Client Story: Doing more with less

Recently I met with a client that shared their company’s theme for 2021: “Do more with less.”

This organization has seen an uptick in all verticals of its business. More consumers, therefore more marketing content, more revenue generated; but not an increase in headcount. What gives? 

This challenge presents an opportunity for future-embracing, tech-driven companies.

My client said to me, “It’s just me and my team of 4 co-workers reviewing everything, and there are simply not enough hours in the day to keep up without hiring someone else.” 

This opportunity needs a proactive approach. Anyone can do less with more. That’s a no-brainer. It’s fairly common for business people to tell me that in their organizations, “everything is a priority so, therefore, nothing is a real priority.”

Doing more with less requires strategic sorting of priorities. This is the easiest place to start.

1. Identify the bottlenecks in your process: Your number one priority should be around fixing the immediate problem. What is the easiest ‘to do’ item to solve?
2. Search for fake work: Of course, no one wants to admit a piece of their day is not important. It usually is important - perhaps it’s a manual task, a note that takes extra steps, a checklist or document that needs to be manually filled. We often think, “I’ve done it this way for X number of years, I’m the only one that can do it,” which usually isn’t true. If you can offload busy work for productivity work, you will get better results.
3. Reduce communication channels and consolidate everything: Is your team communicating via email, Slack, Google Hangouts, and/or Microsoft Teams? Pick one! The fewer channels, the better. 
4. Embrace technology. There are so many tools available, take the time and initiative to always check and see what else is on the market and if these tools can assist you. 

I love when a client tells me, "I'm always looking to see what else is out there to ensure my team and I are working the best we can."

Be early adopters of technology. It is here to make your life easier, not harder.

How do you think you can do more with less?