Measuring Key Numbers In Your North Texas Business And Developing Accountability

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During the first Super Bowl that Tom Brady won (with the Patriots), these were some of the companies who advertised (hat tip to Jon Erlichman of Bloomberg):

AOL
Blockbuster
Radio Shack
Circuit City
CompUSA
Sears
HotJobs
Yahoo
VoiceStream Wireless
Gateway Computers

The year was 2002, and life looked a little different, eh? BUSINESS looked different. And this past year … well, we’ve all had to adjust to some things.

Some of the things we’ve all adjusted to were the CARES Act, the second stimulus … and (coming soon) new tax code adjustments and regulations from the Biden administration.

This is going to be an interesting few years … and it pays to have someone in your corner who is paying attention to those things that you cannot.

But today, I’m laying aside tax issues for a moment to help identify for you some numbers that don’t necessarily show up on balance sheets — and why they’re perhaps even more important than what you see on a P/L statement …

Measuring Key Numbers In Your North Texas Business And Developing Accountability
“You have been blessed with a mind that can direct your actions in any way that you choose.” -Ramon Luis

It’s easy to get lazy when a business can pick the low hanging fruit available in an easy marketplace.

But, that’s not always the case, is it?

Markets shrink, funding dries up, prospects aren’t as easily found, or profitability margins decrease. So what do you do? Many business owners don’t know how to tweak their marketing and sales systems, so they can track the numbers at each step in the sales process and grow in new directions.

I have seen (in several industries) that the businesses who create a culture of accountability, have weekly sales meetings, track their numbers, and hold team members accountable, are successful … while those that guess and “assume” are usually out of business. It’s just a matter of time.

The key is knowing the numbers — what is the average expected result, and how you are measuring up against that result for each step in the process. This is where accountability starts.

But many people don’t want to track the numbers, because they might have to admit that they aren’t doing their job and letting their teammates down. Others simply do not have the systems or do not understand how to track those numbers or understand the benchmarks of the average business, the good business — and the great business.   

Many self-employed business owners just feel what they are doing is “working” without having tested it or tracking where they are at. Sadly, this reflects a naivete that will eventually bite you in the rear end.

Unless you have completed valid measurements and received statistically reliable results, you don’t have any idea whether you are improving or going backwards.

Especially in a crazy lockdown economy, it’s important to get ahead of the curve and not rely on lazy systems for your business.

So, here is the cold, hard truth: if you don’t know how to test scientifically — or if you do know but you think it’s not necessary — your business is on the slow road towards oblivion.

Here are the sort of things you should be watching…

If you want to develop business mastery, it starts with experienced professional in direct marketing and sales. And that means establishing the ability to measure the following factors and develop accountability around them:

  • Statistically valid testing at each stage of the sales process
  • Structuring price, term, refund, and premium tests for profit — and what works
  • Determining the true lifetime value of every new customer
  • Calculating “allowable acquisition costs”  (what you can spend to get a customer)
  • Measuring responsiveness by advertising source
  • Identifying the “doubling date” or “half-life” of a new offer or customer
  • When is the right time to purge unproductive prospects and staff
  • How do you identify opportunities for multiple streams of revenue within your business (the numbers should tell you)

If you don’t have the ability to measure these areas in your North Texas business — or if your key people cannot — consider your business to be in trouble.

I’m grateful for our partnership and for your referrals.

Warmly,

 

Bill Bronson
(972) 770-2660
The Bronson Law Firm, P.C.

 

Feel free to share this article with a North Texas area (or beyond!) business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance. While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, our services are focused on tax problem resolution and estate planning for families and business owners.