The goals we set drive our behavior. Having the right goals in your company should drive the right behaviors. Many companies focus on higher sales, increased profits and improving the atmosphere and attitude in the workplace, but these are not the only parameters that matter. Unfortunately, there are some major barriers that make it difficult to achieve your goals.
1. Staff turnover
We don't know what awaits us tomorrow. Employees get sick, are offered new jobs, are laid off; unfortunately, the hard truth is that employees come and go for a variety of reasons. How can we better prepare for these difficult situations? At most companies, each employee has a role in which they follow processes step by step throughout the day to ensure tasks are completed and goals are achieved. When a particular employee no longer works for your company, "Who" will take over this role? And more importantly, is this newcomer "Fit"?
Thorough training is needed in every department. New employees must learn how to go through each process. Current employees must familiarize themselves with the daily activities of other team members so that all work can be completed at all times.
2. Inefficient processes
Companies today run into difficult-to-use enterprise systems that complicate processes and hinder operations. Many companies continue to work with their current systems even though the applications may not be the right solutions. And unfortunately, companies often choose to reuse one of the existing systems for other operations when it may not be the right solution for those operations. The lack of standard processes that fit the business and form the basis for improvements means that expectations are not met. And poorly implemented business processes can lead to a lack of effective training for new employees.
You can deal with challenges that come your way in a variety of ways and not necessarily according to a predefined method. Many organizations become reactive and only develop processes to deal with problems that arise, rather than creating proactive processes to solve problems before they come about. There is often no continuous process improvement to keep meeting the needs of the organization; often they are carved in stone and not reviewed for months or years.
3. Competitive market
It is difficult to say what the market will look like in the future when you operate in a competitive market. In competitive markets, you compete with many other firms to get your goods and services to businesses and consumers. All competitive markets share five common characteristics: profit, reducibility, rivalry, excludability and rejectability.
There are a few ways to stand out in a competitive marketplace:
- Offer great service
- Do it completely differently than your competitors
- Capitalize on customer pain points
- Focus on a niche market
- Provide an attractive offer
- Create a great company culture
- Become a social business
4. Not having the right technology
Investing in a new software system can be the solution to many of the challenges your business faces. With technology, you have a wide range of options and solutions, and the trick is to find the right solution that fits your needs. While some of the solutions may seem like an excellent fit, they may not ultimately be the best option depending on your specific needs. Ultimately, you want to make the choice that allows you to focus on your core business, not the technology that supports it.
April Potts is responsible for Marketing & Sales at Dysel North America and combines experience in marketing, at equipment dealers and with ERP software to help dealers drive their business forward.
