Ever get that feeling that you just can’t seem to get organised, no matter how hard you try, maybe you get one or two days down, then it all falls to pieces again?
Then maybe it’s time to try CORD, a very simple way to stay on point with everything that needs to be done. Simply put:
Cord stands for:
Collect / Capture:
The information. This can be in any format, online, offline, social, email, meetings, etc..
Organise:
Strategically place the information in the appropriate place. Does the information need immediate action, is it something that just needs your attention but no action, or is it just a time stealer.
Review:
Be sure to give necessary time each week or day for that matter to review the all the information and the tasks that need doing. You need to have complete clarity if you wish to use the information to the best of your ability.
Do:
Obviously, the doing is the most important part, but doing without understanding is not productive. Most people collect/capture and then jump straight to the DO, without organising or reviewing the information. This may work for a few, or even a short period, but eventually you will find procrastination creeps in or just a growing pile of to-dos.
Most CRM (Customer Relationship Management Software) will help you control much of this process; you have somewhere to collect all the information, organise it, review and even delegate to your team if required.
Not having a CRM system in your business is a big mistake, especially now as we are faced with such an influx of information. I was speaking with a good friend yesterday who’s been in business close to 20 years and has never used a CRM.
Imagine how powerful 20 years of data would be, the cross sales opportunities, the upsells, a log of every piece of communication ever had. Buckle this up with a solid email campaign that drip feeds newsletters and sales offers weekly, or even monthly and you have an income generating machine that runs virtually on autopilot.
Here are two of my favourite CRM systems:
I have tried many over the years, but struggle to find any that’s as competitive or as good as Hubspot and Base. Both offer free trials, and Hubspot even offers an unlimited free version. Honestly, I would start with the free version while you get used to it. You can always export the data to another system later.
Get used to using the CRM, think of it as your central command centre, you should run your entire operation from it. You need to be using it daily, emails, tasks, calendar, notes, tracking, the right CRM is vital to the modern day business.
The hardest thing you will find is not setting up the CRM, that’s super simple, or the adding of information (I would recommend jumping on People Per Hour and finding someone who can do the admin duties of adding all your contacts, business cards, and LinkedIn contacts, everything you have collected over the years to the CRM).
The hardest thing you will find when starting out is using it daily, actually creating that new habit of adding new contacts, emailing from the CRM, ring the notes and calendar.
But trust me, you will not regret it.
If you want more clarity, more opportunities, more organisation and more control over your daily tasks, your business and life. Get a CRM!