Is Chaos A Part of Your Business?

Do you find yourself being pulled in several different directions, like a rope stretched to its limits in a game tug-of-war? You’re not alone.  According to the small business administration, over 70% of small businesses suffer from this energy tapping, daily business activity draining nightmare. Many small businesses have less than five employees.  Many are based in the home, with only one or two people working on all aspects of the business.   Running a  successful business is in of itself is more than a full-time commitment:

• Lead generation, pre-qualifying, information gathering, follow up, and finally closing the sale, are tasks from which that many entrepreneurs get side tracked. The most important task of growing any business are so-called “Rain making activities.”
• Follow-up mailings,  invoicing,  record keeping,  document filing,  service calls, questions, phone conversations, notes, progress tracking and much more.

Big businesses incorporate centralized systems with whole teams to focus on activities which generate new business.  It should also be noted that big business is constantly faced with the challenge of changing or upgrading their current systems.  The cost of technology for big business is staggering.  In many cases, millions of dollars have been spent on set-up of these systems.  Then, at some point, the business needs to keep pace and do more costly upgrading, which can require more dollars.   The good news is this article will address a solution for both big and small business enterprise, alike.

If a small business owner wishes to remain competitive, these daily tasks require either more workers (who need to be trained), or business systems that can off load those activities that eat up precious hours each day.

You might wonder, “How can I hire more workers  if I am barely able to keep up with costs of running the business?”  That is a question we get all the time.   You are your own boss.   It is the greatest feeling when things are humming along, but without the proper planning and a centralized solution to manage chaos, things can quickly get out of hand.  Do you find yourself tapped out, and not able to take on  higher dollar activities?  Why spend your time doing $7 or $8 an hour work, when you can get a system that can do the work of ten people! Eventually, hiring staff is important, but first, you must get your system in place and running.  Then, focus on freeing up the time and money to train someone to maintain it, while you do what you do best.  As you may know workers leave, they get sick, or they copy your business and become an competitor, only to leave you retraining and starting over again.

MORE TIME

I started out my business in the early 80′s as a real estate agent.  My parent company give me support in the beginning, but ultimately it was up to me to venture beyond the standard process and build more business through a specific plan of action.   Not by hiring  more assistants or workers, but through smart management handled by a powerful centralized database system.  Follow-up mailings, calls, tracking notes, reminders, and every other piece of pertinent information was at my finger tips.

(IT) SOLUTIONS TIPS

The most important thing to have is a database which can be accessed anywhere in the world.  Even if your computer is damaged or stolen, you can still carry on with no interruptions.  By having a centralized system which is accessed via the internet (known as the Cloud) your records are backed up, and all upgrades happen automatically.  Cost is substantially less, and the computing power is extremely efficient. A question that might come to mind is:   “What does this centralized system handle and how can several tasks be automated?”  That is the true test.  A good centralized system for example should be able to handle all documents and notes relating to each client.

• One File Box: Contains all the client information along with relevant documents for that client.  The addition of notes and tasks to be created will allow for one place for all staff to see what collaboration has occurred with that client.
• Work Force Communication: Enables communicate via email from the centralized system as a standard.  Make sure that feature is included.  If not, before you know it you will find that you are having to get several different services for each solution needed: an email sender, document management, a CRM database, a project tracking program, a word processor, and the list goes on.

The reason we’re so critical of the numerous small business solutions is because they are “point” solutions.  They were created to fill one, sometimes two or three, challenges small business owners face.  Each one sprang up independently to meet a need or fill a niche, and they service their purpose. Fifteen years ago, when many of these tools were invented, no one needed an email marketing system or e-commerce management tool.  Big business had those centralized solutions that cost a fortune. Even medium-sized companies had solutions; but entrepreneurs were left out of the loop.

Our mission here at VICO Systems is to show owners of businesses of all sizes how to access their centralized systems needs on one platform.  We have a version for small to mid sized businesses, as well as a platform for larger businesses that require more tasks, such as human resource management, project management, time tracking, inventory management, shopping cart, extra-net access for customers and workers and several automated processes. Once you are able to centralize your data, running on the treadmill of day to day activities will seem almost effortless, and you will be tapping into several levels of freedom.

Our Challenge: When we come across a business owner experiencing pain and chaos, it is very sad to see them slowly sinking in their own boat.   The owner is so busy bailing out the water, (or handling the daily fires at work) that he or she doesn’t have time to find the leak, let alone look up to see us reaching out to him/her, with an automatic bilge pump (centralized system).  By simply installing the bilge pump, we can start freeing up his/her time to repair the leak,  and get him/her focused on paddling the boat to the desired destination (more time doing the work that make money).  At that point, we may now work on improving the boat; making it  quicker, more efficient, thus allowing the captain time to enjoy the scenery.

Let us show you how quickly and simply we can setup a process to spawn a document, all filled out and ready to be sent to the customer.   How about tracking each worker and how efficient he or she is doing their daily work duties?  Automatic request for actions, triggered by a new customer signing up on a webform from your website or blog, similar to ours.

Let us show you how we can manage your workload, and grow your business by increasing sales and reducing expenses.  Before you hire that next marketing person at $30,000 to $50,000 a year.  Let us show you how you will be able to get ten times the work done without spending the cost of one new hire.  We can facilitate your company to be on track to manage twice, 3x or 4x the amount to work. Let’s get your boat running a few new races so you can finish at the top of its class!

Feel free to view our newsletter. Don’t hesitate to email us or better yet, simply fill out our webform and experience the system of automation.

by Doug Masi VICO Systems LLC www.VicoSystems.net