Have you ever heard this sales pitch from a software sales person?
“Yes, our amazing software will solve all your sales or marketing and maybe even your bad strategy problems.”
No, it’s not so simple. What about suitability and full disclosure regarding proper implementation? What about the many hours of proper discovery that should go into any tech or other small business investment.
This is the dirty little secret in the world of small business today. A ton of software get sold, and hard. Hard selling in a soft world can do some serious damage to a small business. I’ve seen it first hand for about 8 years now.
When it comes to small business success you have to factor for strategy, marketing, sales and technology disciplines. Then, throw in the human capital factor and what do you have? Complicated, interrelated small business disciplines to integrate. These are five, massively critical disciplines to master and align in order to succeed in and grow your small business. Yet, every day, small business owners are buying or being sold software solutions that may or may not make “cents” for the business. (SBA says #1 reason businesses fail is bad management decisions. Check out their site.)
The worst, real world example I can think of is this …
A small business owner attends a seminar on small business success in a box. After only three days and thousands of dollars, countless hours of pressing flesh and fighting for a charge on your smart phone, you too will be a rock star.
Then they buy this amazing software solution some guy pitched from the stage. The promise is big. The promotion is beyond resistance. The NLP Master closes the pitch sending the mass of cheering, dazed and exhausted business owners to the back of the room for the deal of the century. Thousands of people pull the trigger and buy now.
When the magic fairy dust finally wears off shortly after the Vodka buzz and other guilty pleasures of the conference, you fall right back where you were when you left your business for Vegas… in the same sales and marketing rut, or worse.
Like the shotgun Bride you wake up to in horror the next day, you are married to this new, amazing software. And the people on your team are looking at you as you do your best to explain how the f$%# you plan to have them figure it all out without them all losing their minds and leaping out the first-floor office window onto the hot gravel of the summer sun.
No! Software should NEVER drive strategy for sales, marketing or anything else. It should probably not be purchased at a seminar. And it most definitely should always be invested in through proper due diligence, discovery and consideration of the people who will use the damn software day in and day out. (Because you will hardly, ever, ever log in!)
So, what’s a small business owner to do about all these new, amazing and sometimes free for a while software solutions? Invest with caution! Craft killer strategy first, then your action plan and then figure out how to get any software solution to enhance the flow.
Strategy drives your plan of action. Your plan of action drives measurable results for both sales and marketing if you are keeping score. Software should make your business and your life easier once it is implemented well. Not a nightmare. I wrote an article about this while ago regarding The High Cost of Flying Without Analytics. Check it out here. Because you need to keep score! That’s why!
Also, you must read and stay on top of the trends in tech as a small business owner. Unlike big companies with talent leading each department or division, the small business owners is almost always relegated to wearing their own IT hat, the finance hat, the sales and marketing hats, etc.
This is a great article regarding strategy, marketing and tech.
This is why engaging the right consultants and subcontractors is also crucial.