Nibletz Staff
Every business has its ups and downs. The down periods might last a week, a month, or even a year. However, while temporary losses are no cause for concern, long-term downturns are. You might believe your business runs like a well-oiled machine, with processes in place that tick along just nicely. However, a few words with your team might tell you otherwise. In reality, it might be those very business processes that you employ that are contributing significantly to poor business performance. Here are five things your business might be doing wrong, and how to fix them.
Outdated or Inefficient Software
When you first set up your business, you probably weren’t thinking of streamlining or integrating your software systems. You likely selected the preferred solution for each specific task, or simply did it manually. That strategy might have operated fine at first, but as your business begins to flourish, it can become a hindrance rather than a help. By choosing to streamline your processes with ERP software solutions or business management or accounting software systems, you’re able to organize production, distribution, accounting, performance, asset management, and more. All this can be achieved in one convenient system that provides unparalleled visibility over all your operations and a reliable flow of timely, accurate data on which to base crucial business decisions and strategic direction.
Inefficient IT Infrastructure
Traditionally, business paperwork lay in cumbersome file cabinets that took up too much space. Thankfully, we all moved on to electronic data storage on in-house servers. That required a team of
Manual Processes
Many businesses are now operating seamlessly online, but is your business dragging the chain? If your staff is drowning in an endless paperwork and inefficient processes that eat up their productive resources, it might be time to evaluate where you’re going wrong. By now, you should be computerizing almost everything, including payroll, finances, and reports. If old Gladys in accounts is still manually calculating your profit and loss reports per month, you might want to reconsider how things are running within your organisation.
Redundant Marketing Strategies
If your business is still relying on old-school marketing strategies, then it’s likely you’re falling behind the competition. Even if you have a website, keeping it updated with fresh content and humming along with good quality traffic is a challenge. A well-functioning, efficient digital marketing strategy is no longer a luxury that businesses can afford not to have. It’s an absolute necessity in an age when the internet and mobile technology completely dominate the marketing world.
Poor Sales Management
Without sales, your company will slowly starve itself out of existence. It’s a cut-throat game and finding god sales staff is a challenge. Even if you have good people out on the coalface, giving them the tools that they need and then maintaining the right level of healthy oversight is a must for any manager. If you don’t already have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool in place, you need to consider it seriously. There is no better way for salespeople to organise and information about every lead and opportunity at their fingertips and for management to gain visibility about the progress of their staff’s efforts.
No one sets out to sabotage their own company’s success, but failure to keep your finger on the pulse of updates in your line of work can spell the end of your profits. Make changes, consult experts, and watch as the money starts rolling in once again.
