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eBECS – A Microsoft Dynamics Distribution Company Soars Through Business Coaching…
Revenue Up 65.7%
Profits Up 128%
What The Client Says About Working With A Business Coach…
Business Coaching benefits Microsoft Dynamics Business eBECS. eBECS had been trading for 8 years before we met our Business Coach. We were recognised as specialists in our field and the business had reached a turnover of £3.5 million, with a record of profitability in each year of trading. We didn’t think a Business Coach would have much to offer us because, as far as we were concerned, we had a successful business.
This attitude was soon knocked out of us when we attended, a two-day workshop with our Business Coach and our coach said, “A successful business is one that can run without you.” We realised eBECS simply couldn’t operate without the day-to-day involvement of its founders. In fact, we were typically working 14 to 16 hours per day, and weekend working had become the norm. We had even begun to frown upon team members who didn’t put in at least 12 hour days!
Worse still, we had to acknowledge that eBECS was a chaotic company, with fragmented systems and team members who were pulling in different directions. We had no way of analysing our figures; we couldn’t distinguish between profitable and non-profitable activities; we had no Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Key Results Indicators (KRIs) linked to the overall goals of the business, and everyone was stressed because whatever we did wasn’t enough to sustain growth.
Our Business Coach helped us to identify where change was necessary and reset the direction of the business, with a new vision, a clear mission, and strong values. To enable us to meet them we’ve implemented a whole range of new systems, both back-office, and customer-facing, and established KPIs and KRIs across the business. We’ve also put in place a company ‘dashboard’, which means we always know how we’re doing and whether or not we are going in the right direction.
“We’re far more focused and we know where we want to be. Most importantly, we’re actually going to enjoy getting there.”
Another important component of change has been addressing our recruitment issues. Previously we always tried to recruit industry experts, particularly into technical roles, but we found there simply weren’t enough experts in our field out there. So we now employ individuals who demonstrate the requisite flare or ability but actually need the training to develop their expertise. We’ve also taken on a number of people in management roles to alleviate the pressure on the Directors. It has meant significant changes to systems to ensure we had defined and replicable processes across sales, implementation and post-implementation support, but it has certainly paid dividends
There’s not enough space here to cover all the positive changes we have made since we started working with our business coach, but the impact upon the business, both in terms of financial figures and team morale, has been incredible. And for the founders, it has led to a welcome reduction of the hours working “IN” the business, which means we have time to work on new strategies to grow the business even more.
What The Business Coach Says About The Client…
When our Business Coach first met two of the directors from eBECS it was clear that the business had no structure and was totally reliant upon its Directors, who were working a huge amount of time “IN” the business. Everything was chaotic and everybody was pulling in different directions.
Even though eBECS had achieved significant success, they were a million miles from having a commercial and profitable enterprise that could run without them. Indeed, there was a dawning realisation that if they didn’t get a grip quickly there was a real chance they could go out of business.
Our first focus was on developing the keys to a winning team. One of the fastest ways to grow profits in any business is to get everyone working towards a common goal as a committed team, and the Directors at eBECS will readily admit that this just wasn’t happening. Once a senior team was in place, we were able to set down regular team meetings with agendas, default diaries and accountabilities.
The focus then switched to measuring the key numbers that were essential to running the business and systemising the financials. A major part of this process was putting a company dashboard in place, which allows the senior team to quickly see all KPIs and KRIs relevant to the effective running of the business. Systemising the business and allowing the team to work more efficiently became the next priority. To facilitate this, technology has been embraced to provide a hub for all the systems and documentation needed for day-to-day operations. A company intranet site has also been created as a portal for all the employees, whilst an online contract information repository provides a single source for key customer data.
Our Business Coach has been really impressed with the way the team at eBECS has meticulously worked its way through the Business improvement system they have taught us. It has created a business that is a great credit to the power of coaching and, most importantly, it is now working towards a common goal.