2017 has finally come to a close. (Where did the time go?) We all have a lot to look forward to in 2018 (especially TruMethods’ annual Schnizzfest, where our community comes together to collectively overcome our industry’s challenges without the usual conference distractions). Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, I want to first answer the following question: What should IT providers be considering as we head into the new year?
Defined roles
One of the most common mistakes I see is a lack of clearly defined roles within companies. Too often, I see everyone doing everything, which leads to low margins, poor results and a reactive culture. Everybody wants to be good at what they do, but if you don’t have defined roles within your overall business structure, it’s hard to ultimately conceptualize success.
Everyone should be in one of the following five service delivery areas: professional services, network administrations, vCIO, support and centralized services. Even if you’re small in size, you can limit the overlap as much as possible and schedule proactive items first. If you have a team member you’re not happy with, find out if this particular individual has a defined role. If this employee doesn’t have one, adjust accordingly.
Sales, sales, sales
I’m sure you’d like to add new MRR at the right price in 2018 — but does your plan match your goals? In other words, are you devoting the right amount of resources and attention to the right defined roles to expect success? Be sure you’re treating your goals as priorities.
Business planning discipline
Everything boils down to business planning discipline. In order to achieve goals in any business, you must be open to continuous improvement. If you’re not great at the process, start with the business planning webinar on our resources page. If you’re further down the line with your business planning discipline, focus on pushing accountability out to team leaders.
Gaining command
Do your team members have command over their roles? For instance, your sales team should know their sales math and be accountable, and as a business owner, you should have command over your TruMethods SMART numbers — do you? A company with a lack of command works hard, but it doesn’t typically progress as fast as it should. We have an entire command training track available in the TruMethods training portal.
Looking in the mirror
Who are you? Take a step back and look in the mirror. If you’ve been a TruMethods member for more than a few months, you’ve heard me say the following: Success in business and in life is 90% attitude, self-image and self-discipline, and 10% knowledge. Are you positive at work every day? What about your team members? Are you encouraging them? Do they think positively? Make a conscious decision this year to move yourself and your team in a positive direction for the better. In other words, put simple accountability in place to increase self-discipline.
If in the new year you remember to define roles, treat your goals as priorities, improve your business planning discipline, gain command and adopt a positive attitude, you’re 2018 will be even better than your 2017.
