Written By
Assured Strategy Coach Preston Law
When you start out, emails, to-do lists, and spreadsheets can do the trick for running your business. But at some point, it becomes difficult to keep up with different email folders, track all financials in a spreadsheet, keep up with leads, keep track of customers, and so on. I’m often asked what software a growing business should use and when to make the change. More questions need to be asked to answer that question – and a warning. The questions start with what you want to do and how much time you will put into implementing the system. The warning is that if you can’t take the time to properly implement the system, it’s not going to be beneficial. A good rule of thumb is that implementing will take twice as long as you think.
Using a cloud-based tool is the way to go these days. Don’t worry so much about the monthly fee for the tool as much as what you’ll save by using the tool. Plus, if you don’t have many processes documented, let the tool drive your processes. Just match what you do to how the tool works, which usually helps you to keep things simple. Start small because expanding is easy; contracting is hard. In fact, of the hundreds of times I’ve been involved with implementing technology tools, I can’t think of one time when it was easy to move backward using a tool. Keeping the tool’s configuration close to out-of-the-box will reduce your effort to implement it. Your implementation won’t be perfect, but that’s okay as long as the tool helps you be more efficient. At some point, the tool will be updated, or you may outgrow it.
Next, start using the tool. It’s okay for people to make mistakes and stumble along the way. Don’t let perfection get in the way of getting started. It’s better to make mistakes than to wait indefinitely to use a tool. Also, don’t try to adjust too quickly. Keep a running list of things to change, but don’t be reactive. Review what’s working and what’s not working after three months, and adjust accordingly. Keep reviewing the tool every quarter to ensure people are effectively using it.
Finally, remember that change is not easy. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (“FUD”) will raise their ugly heads more than you think they will. Acknowledge FUD, and don’t let it control the tool’s rollout. Good luck on your journey!