How to Avoid Losing Sales with Simple Systems.

You ever watch a guy (or gal) on the internet and they tell you about "an easy to use" system that will "explode your business" And then when you start looking into it, it's not so easy and you have no idea how it will work for your business... Yeah me too.

What I've found in my more then a decade of experience that simple systems beat "easy systems" everyday of the week.

In this short blog post I want to give you the quick and dirty version of tools I use to make sure all the information gets put together, stays together and gets used the right ways. Oh and MOST IMPORTANTLY how it can be shared properly with all the members of your team(s)

So let's stop losing sales, start winning more sales and dig in!

Tools to use:

• Google Workspace

• Google Drive

• Google Sheets

• Google Docs

• A CRM of your choosing (DM me and i'll tell you my favorite picks for your business)

• A project management tool

Google Workspace (formerly Google For Business) gets you majority of this list but the reason I listed it separately is because it also gives you access to Google Chat. Google Chat replaces 3rd party internal Chat programs. Use this for individual chats and they have a room feature for team and project collaboration so nothing gets missed and communication never stops!

Google Drive is where all your folders and files will live, you can keep your own folders and files separately. You can share them with JUST the people that need access. My favorite hack though.... Create folders for departments that only those, in those departments have access to. It keeps everything separate, organized BUT collaborative at the same time!

Google Sheets because they can be used by multiple people across your organization all at once, the reason this is very important is because I encourage folks to use Google Sheets to organize all customer data, sales data, operation data etc.

Google Docs because like Sheets and the rest of the Google Suite it can be if you wish as a collaborative tool and you can use this to create internal docs, external docs, save them as PDF's for manuals, marketing material... The list is endless!

A CRM of your choosing - Once you have all your customer information in a Google Sheet you can save/download that as a CSV file. That CSV file can be used to upload to your CRM. (whether it's your first time or an update) CRM is a personal and business choice. Some of my favorites though are Pipedrive, Nutshell CRM, Hubspot CRM. They have different features and price points depending on your needs. (DM me and we can talk about what's right for your business)

A Project Management tool of your choosing - The reason I added this to the list is because you will lose out on customer lifetime value (CLV) if you cannot deliver. To make sure you deliver on what was sold I recommend an operational system to make sure things are tracked internally. There are lots of different ones. BUT a very simple one that integrates with the tools I've mentioned above is Asana.

In conclusion you can now see how with 4-5 of the RIGHT tools you can maximize your teams productivity and make more sales every month without missing a beat or having anything fall through the cracks. If you have questions DM me and let me know, I'd love to talk to you!

Be great!

3 things you can learn from MJ's Kafe in Steinbach

Whether you're in Manitoba, Nunavut, Minnesota or Missouri your blue collar business can learn something from a mom and pop restaurant where I live. MJ's in Steinbach.

What can your blue collar business do during Covid 19?

1. follow all provincial and federal rules and guidelines (there are fines if you don't).

2. make the right financial decisions for your business (this may include downsizing, layoffs, cancellation of internal systems etc.).

3. Keep pushing forward, do not stop.

There is a lot of craziness going on right now in the world of business as many have been forced to downsize, layoff and even close. BUT if you watch closely, there are some businesses that are unwavering, pushing through and finding new ways to survive. Today I want to highlight 3 things that, whether you're an electrician, plumber, builder, framer, HVAC pro, concrete pro you can learn from a small restaurant based in South East MB.

pivot, adapt and overcome

Almost overnight most businesses changed and MJ's Kafe was no different. They could not serve their customers the way they always had. Instead of packing it in the ownership immediately re-jigged staff, offerings and what service looked like. And as regulations have continually changed, so have they. And I’m proud of them!

continue to communicate with your customers and prospective customers

They have continued to communicate (better than they ever have!) with their customers and their community using social media.

offer brand new products and services

On top of pivoting, adapting and overcoming the situation, some new services have come out of this whole mess. Now I don't know if they will continue after this pandemic is over, but I bet you at least one will. They have been running daily flash sales for lunch and dinner and Saturday morning breakfast, of course! They have also setup a "general store" of sorts at the front with "to go meals, treats and their famous homemade jam (which they've never sold before!)

In conclusion; At the end of the day, your failure and your ultimate success are 100% up to you. This is a time where you can choose to contract, pull back and shut down. Or you can choose to pivot, change, adapt, overcome, offer new and ultimately KEEP. MOVING. FORWARD. No matter what!

As you keep moving forward, I encourage you to follow the rules and guidelines, but be proactive, adapt how you're operating your business, over communicate with your customers. AND most importantly, what new products or services could you offer?

P.S - Support local whenever you can in times such as these!

P.P.S - If Covid 19 has shown us anything, it is how important customer information is, emails and cell numbers. With business changing so rapidly, being able to communicate quickly and effectively is so important.

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Directly from MJ's Kafe website:

"MJ's Kafé, located downtown on Steinbach's Main Street, is home to great Mennonite food. The homemade taste is evident in the food and in preparation, using MJ's garden herbs and recipes to serve up traditional Vereneki, Schinka Fleisch, Schnetki, Kielke, Borscht and Farmer Sausage.For those who aren't tempted by old fashioned Mennonite cooking, the menu offers great alternatives. Whether you are a regular customer or drop by occasionally, MJ's strives to make you feel like you are "toose" (at home)."