As we have discussed before, software in general is migrating to the cloud. Like many business software suppliers, Exuma now offers it’s marine management software and RV dealership system as a hosted “cloud-based” offering. Here are four points to consider to help you decide if moving to the cloud is right for you and your business.
Most of our customers are retail, business to consumer organizations such as Marinas and Boatyards. While they may generate leads and traffic from their website and online presence, the final sale happens at their brick and mortar establishment, face to face. The way a store looks is important to the consumer. The cleanliness, organization and layout can induce feelings of trust and professionalism or mistrust and skepticism.
Is your store designed and organized to help your customer through the buying process efficiently? Take a tour through your store as if you are a customer. What do you notice? Below are a few ideas and areas to check in your business.
We work all year, run our companies, sell our products, pay our employees, deposits are made and expenses paid. If all is going right, it is like a well oiled machine and with efficient monitoring of the most important KPI’s, you can ensure that your business is headed in the right direction.
Then comes the end of the year, when a glance at the financial statements is not enough. Deep financial analysis and account reconciliation is required to ensure that you not only have a good grasp of the year that just passed, but also are able to map where you want your business to go in the year ahead.
The new year can be both exhilarating and depressing. We can look forward to what’s to come with great anticipation. But the past can haunt us. “I didn’t lose as much weight as I wanted”. “I wasn’t as profitable as I could have been”. “I didn’t spend enough time with the kids”. What it is for you I don’t know but I think the problem is, we attach too much emotion to the past (what didn’t happen) instead of focusing on the road ahead (what can be). We’ve all made bad decisions. But hindsight is 20/20. All you can do now is make adjustments and focus on the journey. Your “vision” for your company, product or non-profit is what you should get emotional and passionate about. “No time like the present” rings as true today as it did when those words were first uttered centuries ago.
Let’s use driving a car as an analogy. I think we can all agree that it’s a good idea to look ahead and keep your eyes on the road when driving. When you are changing lanes looking back is good. But you do it quickly (“one thousand one”) then your eyes are back on the road ahead. Checking for other cars to your side or behind that may be tailgating is also good. But do it quickly (“one thousand two”) then look ahead. Adjust the radio (“one thousand three”) and then its back on the road ahead. Many people attach tons of emotion to what could have been and not enough commitment and passion to what can be.
We’ve become so used to marketers lying to us that we’ve simply grown immune to it. Just look around and you will find examples of this all around you – on the billboards you read, TV shows you watch and the radio spots you listen to. Is Bounty really the “quicker picker upper” or Coke the “Real Thing”. I can’t pronounce half of the “real” ingredients in a Diet Coke.
Have a mortgage on your home? Yeah me too and the junk mail that comes from solicitors trying to sell me a new loan seems relentless. The envelope is usually stamped with something like “Important Mortgage Information” on the front and the return address will read “Mortgage Processing Center”. Most homeowners have figured out that the letter is not from their mortgage company. But if something is so obviously deceptive, why do marketers still do it? They do it because people will still open it. People are more likely to throw away a blatant but honest solicitation, so marketers con homeowners into opening faux come-ons. Here’s the fundamental question: Why start off a business relationship from a position of mistrust?
Last week in our Parts Inventory series we talked about the value of your parts and accessories. We also discussed what to do with those pesky obsolete parts. This week we will discuss the nuts and bolts of performing a physical inventory. In this post we discuss the tools needed to conduct an accurate and efficient parts count.
A physical inventory or parts count is a laborious process and can easily become ineffective if you are not prepared. Having the right process designed before you ever start counting is key. In other words, just don’t go through the motions. You need a plan before you start your counts and in this post we discuss some ideas to help you prepare.
Santa is not the only one “making a list and checking it twice” this time of year. A lot of our customers are getting ready to do an annual or semi-annual inventory count in their parts departments. From count preparations like assigning proper bin locations, to proper setup and use of your marine management system or RV dealership software, make sure your checklist is complete for an accurate and efficient count.
Now is a great time to step back and take a good hard look at your parts inventory as a whole. Do you have the right amount of inventory to support your regular sales? How much is all of that inventory really worth? Here are some tips to help you make some critical decisions when it comes to one of the largest assets on your balance sheet.
RV and marine businesses all over the country operate with a “seasonal trend” in sales and revenue. Some dealerships see as much as 80% of their sales occurring within a 4 or 5 month season. Managing the incoming cash and budgeting for 12 months worth of expenses is a delicate balance most of our customers face.
So, how can you stretch out your season and keep customers buying into the off-season months? Here are some tips on keeping cash coming in, even after the weather has turned:
Last week I attended the Launch Pad conference in Mt. View, CA. On hand were some of the best app developers on the planet showing off their latest tablet (mostly iPad) apps. The conference began with a presentation by Ryan Block from gdgt who showed an image of Moses in reference to the evolution of the tablet and mobile computing.
My evolution as an iPad newbie to feeling comfortable with the platform was a bit rocky. But now it has become an important business tool for me. Think the iPad is just a fad? Apple has reported sales of over 40M units to date at a base price of $495. I think the better question is whether the iPad can truly become a business platform. Read More
We all want happy customers. If customers aren’t happy it doesn’t only affect your company’s bank account, but it saps the morale of you and your team. Who wants to come to work to be yelled at by yet another unhappy customer? If a customer is upset or dissatisfied with your product or service are you empowered to help them? Empowerment often leads to work that is interesting, allows us to be creative and can give us a sense that what we do matters. Read More
26 Oct 2011 | 8 Comments
If you're an Exuma Technologies customer using DockMaster or RVMaster register for an account now! Once approved you'll have access to the knowledgebase, tutorials and support pages.
