The fastest
way to increase profits is to get organized, and then stay that way. Distributors who do so are able to conduct
business more effectively, and accomplish important tasks more efficiently.
They have more time to spend on income-producing activities rather than on
repetitive organizational tasks. With effective procedures in place, you, too,
can use more of your time finding new customers and servicing current accounts.
Many
distributors complain about the excessive amount of time they must spend on
back office work. Some distributors even
choose to hire outside services to handle administrative duties that they
cannot or do not want to manage. The key
to spending less time on the ‘before and after the sale’ activities is to get
organized.
People who
experience organizational problems frequently fall into one of these three
categories:
The Stacker
As soon as
any type of paper comes into the office, the stacker places it on top of one of
several piles. Eventually every pile is so high, that the stacker wastes
valuable time searching through various piles looking for the information he
needs.
The
Spreader
In an
attempt to keep things in plain sight, the spreader does just that—she spreads
things out all over the office. This
type of organization works fine with two or three pieces of paper; but beyond
that number, the spreader inevitably becomes a stacker as the papers overlap
and create piles.
The
Procrastinator
A person
who puts off until tomorrow what can be done today is a procrastinator. He’s
usually well intentioned, but his lack of action leads to a life of incomplete
projects and emotional frustration.
Do you fall
into any of these categories? The first step to “recovery” is in recognizing
what’s keeping you from reaching your full potential. Here are five
cost-effective things you can do right now to help you run your
business in an organized fashion:
1. Prospecting
To
increase the number and quality of your accounts, you need to organize several lead
generation programs and stick to them.
If you are mailing bounce back cards to potential customers, do the
mailing consistently and keep accurate response charts about the returned
cards. If you network in order to find
new customers, make sure you that you attend functions on a regular basis. If you do volunteer work as a way to meet new
people, make sure that you are consistent with your presence.
Action Tip—Purchase
a large magnetic board and hang it on a wall in your office. When you receive invitations to events you
wish to attend,
place them on the board with a magnet. By doing so, you’ll readily see them and
never miss a function.
As soon as you sell an order, write it up. By putting off doing so,
you run the risk of forgetting all the parameters of the sale. Send
orders to suppliers just as promptly; because the quicker the order gets there,
the faster it can be produced and used by the customer. Quick action leads to faster re-order rates.
Action Tip—Write
up orders in computer programs like those offered by Distributor Central. By using a central source for order input,
you have an accurate record of all of your orders in one place and you can
easily review them on your computer screen.
Never guess at the status of any order. If you write several rush orders a month,
denote their “due date” on a large write-on wipe-off board mounted on a
prominent office wall. Check the status
of those orders on a daily basis so you know exactly what is going on. Never, ever, file rush orders in a
place where you cannot readily see them.
Action Tip—The day before a rush order is due to ship, call the
supplier to check on its status. That way you have a day to solve any potential
dilemma if there is a last minute snafu on the part of the supplier.
When anything made of paper comes into your office deal with
it at once. Create files for everything
and use them religiously. If you think
you have made files for everything, then make at least one more—a miscellaneous
file that can be used for things that don’t ever seem to have a home.
Action Tip—To keep your fax correspondence in order; clip important faxes
onto old chip racks you can buy at garage sales. These racks are a great
organizer and give you the chance to have correspondence always in view.
5. Controlling
catalogs—Instead of keeping a copy of every catalog that comes to your office,
place them in files by category. Say you know six suppliers who produce
awards. File their catalogs in
individual folders. When a catalog from a new awards supplier arrives, place it
in one large file that is placed behind all the others. At the end of each year, throw out the
catalogs from the companies you haven’t placed orders with, and start
over.
Action Tip—If you
receive a catalog from a new supplier who duplicates the same thing you have
seen many times before, dispose of it as soon as it arrives. There is nothing
worse then keeping things you know you will never use. Having the necessary filing space to
accommodate every catalog you receive could eventually eat up all of your
office space.
Since there
is only so much time in a day, wouldn’t you like to use it most effectively?
By
implementing these organizational suggestions, not only will you have more time
to make sales, but you will also cut out much of the stress in your life. Now
that should make you smile!