits your plan. You should explore at least 5 options to find the best fit. Hubspot, InfusionSoſt, Sales
Force, and Act-On are just a few of them. You should go directly to each of the platforms you choose to explore. Tere is no reason to include a third-party reseller. I do recom- mend geting advice from a professional that doesn’t represent any particular product. You can visit sites like
www.capterra.com/ marketing-automation-soſtware/ to see more soſtware options. You will find many options with a wide investment range.
Key points you should consider in your software
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Do you have a website? Website integration may be important but consider the cost.
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Does your marketing person use the tool you are considering?
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Does it connect to your social media platforms?
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Ease of use (Do they have live people you can talk to anytime?). You may be working on your projects late aſter work and if you have a question you need the answer now.
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Is the company that is developing, selling and supporting the soſtware going to be around in 2 years?
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Can you move your data if you choose to leave this platform? Most companies will not make this easy so you can’t be com- pletely hung up on this. Platform migration can be costly so choosing a platform you can use for the next few years is important.
Big Mistake Te sales people showing you the platform will get excited about all the things the sys- tem can do. Tis may impress you at first and then scare you when you think about who is going to do all of this for you. I recommend starting slow. Take these few small steps first and get familiar with the basics. Start capturing your data on your cell
phone with the mobile app provided by the platform company. Some apps can read and transcribe photos of business cards for you, saving time. Have everyone in your busi- ness logging important information about your customers and prospects. Rely on
spring 2015
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