Are You Trying To Run A 21st Century Business With Stone Age Tools?

Chances are high that, for at least some of the time – you are!

Let’s face it, with everything a local business has to keep on top of these days most of us are just too busy to look at technology – let alone become familiar with it!

If you haven’t considered the impact of technology on your business in the last 12 months, it’s time to stop procrastinating & to take a serious look at how technology can help your business not just survive but grow.

Here are seven areas of business that you can start with – ask yourself, which ones you are overcooked on and which ones you are underdone on?

#1.Marketing.

Is your message (to your target market) still relevant?
Are you using the right mediums to get your message across?
Do you regularly engage with your market?
These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself.

Hint: If you are still spending most of your marketing budget on local papers, leaflets & letterbox drops, you are in the stone age!

#2. Talent management

Do your staff know as much about the business as you do?
Do you involve them in decision making?
How are you keeping their skills current?
Hint: If you haven’t asked your staff for input & ideas on how to improve things your caveman heritage is showing!

#3. Finance and administration

How many manual processing systems are you still using?
Do you have any cloud based applications?
Can you bring up last weeks’ sales & expenses in less than 5 minutes?
Hint: Having to ask your bookkeeper or accountant for key financial information is like rubbing two sticks together to start a fire when you get home!

#4. Sales processes

Do you know who your best customers are?
Do you know where they come from & what their pet likes/dislikes are?
Could you easily make contact with your target markets with personalised messages & communications?
Hint: If all customers look the same to you it’s probably because the cave you’re doing business in is too dark!

#5. Service delivery quality

How often do your customers say “Wow!” after doing business with you?
Do you know?
When was the last time you checked?
Hint: Doing things the “Same way we always have” looks a lot like caveman grunting to 21st Century customers!

#6. Leadership and strategy

When was the last time you worked ON the business (rather than simply working IN it)?
What is your vision for the business 3-5 years from now?
Do you have one?
Hint: Lack of strategy & vision is the equivalent of the stone age hunter gatherer philosophy!

#7. Technical capability and IP

How old is the technology you use in the business?
When was the last time your website was remodelled (not just updated)?
What is your digital strategy?
Hint: If someone has to explain what a digital strategy looks like, your stone age credentials are showing!

I’d like to bet that, if you’re still reading this, there were a lot of answers you felt uncomfortable with – but don’t panic!

You are not on your own. Most of us tend to focus on what we understand. After all, it’s what we feel comfortable with. However, if you continue to be focused on other aspects of the business and do not make enough time for technology, your business is going to hit difficult times (maybe it already has).

There is no escaping the undeniable fact that we live in a world driven by technology. Your customers also live in that world & when they experience a “Wow!” moment from your competitor you are at risk of losing them.

I’m not saying that “Personal” service is dead – it isn’t. But it does have its limits &, unless you are harnessing the information made available through the expanded use of technology, you are fighting an ever increasingly difficult battle.

You simply cannot expect to survive in the 21st Century if you use stone age (read 20th Century) practices & approaches.

Remember, thanks to the widespread use of Smartphones, more & more people (including your customers) have the world in their pocket. They can check prices, offers, product availability & even what their friends & colleagues think about a company, It’s products & services in the space of a minute or two.

So, how do you start to apply 21st Century thinking to your business? Here are some suggestions to start with:

#1. Marketing.

Change the mix of your marketing spend to include more digital
Use a CRM (Customer relationship Management) application to record what’s important in building solid customer relationships

#2. Talent management

Involve your staff more in decision making
Use Seek & LinkedIn to identify potential future staff
Invest in online training programs for staff (especially ongoing induction programs)

#3. Finance and administration

Streamline your finance & accounting
Use cloud based applications

#4. Sales processes

Make sure that your marketing links to sales
Track & measure sales activities
Use technology to monitor competitor activity

#5. Service delivery quality

Use online surveys to “Check in” with customers
Get busy on social media (provided your customers are there)

#6. Leadership and strategy

Set aside time for strategic planning
Learn more about technology (you can’t expect staff to learn new skills unless you do!)

#7. Technical capability and IP

Update your technology regularly (at least every 2-3 years)
Thread technology throughout the entire business
You are not trying to create a perfect business – just an effective one!

Technology, of itself, is not a silver bullet – but it is a crucial ingredient in the mix of building a successful business in the 21st Century.

If there is an element of the business that is not a strength (& you do not have the expertise to turn that around) - such as talent management - call for outside help. Bring in trainers and consultants to help you improve.

You can do the same for any element that you might be currently struggling with. Yes, that does cost money but this is a business we are discussing. Don’t focus on the cost of remediation/improvement – provided it works it’s not a cost but an investment.

The real cost occurs when you try to save money by not investing in areas that require improvement!

About The Author:

I'm a “Digital Nomad” with an MBA in Marketing Management & have been involved in the online environment for over 15 years. I help local businesses develop sustainable online marketing programs by applying a strategic focus to laser target what a business needs to be doing & when. I can be contacted at www.communicationcommando.com