chrisv | World Merchant Services

Three Tips To Instantly Boost Your Productivity – Guaranteed

As a small business owner, one of the biggest challenges you have is juggling all the things going on around you and still accomplishing what needs to be done.

A frequent comment I hear from business owners is “I can’t afford to keep spending time on all this number crunching…I’ve got a business to run.”

It’s frustrating for them because knowing those numbers is critical to their success and yet being pulled in other directions at the same time is also a constant problem.

So what’s the solution?…

Often, what really holds business owners back can be narrowed down to a few key things: procrastination, productivity drain holes and lack of automation.

It is possible to boost your own productivity and the productivity of your business to levels you didn’t think possible…so that you can get more done in less time.

Today, in order to help you start tackling these key things I’ve put together three tips on how to advance your business and avoid feeling like your day has slipped away without accomplishing much.

MAKE PRODUCTIVITY YOUR TOP AMBITION

If you are going to achieve a boost in your productivity, it has to be on the forefront of your mind at all times and become part of your inner culture. A good practice I have found is to ask myself two questions.

What is the most important thing I can do right now?
What would I work on if I only had 2 hours to work today?

IDENTIFY AND PLUG YOUR PRODUCTIVITY DRAIN HOLES

Distractions, habits, and lack of knowledge suck productivity from you. Identifying which drain holes you are victim to is the first step to becoming more productive. Here are a few common drain holes and ways to plug them:

Use hard stops: I had a meeting the other day with a key member of my team. Before we even started the meeting he announced that he had a hard stop at 3pm. That quickly defined the duration of the meeting. And guess what? We were done at 3. It’s called a deadline. Deadlines force discipline. That’s why deadlines work. Use them.
Don’t do more; do less: It’s called prioritization. A good rule to have in mind when you’re prioritizing your tasks is the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule means that 20 percent of the things you do during your day will produce 80 percent of your results. When you start looking at the things you do through an 80/20 lens it can be quite shocking how well it applies to everything you do and it makes you question why you spend time on tasks that really don’t make a difference to your business.
Mute your devices: When you’re supposed to be working and getting things done, close your email application and mute your phone. Ignore that tug to respond right away to every request. If you really want to do it right, set aside a small chunk of time at the same time every day to email. Also, never answer a call unless you’re expecting it or have time for it.

AUTOMATE WHENEVER YOU CAN

Automating allows you to literally “be in two or more places at one time.” Touch screen or tablet point of sale systems are good examples of automation. They enable you to observe everything that’s going in your business at any time.

From a restaurant vantage point you can see what orders have gone back and at what times, how late things are and what deliveries are out.
From the retail perspective you can see what items have sold during a select period of time and at what profit each item was sold.
A point of sale system automates many parts of your business by giving you kind of a bird’s eye view of your entire operation right at your fingertips.

Make productivity your top priority. When you become laser-focused on productivity and make it your top priority, you’ll soon find more ways to replace manual labor with automated systems. You’ll eliminate many things that consume your time and you’ll produce more, make more money and experience a lot less stress and struggle.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

- Leonardo Da Vinci

Ask yourself this: What is one small step I can take today to move forward towards my goal of increasing my own personal productivity and the productivity of my business?

If you’re not sure feel free to call our office at 1-888-999-1343. Ask for me, and let’s see what a good step for you might be.

Seize the day!

Chris

Point of Sale Systems: The More You Know The More You’ll Make

In business – like many other areas of life – knowledge is power.

The more data you have about your business, the more informed decisions you will make.

And with better decisions come better results and increased profits.

You see, if you don’t know what you’re selling, when you’re selling it and how much of it you’re selling you’re kind of in the dark about some things.

If you don’t know what you’ve got, or who’s working and when, you’re basically running your business blind folded.

But how do you get those blinders off? How do you get the data you need? What can you do to have that information right at your fingertips?

A POINT OF SALE SYSTEM IS THE SOLUTION

Using a point of sale system, you can effectively track almost every aspect of your business.

You’ll be able to insure every item is sold for the correct price by simply selecting a preset button on the touch screen.
At any point of the day you’ll be able to tell how many units of a particular item have sold and how much profit was made on each one.
You’ll be able to see who has clocked in and out, what items they’ve sold or what discounts they given.
From the reports you’ll know which items have higher margins and therefore what to promote and stock up on.

NO MORE HEADACHES

No more frustration from handwritten checks that the kitchen can’t read causing errors and mistakes…no more tedious hours manually counting items sold and comparing to existing inventory…no more pecking away at a calculator to compile employee time and payroll information…

Just you, having everything at your fingertips, making the best possible business decisions with the most complete information available.

It’s always exciting for me to hear from customers that really embrace the technology I provide and that experience a boost in their profits from it.

Our customer count has grown 10%, our turnaround time for customers is much quicker, and our ordering mistakes have disappeared.

- Fred F. – The Lunch Lounge, Phoenix, AZ

A SIMPLE SOLUTION

You see, it’s as simple as eliminating errors between servers and the kitchen. It’s as liberating as knowing your end-of-day reports are just a few keystrokes away. It’s as bottom-line as making sure your customers are happy.

If you would like to know more about the benefits a point of sale system could bring to your business give me a call at 1-888-999-1343. After all, knowledge really is power!

Seize the day!

Chris

2 Underdog Stories That Show You How To Come Out On Top

I don’t know about you, but I love hearing a good underdog story. It doesn’t matter if it’s about historical battles, Olympic athletes or captains of industry.

Take Netflix for example. In 2004 while Blockbuster was making $6 billion in revenue Netflix was struggling to bring in $500 million.

Netflix was innovative and had started offering more convenience to their customers, first with movies through the mail and then with streaming services made available on numerous devices.

Netflix now has over 31 million subscribers while Blockbuster has declared bankruptcy, closing all of its stores in 2013.

Don’t be afraid to change the model! – Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings

Success stories like this give us all hope that we can start out small and create something truly awesome if we persist. When we see an underdog triumph, it tends to strike a chord and remind us that underdogs can still come out on top.

But let’s be honest…

It’s not easy. In your space, there may be businesses selling the same products or services you are. In fact, depending on your business, there could be hundreds or thousands trying to do the exact thing you do.

They may have more experience than you. More fans, followers or customers. They may have more talented people on their team or better connections. They may even have more money to spend on marketing and technology than you do.

Generally, in one way or another, you are the underdog (or at least you feel like the underdog) at times. So how can you possibly compete with businesses like this?

UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY

Netflix began by utilizing technology to offer more convenience to their customers.

Is there technology you can introduce in your business like point of sale systems or mobile payment solutions that would make your customers buying experience better or more convenient?

BE INNOVATIVE

Another good example is Apple going up against Microsoft. Apple was famously founded in Steve Jobs’ garage in 1976.

While Apple’s success rose and fell over the years, by 2002 the company was facing a huge challenge. Microsoft’s market cap was $356.8 billion; Apple’s was only $7.7 billion.

But Apple remained committed to innovation and sleek design. And under Steve Jobs’ leadership, they released a series of game changers, including the iPod, iPhone and iPad. In 2010 Apple exceeded Microsoft in sales for the first time in 10 years.

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. - Co-founder of Apple, Inc. Steve Jobs

Do things better and differently than what other businesses in your area are doing. Apple remained committed to innovation and sleek design and it was a game changer.

You too can counter big box stores with huge budgets by strategically taking advantage of technology opportunities that exist for small businesses.

Is there technology you could bring into your business like a tablet point of sale system or gift cards that would be a game changer for you?

In your business, if you aren’t looking for ways to be different or better and take advantage of the latest technology, there’s a good chance your competition is.

If you’re not sure where to start or what options are available to you give me a call at 1-888-999-1343. Let’s see if we can turn the tables in your market and help you be the underdog that comes out on top.

Seize the day!

Chris