Guest Column: November 2014

If you’re like most business owners, you’re probably wearing far too
many “hats,” and taking on a variety of responsibilities like sales,
marketing and purchasing.

If you’re like most business owners, you’re probably wearing far too many “hats,” and taking on a variety of responsibilities like sales, marketing and purchasing. You know you need to delegate more, but let’s face it, it likely won’t happen any time soon. Let me share five tips with you that will save you time in your workday and still allow you to manage every detail, no matter how small:

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
Today’s accounting packages let you keep track of expenses, receivables, payables and contacts. And you don’t even need to know accounting. Online software allows you to check your books, pay bills and send invoices from anywhere, even from your smartphone. While these won’t replace an accountant, they can make you more efficient.

A VOIP PHONE LINE
A voice over internet line (VOIP) usually costs less than a conventional phone line. In addition, it provides you with abundance of useful features such as line roaming, multiple voicemail boxes, call transferring, conversation recording, unlimited long distance and the ability to provide you with an area code of your choice.

A CRM TOOL
A customer relationship management (CRM) tool lets you manage and document all of your interactions with customers, suppliers and others. You can set reminders on when to follow up with associates, create tasks, generate reports and sync emails, all from a single tool. Many CRM programs such as Insightly and Bitrix24 are available free to single users.

AN EMAIL MARKETING SERVICE
Using programs such as Gmail or Outlook are great for sending and receiving individual emails. However, using them for mass emails could potentially get you flagged as a spammer. You also have no way of knowing who opened your emails and there’s no way for people to opt out, which is required by law under CANSPEP and CASL. Email marketing services such as Constant Contact and Mail Chimp allow you to safely and efficiently manage and create email campaigns. In addition, you can customize your emails with your logo, images and different layouts for a branded look.

ALTERNATE WAYS OF TALKING FACE TO FACE
While personal meetings are great, web-based tools can be just as effective and efficient for everyone involved. Skype, Google Hangouts, and TeamViewer are all free services that allow for video conferencing and sharing files through your PC or mobile device. Meetings can be one-on-one or with groups of people anywhere in the world.

Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing expert. His articles appear in dozens of publications, journals, and blogs throughout North America. His online show, marctv, has been rated one of the top 25 marketing video blogs on the web. Get more marketing tips at www.marcgordon.ca or www.marctv.net.