What’s this all about? Do you know someone who spends more time fiddling with software to try and make it work for them than they do sitting in front of clients? Is this person you?
Despite what some of us technology providers might like to tell you, your business is not about what software you use. Your business is about you, your staff and your brand.
The purpose of software is to ensure that you may effectively and efficiently deliver your value proposition to your clients. The less time you can spend on getting software to work, the more time you can spend in front of clients. This is not brain surgery, people.
OK, that’s great. How do I achieve this? There are two things that you’ll need to do.
- You must commit to a specific software. Get excited about how it can make you more effective now and as you grow your business. The industry is rapidly evolving. So too should your software. Make certain that your software provider is delivering you short, sharp ongoing training webinars and attend them! If they’re dedicated to ensuring that you get the most out of the enhancements they’re building, this will be a free service. One hour of online training, once per month will ensure you’re kept up to date and getting the most out of your software. It is a bit like CPD. That way, you’ll be on the front foot with your software – proactive not reactive. Driving it, not being driven by it!
- Your software must be intuitive and easily customised. I’m not talking about a $50 million institutional customisation. Not even a $50,000 practice customisation. I’m talking about really quick and simple customisation that even you can do yourself or your software provider can do for minimal cost. This tailoring lets you make the software yours. It lets you drive it the way that suits your business and the way you want to interact with your clients. Your branding, templates, workflows, custom CRM fields, and categories – it has to be yours.
No two firms are the same – they all have different values and different offerings. It is not up to your software provider to tell you what is right for your business. Drive your software, don’t be driven by it!
Daniel has been involved in the financial services industry since 1999. His main passions are helping financial advisers improve their businesses through increased efficiency and improved sales opportunities.
