Yes, I use GPS when I go to the grocery store
How this one simple thing opened my mind to innovation
It’s mid 1990’s and I am meeting one of my new sales reps in Milwaukee for a week worth of customer visits. This is our first meeting where he is setting everything up on his own, and I am simply a passenger.
Quietly along for the ride to observe.
I jump in the car bright and early on Tuesday morning and the rep hands me a file folder filled with computer printouts. “Be careful with that” he states “we can’t let them get out of order.”. I proceed to page through these sheets and it looks like a 1970’s AAA triptik. Each page has a section of road, and pretty clear directions on what to do. Exit here, turn right 0.5 miles ahead, and many more details than my Dad’s AAA maps that he used to give me.
“What is this?” I ask cautiously.
“These are the turn by turn directions that will get us from Tuesday morning, to Friday so you can catch your plane on time. It is the most efficient way to see as many customers in the shortest amount of time” he comments.
I’m stunned. This isn’t a map. It doesn’t have highlighted roads, and alternative routes that I can see in case I run into trouble. Where would one get something like this?
From the Internet - from some www something or other called MapQuest. I was scared.
As my heart began to race, I started directing him thru the first dozen pages. We drove for about 45 minutes, and I am at the last page for “customer number 1”. I calmly look at the rep, and I say “Stop - it says we are here”. He pulls over to the side of the road, and for as far as we can see in every direction, we see nothing but corn.
No, I did not fire him on the spot. We didn’t panic. I remembered passing a small diner about 3 miles back, so we turned around and politely asked for and got directions to the facility we were looking for. The rest of the week was hit and miss (and yes, I missed my plane) but we struggled through this new technology. Confession, and I never told him; I bought a real map Tuesday night to make sure we didn’t get too lost.
We also did not throw the folder out it out because we got lost. This new technology showed quite a bit of promise. I could see how this technology would help me be more efficient in the future.
What tools are you scared to use?
Maybe you still use multiple spreadsheets to manage your business. Or have you transitioned to a CRM system? Many managers never move on to that next technology because of either their ego or wallet. If Salesforce user fee of $25 per month, how much time would you be saving if it was one click instead of 12? Time is money!
Technologies purpose is to make things easier. Making things easier, makes you more productive, more efficient, and more profitable in the end. What tools are out there that could replace our ad hoc systems and procedures? Where are you spending non-productive time? Don’t stand in the way of progress.
Mapstogo.com or whatever it was called, opened my eyes to this crazy thing called the Internet. I had played around with some things, but really wasn’t looking at it to help my career. I used my computer to type up call reports, and log my expenses into a spreadsheet. Once I realized things like mapping software, search engines, powerful database tools, and things like that, I found myself spending more productive time in front of customers and with my sales team.
Pathway to improvement
Every new technology replaces some other way to do things. You either continue doing it the old way, or deploy the new technology. It is always up to you to open your mind to the possibilities.
As I back out of my driveway, and my wife asks “Can you at least turn the voice off the GPS?” I fondly recall that without getting lost somewhere in Wisconsin, I may have never found the Kroger that was closer to my home.
Take-away:
Put time in your weekly schedule to research these new methods. In the end, you’ll save time and energy.
Start analyzing where you spend the most amount of time, ask yourself if it can be automated, and if not - as a leader you can delegate it
At the Kole Performance Group, we can help you identify your choke points, recognize lower productivity areas, and suggest various methods to be more efficient. Remember, we work hard today to improve your tomorrow!