Ten Penny-Pinching Ideas for 2008

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A couple of grand spent on a few decent reports will save him many times over in better management of his orders, quotes, expenses, etc.

4. Get CRM already.

Full disclosure: Yes, my company sells CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems. So my opinion is subjective. But don't feel pressured to buy what we sell. Just get something. CRM is mainstream. Take the leap in 2008. Have your employees record activities. Take notes. Share calendars. Do quotes and forecasts. Keep e-mails all in the same place. Send out consistent documents. Create a monthly newsletter. Don't look like a dope when your customers call. It's never been less expensive. You can get Microsoft Outlook's Business Contact Manager for less than $200 (or included in an upgrade to Office 2007). You can get salesforce.com (CRM) for $50/month. You can take your chances on free, online systems. But get something for goodness sake! CRM systems help catch sales opportunities before they fall through the cracks. They improve customer service. They make business owners money.

5. Avoid Vista.

I think Microsoft Windows Vista is a great operating system. But then again I still think O.J. is innocent and Donald Trump's hair is real. So if you don't agree with my view, stick with Windows XP for as long as you possibly can. We will all be forced to drink the Vista Kool-Aid after Jan. 1, 2008 when no one is allowed to sell Windows XP anymore. So buy up Windows XP computers now. Delay getting Vista until the hardware really catches up. Just say no to nonfunctioning programs and incompatible devices! Microsoft will be releasing their first service pack to Vista in 2008 and that should make it ready for prime time. But you've got better things to do than monkey with an operating system that, for the time being, costs more than it returns.

6. Invest in smartphones.

Milt invested in smartphones (these are phones that also combine contact, calendar, and other office applications) for his key employees and is happy with the result. He has his people use them to communicate and keep track of their contacts and schedule. Not being a masochist, he only allows them to synchronize data from their computers to the smartphones, not both ways. He found out the hard way that synchronization isn't all it's cracked up to be, so he keeps it simple. Advised by his teenage daughter, he got an unlimited text-messaging plan for immediate communications. On the downside, he did calculate that it's quicker to fly to Los Angeles from his hometown of Boston then to check the flight status on his smartphone's browser. So he doesn't rely on the Internet yet. But do expect this all to improve in 2008 now that Apple's iPhone has shown other vendors how to do it right. Milt's investment in smartphones has increased productivity and keeps him closer to his customers and employees. And he's gotten very good at Soduku, too.

7. Outsource your phone systems.

Over two years ago we threw out our phone system and outsourced the whole headache to Virtualpbx.com. We never looked back. For about $12 per month per mailbox we get the whole phone system, complete with automated attendant, call forwarding, voicemail, etc. The best thing is that no one calling us knows we've outsourced! Even the automated attendant has an American accent! We don't have to worry about maintaining our own system or paying through the nose for a phone lease. True, we're vulnerable if their servers go down. But then again I'm vulnerable to food poisoning from that Chinese buffet down the street. And I'm still taking my chances with General Tso's chicken. Maybe your company is too big for a system like this, but if you're like me and running a company with only 10 employees, it's a great, cost-effective move for 2008. Oh, and check out gotvmail.com for price comparisons.

8. Consider an intranet.

Big Business is buying into intranets in a big way, so, like supply-side economics, it's only a matter of time before it all trickles down to smaller companies.