Stop technology keeping you awake at night
The biggest worry most business people have is to be successful (whatever it means to them) while keeping up with the exponential growth of new digital technology. Eliminating technology pressure is an excellent place to start.
If you’re new to marketing, digital technology or running a business and you are worried about generating new business and cash flow, you’re not alone. Eliminating technology worries can be tricky, and often too hard doing it by yourself. If in doubt, seek advice in eliminating your technology pressures.
Strategies for eliminating technology worries
There are no secret formulas. However, there are things you can do to help get a good night’s sleep, apart from eating well, exercising and getting adequate sleep:
- Avoid using technology before going to bed. It only keeps your mind overactive. Relax and enjoy the quiet time so you can wake up refreshed and ready for action.
- Every time you acquire a new customer you worry about keeping them. While it’s something which should cause you worries, minimise the concerns with sound systems, information technology, and providing them with easy access to support through an easy to use website.
- Define your product and service offering. While there are many things you could offer, you can’t be all things to all people. Don’t be tempted to provide everything you are capable of, instead build your reputation around a few and become reliable, useful and helpful.
- People buy from people, so market yourself and your employees. There’s no getting away from it, winning quality business is reliant on good people. Always have an eye on the next actions you will take with each customer.
- Continuous improvement should become part of your DNA. Your website, social media, content and the digital technology you use.
- Hone your quotations and proposal writing skills. If you want to attract the right customers, this will be critical. Your business success is dependent on winning the best customers and projects. Make sure your proposals are simple and to the point and will stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. Price is not everything.
- Prepare a professional capability statement. While this can take time, it can be an essential tool in your efforts to win the best customers. How else will they get to know about your values?
Find the right technology path while eliminating worries
Ensure a credible job on your first few activities with a new customer. It’s like putting money in the bank if you want to make withdrawals, you have to put something in. It’s your reputation which will count, so you need to make sure you do an excellent job with all aspects of your business. Digital technologies will be crucial.
Understand cybercrime. What are the potential risks you may be facing with cybercrime? Ignoring cybercrime only adds to your underlying worries. If in doubt, seek professional help. It might be as simple as changing a few passwords.
A simple plan for eliminating technology overload
Much of the pressure comes from trying to keep up with every new tool at once. A clear, simple plan helps you decide what deserves your attention and what can safely wait. Start by listing the technology you already use and how each item supports your customers or your team.
- Keep the tools that clearly save time or help you win and keep customers
- Remove or replace anything that overlaps, causes confusion or is rarely used
- Set up regular backups and keep software, plugins and devices up to date
- Use strong, unique passwords and turn on two step verification wherever you can
- Write down simple instructions for everyday tasks so knowledge is not held by one person
Review the list every few months. When a new technology comes along, ask whether it solves a real problem for your business before adopting it. This habit of eliminating clutter and adding tools only with good reason keeps your systems manageable and your mind clearer.
Remember that you do not have to do it all yourself. Sharing the load with trusted advisers or your team frees you to focus on running and growing the business.
Find the right path and keep going, with a firm belief you will attract the right people to help you, and you will probably be surprised how resources appear, as if by magic.
