Stick to what’s relevant to your values in a fast-growing business.
Read the full article at: www.fastcompany.com
Keep Your Company Focused During Growth
6 Ways Technology is Redefining Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry has been among the slowest to adopt new technology, for a variety of reasons. It’s often costly and complex to implement, and the return on investment can take years to see. However, as the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow and manufacturing begins to embrace it along with other technology, we’re seeing the many benefits come into play.
Improving Safety
The IoT, along with other technologies, can automate tasks in particularly hazardous areas, such as in underground mining. Mining company Rio Tinto is working on automating the process as part of its Mine of the Future Program.
Reducing Waste
With the IoT, it’s possible to make adjustments to the supply chain to reduce waste. Through the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID), it’s possible for a company to track inventory completely wirelessly. In the end, this would allow goods to be produced just in time to be sold, avoiding waste of unnecessary inventory, and reducing the need for storage facilities to hold excess inventory. Clothing retailer Zara is already embracing the RFID trend.
Better Quality Assurance
In the past, manufacturing has been focused on reactive quality – dealing with mistakes in the form of product recalls after the fact. Now, the IoT makes it possible to keep quality proactive – fixing issues as they come along, before the product makes it in the hands of the end user. This saves time and money by curbing the amount of rework that must be done and reducing rejection rates.
Changing to an Outcome-Based Pricing Model
All over the economy, we’re seeing a transition to results-based models, This is especially true the case in the healthcare system. Some experts say we’re starting to see the death of billable hours. In manufacturing, many companies are making the switch, too. For example, Spanish rail company Renfe has partnered with Siemens in a performance-based contract. Siemens developed the train monitoring technology that helps keep trains on time 99.9% of the time. And when they’re not, passengers are reimbursed for any delays that exceed 15 minutes.
Expanded Roles
Manufacturers are expanding into wider roles as technology grows. Popular tractor manufacturer John Deere is expanding into partnering with farms. They are creating farm-state-sensing technology to help with crop assurance. Farm sensors and software make it possible to grow more food with less water. Sensors keep machines running smoothly and send information wirelessly to your computer or smartphone. They can also help keep track of everything from temperature to wind speed to keep crops healthy.
Improved Efficiency
The IoT is helping manufacturing to improve efficiency, increase production machinery uptime, reduce the time to market, and provide better insights into buyer behavior. For instance, manufacturers can use a CRM to keep track of vital customer information, including buying patterns. They can see who their best customers are, and make sure they’re taking steps to keep those customers happy, while working to bring in additional customers.
As manufacturers learn more about how people are buying and when, they can adjust manufacturing accordingly – keeping inventory levels exactly where they need to be for greater profit.
The IoT allows the manufacturing industry to get on par with others that have been using it to their advantage for a while. Increased productivity and efficiency allows for better profit, while automation reduces injury risk to workers.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.
Making the Workplace Work for Gens X, Y and Z
All three generations share an increasing enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, but differ globally in their fears about the future of work.
Read the full article at: knowledge.insead.edu
8 useful Google apps you probably aren’t using
These easily overlooked Android apps are all made by Google — and they’re all worth your while.
Read the full article at: www.computerworld.com
6 CRM Fails…. and How to Avoid Them
So, you’re thinking about implementing a new CRM (customer relationship management) system. As with any technology decision, your ultimate goal is to improve efficiency through a successful deployment.
Unfortunately, not every CRM works out as intended. Having worked with dozens of clients over the past decade or so, I’ve witnessed this truth a handful of times.
In this post, I’ll share several reasons why CRM projects fail – and how to avoid such failure in your business.
- Making the “Magic Wand” Assumption
As a business owner, you’re a results-oriented person. Simply stated, you have an uncanny knack for making things happen. Unhappy clients? No problem, you’ve got the answer. Broken toilet? The repairman is already on his way to the office. You’ve been through a lot of situations, very few of which you couldn’t handle.
Some people in your situation mistakenly assume that CRM technology is the “magic wand” to the most difficult sales challenges. In reality, a poorly implemented CRM can actually make problems much worse. Before you waste too much time or money on new software, you should first ensure your sales function is solid.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What are our biggest bottlenecks in the sales process?
- What software features could help us improve these issues?
- Do we know what our sales reps are actually doing each day?
- How tech-savvy is our sales team?
- Where do we currently keep our customer records?
- Should we first digitize our sales records into a CSV (if currently using paper)?
- Do sales reps routinely fight over who gets opportunities?
- What resistance will a new CRM face from existing staff?
- Do we need better sales management?
Questions like these should be at least considered prior to adding a new CRM to the mix. Otherwise, you’re likely to spend more time putting out fires rather than achieving goals.
- Picking a System that’s Too Complex (or Expensive)
There are many different CRM options for today’s entrepreneur. Some are better known than others. Some require annual contracts. Still others, such as Insightly, don’t require a contract at all.
As you evaluate the many different platforms, you may feel tempted to pick the CRM that promises the most complex feature set. It’s actually quite a natural tendency. Your sales operations is arguably the most important business function, so surely it deserves the absolute best – right?
I’d like to pause here and make a key distinction in terminology. Just because something appears complex, it does not mean it’s the “best” solution for your business. In fact, quite the opposite is often true. Unless you have an unbelievably complicated data structure, simplicity in system design can make for greater scalability in the future.
How do you avoid picking an overly complex (and expensive) system? For starters, make a list of the main priorities you hope to accomplish with a CRM. Go beyond the superficiality of increasing sales and leads. Ask for your sales team’s input to gauge their wish list. Collaborate with tech-minded people you trust, seeking further guidance on a basic feature list. Once you’ve identified basic requirements, compare your list to the many vendors in the marketplace. During this process, you’re likely to discover new features you didn’t originally consider. Make note of these and decide whether they’re necessities or luxuries.
It’s also helpful to seek CRMs that offer free trials of their services. Or, better yet, look for platforms that are completely free forever. For instance, Insightly offers a free plan (up to two users). Trials and free plans are arguably the best way to measure a system’s fit for your unique business model.
- Hiring a Flaky CRM Consultant
“Good help is hard to come by.”
Believe it or not, this statement even applies to CRM consultants. From the small business owner’s perspective, the technology consulting world can be likened to a “perfect storm.” In an age when countless new SaaS (software as a service) tools and smartphone apps come to market each day, consultants are in very high demand. Most clients lack the in-house technical skills or capacity to successfully deploy such technology, so they logically turn to consultants for help.
Just because a consultant has a website and claims to be busy, it doesn’t mean he or she is a good fit for your business. Over the years, I’ve met many highly compensated software consultants who made lofty promises, only to disappoint.
How can you avoid “flaky” CRM consultants? Although there’s no guaranteed way (at least I haven’t discovered one yet), you might try the following:
Talk to Several Consultants – Social media can be a good place to start your search for CRM consultants. For example, this Insightly user group is home to several well-respected CRM professionals. Reach out to a few and see how long it takes to get a response. Usually, the best consultants will respond within the hour.
Ask for References – Any consultant worth his rate will have a long list of satisfied customers. Don’t be shy to ask for the contact information of a few references (including phone numbers). If you get pushback when asking for references, it may be a sign that you should choose a different service provider.
Look for a Long-Term Partner – A fixed-price project can certainly be alluring. In exchange for a predefined dollar amount, the consultant promises to deliver a specific work product. On the other hand, fixed budgets can tempt consultants to cut corners to maximize the project’s ROI. Regardless of whether you go with an hourly or fixed-budget contract, look for an engagement that sets the table for future success.
Put the Follow-Up Back on the Consultant – Technical proficiency is, of course, an important skill to look for. However, you also want someone who is highly organized and a skilled project manager. Test the consultant’s project mindedness before you ever make the hire. When possible, put the follow-up responsibilities back on the consultant. For example, after the consultant sends his initial proposal, ask him to circle back in a week. If you never hear anything, there’s a good chance you need to interview more candidates.
- Importing Bad Data
As the saying goes, “garbage in…garbage out.”
Even the most technically advanced CRM becomes useless with bad data. Before you spend too much time planning your implementation, it’s wise to first audit your existing records. Is your current data structure logical and scalable? Are you missing important customer information? How confident are you in the data’s accuracy? Gather a list of related questions and form a team to explore answers.
Once you’ve thought through the basics, you should begin reviewing your data in the context of CRM providers. If you’re still in the process of evaluating software providers, take a close look to see which vendor best accommodates your business model. Does the vendor offer a variety of data import options? Will the software natively support your customer record structure – or, will you be forced into complex customizations? Does the company provide any sample files for streamlined testing and importing?
If you have already selected a CRM, now is a good time to become closely familiar with the software’s support documentation. (As an aside, Insightly offers nearly 400 help articles on the topic of “data import.”) Task your CRM consultant or in-house technical resource with the job of understanding such documentation and developing a data import plan.
Before any live records are imported, make sure the plan is both logical and allows for future database growth. Once you’re comfortable with the plan, it’s a good idea to do some sample imports to confirm the proposed process will actually work.
- Providing No Training or Accountability
You’re not just implementing a CRM for the sake of doing so. Rather, you hope that the new software will help your company win more deals with much less effort. Failure to get proper buy-in from your staff will thwart such good intentions.
What steps should you take to ensure your team fully adopts the new technology? Here are a few simple ideas:
- Openly communicate prior to the launch – Your sales team doesn’t like surprises, especially those involving their sales software. In the weeks (or months) leading up to the change, communicate openly about your intentions and answer the “why” behind the shake-up.
- Host a live training session (or series) – There’s just something about a live training session that can help put many concerns to rest. Prior to launch, invite your team to live demos of the new software. Keep it informal and engaging but be sure to cover the key points.
- Post the recording(s) to a shared drive – It’s possible your team will have more questions as they begin to use the new CRM. Build a repository of training materials, including the recordings from past training sessions.
- Create work instructions – Sometimes, it’s just more effective for your sales reps to refer to a quick reference guide – rather than searching aimlessly through past videos. For common activities (such as assigning a lead, converting a lead to an opportunity, or building forecasts), you might consider creating an archive of written work instructions. Give your staff “view only” access so that they can see – but not edit – the files.
- Incentivize adoption – If your hunch is right, a highly effective CRM could add significant value to your bottom line. Think creatively for ways to incentivize adoption of the new software. For example, is it feasible to award monthly bonuses based on the number of opportunities converted by each rep?
- Creating Unnecessary Busywork
No one likes busywork – especially sales professionals.
As your team starts to use the CRM, you may begin to hear grumblings about their many new responsibilities. Entering lead records, updating revenue projections, and running reports are just a few administrative tasks you’re likely to hear about.
This type of feedback is highly beneficial, as it can be the catalyst for even greater workflow automation. Continuously review your provider’s feature set in the context of your evolving needs. In time, you may find it necessary to enable additional value-added features, such as:
Automated Web Lead Collection – Most CRMs offer some type of web-to-lead feature. For example, Insightly makes it easy to generate HTML code to embed as a form on your site. Once installed, leads who submit the form will automatically appear as new lead records.
Mobile Apps – Are your sales reps so busy in the field that they rarely have “office time”? Check to see if your CRM offers a mobile app for on-the-go data entry. Such apps can help your team capture the right information at exactly the right moment – without being chained to a desktop computer.
Integration to Tools You Use – Your CRM is an important piece of technology; but, so is your email marketing system, document hub, and accounting software. Familiarize yourself with your CRM’s out-of-the-box integration partners. In a few clicks, you may be able to enable a data integration that provides more reliable information with much less effort.
Other Data Entry Hacks – How are users at other similar-sized companies using their CRMs? Are there certain time-saving hacks you’re unaware of? As an example, many customers are thrilled to learn about Insightly’s mailbox feature. Rather than saving an email to PDF and importing it as a file, users can simply forward the message to Insightly. Insightly links the email to existing records (or creates new ones if none exist).
Going beyond your CRM’s functionality, reducing busywork is also dependent upon the expectations you set. Asking for regular and accurate updates is, of course, understandable. Just don’t go overboard and micromanage your team into frustration.
Avoid CRM Failure with a Better Approach
As you can see, your success (or failure) with a CRM depends on many factors. Luckily, you’re a great leader and highly motivated to make this work.
Just stay focused on the main reason behind implementing a new CRM – that is, growing your business. Everything else should fall into place nicely.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.
Matt Keener is a marketing consultant and President of Keener Marketing Solutions, LLC. Matt specializes in content marketing and strategic planning, having helped numerous Saas (software as a service) companies and other small businesses worldwide. Read more of Matt’s work, check out his book, or connect with him on Linkedin.
How to Use Google Apps
Here’s a collection of Ask a Tech Teacher articles addressing individual Google Apps: Google Docs Google Drawings Google Forms Google Hangouts Google Keep Google Voice This isn’t meant …
Read the full article at: askatechteacher.com
8 Daily Tasks that Waste Time & Cost Money
Time…wouldn’t we all like a few more minutes (or hours) in our day to get things done? Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time to do all the things you’d like?
They say that time is money, and it couldn’t be more true. If you’re wasting time, or not completing everything you need to do, chances are your business is seeing a loss, or missing the revenue target you’d like to make.
It’s time to take control of your clock again! Address your time-wasters and the areas that are costing you in time AND money. You might be surprised at how quickly the small daily tasks add up, but there are plenty of ways to save time by employing smart strategies and tools and boost your productivity in the process.
The first step is to figure out what your daily time wasters are, then find more efficient ways to get them done. It might be easier than you think!
- Checking Email Often
Email and electronic messages are a primary form of communication in many offices. Even if you use Slack or another instant messaging program, always-on communication can be a time-eater. These valuable tools can boost office communication, but checking your inbox or looking at your messages constantly can be distracting and take you away from your focus. Follow the adage, “all things in moderation.” Check your email and reply to messages for a set amount of time at a specific time, and then close your inbox (really!) and focus on the task at hand.
The thing about most messages is this–if it was truly an urgent issue, someone would pick up the phone, walk down the hall or make a more immediate effort. Most electronic messages will keep, at least for an hour or two. If you love hitting inbox-zero, consider installing Boomerang or a reminder app to clear your messages, and then “pop” them up when you have more time to deal. Send and schedule emails to clients with automatic responders so you can send out standard, yet personalized emails regularly.
- Disorganized Desks
Yes, a messy desk can be a sign of a creative mind, but it also means you might not be able to find critical bits of information when they’re needed. Being ultra-reliant on paper (you don’t need to PRINT emails) or even saving too many electronic files to your desktop can leave you scrambling while clients are waiting for an answer.
Use your CRM to keep tabs on all your contact and client information. Keep your CRM organized and up-to-date. A program that syncs with your calendar and task management tools is critical. Make it a policy to input data right away rather than jotting things down on post-its, printing it out, piling it up, and waiting for a rainy day to catch up. Take care of things once and move on.
- Surprise Interruptions
Ever feel like your office has a revolving door? Wonder who put the “therapist is in” sign up in your window? Surprise interruptions from coworkers, clients, and even your boss can throw your whole day into a tailspin. If you’re the boss, avoid “seagull management” (where you swoop in, “drop something” on a desk and swoop back out).
Instead, set up appropriate meeting times with your coworkers, and employees, where you can address tasks objectively. If it’s simply a social call, keep things short, especially if you’re busy. Remember, you can always say, “I’m working on X project, but I’d love to hear about this. Can we grab lunch/happy hour/coffee?”
- Yes, Social Media
It’s impossible to talk about daily tasks that waste time and cost money without mentioning social media. 38% of people describe it as their top time-waster at work. While social media is a wonderful tool and helps you connect with customers, clients, and friends, it can also waste more time than nearly any other activity. How many times have you started down the Facebook rabbit hole, only to look up at the clock and realize hours have passed?
If you can’t resist, consider installing a social media blocker, such as StayFocused on your computer, that limits the amount of time you can spend on social media each day. Set aside an amount of time to respond to customers, manage your media activities, and interact with others, and then stay off it the rest of the time! If you really struggle, schedule posts throughout the week using a social media manager and optimize your social media, so you don’t have to login to the sites each time you post (and get tempted to surf).
- Meetings without Agendas
We’ve all been stuck in a meeting that goes nowhere. Not only is it frustrating to be in a non-productive meeting, but it can be a huge waste of your time, and cost the company. Imagine a 30-minute meeting with 12 employees. That’s six man hours of time wasted–almost a full day of work! Can you afford that?
Keep meetings pointed and productive. Always go in with an agenda (sent out beforehand so everyone can be prepared and thoughtful) and a set time frame. If someone starts riding off the rails, quickly redirect, offer to address the issue offline, or table it for the next agenda. Follow up each meeting with a recap and action items, to ensure that the next steps take place as needed.
- Procrastination on Filing
Just like a messy desktop, a big filing pile can be a bigger problem than you might realize. When filing isn’t done and data input falls behind, information gets lost in the shuffle, and customers can really suffer (and go elsewhere).
Rather than waiting for your “Mount St. Filing” to erupt and take over your office, tackle it in small, manageable bites. Block out a little time each week to file away paperwork and find a system that works for you. Even if you rely only on electronic files, regularly update and organize your information. This is a time when an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking was a buzzword and a badge of honor twenty years ago. People would pat themselves on the back for the ways they were juggling so many things at once. Unfortunately, when there are too many balls in the air, things get dropped, concentration wanes, and time is lost.
Instead of trying to split your focus on several things, put all your concentration and effort into one task at a time. This “mindful” approach is the current trend in office work-styles and for good reason–it is far more productive than trying to take on all the things without really dedicating yourself to any of them. We’re best when we focus on one thing at a time. More than one task leads to distractions, which leads to wasted time and wasted dollars.
- Personal Business at the Office
When office and personal lives overlap, it can be hard NOT to address personal business at the office. Small business owners, entrepreneurs and up-and-coming executives are often clocking in extra time, which means personal tasks get tackled during office hours.
Personal business should be saved for break times whenever possible. We all have lives outside of work and need to address things during the day, but blurring the lines of personal time and work can present a real challenge to productivity and even morale. Encourage everyone to address issues during breaks, so they can refocus their efforts when they’re at their desks.
Keeping your office productive and successful means avoiding these daily tasks that waste time and cost money. Trying a few of these strategies to see real results in what you’re achieving at the office. Cutting out these time-wasters might make your work better than ever!
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.
Are You Ready for Prime Time?
Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11
Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 4 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, a tip on improving your sales, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!
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Let Insightly Remember Your Production Workflows |
| In a recent Turn It Up edition, we alluded to how Insightly activity sets can improve your lead management efforts. If you haven’t played around with this feature yet, an activity set can apply a collection of tasks or events to a lead or opportunity. Rather than relying on reps to enter each item manually, Insightly adds them in bulk (on your behalf).
Did you know that activity sets can also be applied to your Insightly projects? This can be especially beneficial for things you do somewhat infrequently – but are nonetheless still important. For example, let’s say that your company provides technology consulting services. Every month or two, clients inquire about your website security audit service. In the past, you’ve tracked the audit process in a simple spreadsheet. For each new client, you just clone your previous report and start from there. Although this approach has worked fairly well, you find your staff regularly using outdated templates or forgetting important steps. Bypass the frustration by centralizing your process with an Insightly activity set. Here’s how to set it up:
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Integrate Sales and Project Management into a Single Ecosystem |
Although thousands of users rely on Insightly’s project management features, the software is probably best known for being a great CRM. In fact, some customers continue to use third-party project apps despite using Insightly for sales management. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, there could be a better way. By unifying all project and sales activities into a centralized ecosystem, you gain a number of tangible benefits, such as:
So, if you’ve thought about ditching your third-party project system, what steps should you take? Consider these suggestions before hitting the “cancel” button:
Moving everything to one cohesive system is likely to provide greater clarity for you and your staff. Just be sure to make a transition plan and stick to it!
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Recognize Your “Prime-Time” |
To stay ahead of your clients’ needs, you probably find yourself working long (and intense) workdays. In the winter months, it’s not uncommon for you to be in your office during all daylight hours. (Pretty depressing, huh?) If you’re like most professionals, there’s a good chance that your productivity (and attention span) fluctuates as the day drags on. And, although you never let clients notice, you’re certainly aware of the problem. For example, John is usually on his second cup of coffee by 10 am, which makes his to-do list no match for him. Unfortunately, by 1 pm, he often experiences a significant drop in motivation. This can be bad news, especially when he has several important tasks that require significant brainpower. Although John can’t magically make his day shorter, he can try studying his work patterns. It doesn’t take much analysis for John to realize his “prime time” is from 8:00 until 11:00 am. What should John do to maximize his prime time? For starters, he might try packing that period with work that is time-sensitive and/or challenging. Instead of spreading such tasks across the never-ending day, John could guarantee that his most productive hours are spent on what matters most. For the remainder of his day, John might do that which does not require “prime time” focus. (Of course meetings and other obligations can throw a wrench into this plan.) So, what’s your “prime time”?
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Create Predictability in Your Pre-Sale Process |
The client wants a proposal. Sounds good, right? To win the sale, quoting and presentations are necessary evils. Creating the necessary documentation can consume considerable internal resources (namely, man-hours). This is especially true if your team has free rein to build their own proposals from scratch. Step up your game by leveraging activity sets in your pre-sale process. In doing so, your CRM could automatically create and assign the following tasks:
What other repeatable processes could your sales organization streamline with activity sets? Here are a few other possibilities:
Ready for a more predictable approach to sales management? Start by identifying that which your sales staff does regularly. Then, leverage the technology that you already use to do it even better!
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Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.
About the author: Matt Keener is a marketing consultant and President of Keener Marketing Solutions, LLC. Matt specializes in content marketing and strategic planning, having helped numerous Saas (software as a service) companies and other small businesses worldwide. Read more of Matt’s work, check out his book, or connect with him on Linkedin.
How to Switch From an iPhone to an Android Phone
Are you over Apple? Here’s how to easily make the change from iOS to Google’s Android ecosystem.
Read the full article at: www.pcmag.com
Twitter Chat: The Power of Productivity
Please join us on February 9th for a live Twitter Chat with Ramon Ray. This month’s chat is all about the power of productivity. Are you ready to power through your “to-do” list in record time? Then you won’t want to miss this informative discussion on how to get yourself set up for success in making the most of your work day. #LoveYourCRM. Join us!
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a reward.
