Human resources has slowly moved away from being a paper driven industry to an automated, system-driven one. Not all organizations know how to tell if a “system” is right for them, though. In some companies, the current way of doing things is steeped in tradition and the thought of abandoning the familiar is daunting. Factor in the potential cost of an automated solution, and many businesses simply choose not to go down that road. 

Benefit-administration systems will differ, but they generally provide a number of features or “modules” including:

– Employee onboarding 

All the paperwork that employees are required to review and sign when hired (payroll forms, policies, company information)

– Automated employee benefits enrollment 

Employees can enroll in or change their benefit elections upon hire, during open enrollment, or when they have life event changes (marriage, birth/adoption of a child, etc.).

– Enrollment feeds to benefit carriers

Send enrollment files directly to benefit carriers.

– Document storage and compliance 

Build a library of company and other required documents that employees can access at any time.

– Data tracking and reporting

Track when employees complete steps in the system and run reports of information per employee or per benefit.

Implementing any of these features can make a bottom-line difference for your business. You’ll save time by automating previously labor-intensive processes. You’ll save paper and file space by storing documents electronically. 

You’ll also increase the frequency and quality of communications you have with your employees, by auto-generating email messages they need and want. Enrollment-period notices, reminders for necessary benefit-related tasks and periodic updates can all be set up in advance. Benefits-administration systems can be set up to give employees’ access to their employment and benefit information as well, including their job titles, beneficiaries, withholding allowances, pay rates, and more. 

Your payroll provider may already have a benefits-administration module that will feed information from your company’s payroll and require minimal setup. Standalone benefit-administration systems are also available for purchase, some with the ability to integrate with certain payroll systems. You can often customize which modules you’d like to purchase for your company, giving you more power over your buying process. I certainly recommend partnering with an expert to help you choose which systems are right for you — since the options are so customizable, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting what your company needs.                      

Jackie Penfield, SPHR, is a human resources & employee benefits consultant for OneGroup Benefits Consulting Group. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and human resources from SUNY Oswego. 

The best days that Central New York Has to offer us weather-wise are Upon us. Now is the time to get out, soak up the sun, and step away from the daily grind. 

No matter what stage of entrepreneurship you are in, it is far too easy to get sucked into wearing many different hats, working too many hours each day, and never allowing yourself time to recharge. After all, isn’t this the reason you chose to become an entrepreneur? —to make your own schedule, allow inspiration and creativity, and spend more time with your families and friends. These are the most common reasons I hear from startup entrepreneurs on why they want to launch their own business. But too many times, I hear that within months, they have already reached burnout due to trying to manage it all themselves with little to no financial or labor resources. 

“Entrepreneurs are often celebrated for wearing multiple hats and logging numerous hours. But working without letup is a bad habit that can jeopardize business, health, and the life you’re supposedly working toward. That’s counterintuitive in a culture programmed to believe that it takes near-nonstop work to get the sale, beat the competitor, or do whatever is needed to succeed. For most entrepreneurs, rest is considered the province of lesser mortals, put off for a future that never arrives,” contributing writer Joe Robinson explains in an article for Entrepreneur. To learn more on this topic you can view the full article at www.entrepreneur.com/article/237446.

To avoid this burnout, here are five suggestions on how to plan for the chaos of starting and growing a business. 

1) Create a work model that fits your business vision and personal needs. Creating a business plan is a way to develop the strategies you will need to be successful. In this plan, create a business model that will allow you to live the life you desire. Truly think about what is your most important reason for becoming an entrepreneur. If it is to have more time with your family, then be sure you develop a strategy to make that happen. For example, this could mean having certain business hours, working from home, or hiring employees to cover times when you can’t be available. 

2) Build your team. Who are the key players you will need to get your business off the ground and support you as you grow? This could include your BAIL team (banker, accountant, insurance agent, and lawyer) but also could include others such as IT support, social media, marketing, public relations, human resources, bookkeepers, and yes, employees. Nobody can effectively manage all of these areas alone, so admit you need help and ask for it sooner than later.

3) Make sure you are paying yourself appropriately. Before you get started in your business endeavor, have a clear understanding of what you need to make to live modestly yet comfortably while you are growing your business. Whatever this amount may be, it needs to be incorporated, just like any other bill, into your monthly cash-flow projections. Financial stress can take a severe toll on you, either personally or in your business. Planning ahead for this can reduce unnecessary stress and create a solid foundation moving forward. 

4) Understand your financial cash flow. This is one of the most important aspects of a successful startup. Not having sufficient cash flow causes severe stress and is one of the first reasons why small businesses fail. Take time before you invest all that you have to thoroughly examine your cash-flow projections with a professional. This will give you some peace of mind that your concept will be feasible and viable moving forward as you grow. 

5) Take time to evaluate and recharge. When you do take that precious time off, make sure that it counts. Only focus on things that will truly refuel your brain and body. Concentrate on what is working and make plans to change what is not. After all, you are your own boss, so you have the freedom and ability to make changes when needed. 

Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Toronto–based Strategic Coach and co-author of “The Laws of Lifetime Growth,” has built a multimillion-dollar coaching business in part by advising entrepreneurs to do the last thing in the world they would ever think to do: take time off. His anthem is that productivity and performance start with free time, which he argues is the fuel for the energy, creativity, and focus that lead to success. 

“It’s not the amount of time you spend working each day. Entrepreneurs get paid through problem-solving and creativity. You can create a solution in a shorter period of time if you are rested and rejuvenated,” Sullivan says.

So take some time today to plan a much-needed mental retreat and evaluate your next moves upon your return. Tell us your best rejuvenation tricks as an entrepreneur at https://www.facebook.com/onondagabizwiz/.       

Keyona Kelly is a certified business advisor at the Small Business Development Center located at Onondaga Community College. Contact her at k.r.kelly@sunyocc.edu.

The prospecting problem

“I’m looking to further my prospecting techniques,” the salesperson wrote in his email. “It seems I need to increase my ratios by the end of the quarter.” The story isn’t new.

Twenty years ago, salespeople were expected to get in front of prospects. Today, those doors are sealed shut. Voicemail and email messages are ignored. If all that isn’t enough, few customers are willing to stick their necks out to make referrals.

All of which makes prospecting frustrating and, unfortunately, bordering on useless. No wonder salespeople across the board plead for leads and, hoping to get lucky, keep their fingers crossed.

If you’re looking for an easy, quick way to find prospects, forget it. No matter what anyone may say, it doesn’t exist. Nevertheless, hope springs eternal, which is why there are 17.3 million hits in 0.25 seconds when you Google “prospecting in sales.” 

Here’s the problem: how is a salesperson to go about finding prospects who are not only interested in buying, but who are also willing to do business with someone they don’t know, let alone trust? 

Getting negligible results from searching for prospects takes a lot of effort — wasted effort. Salespeople are often told, “It takes 10 calls to get one appointment.” They are also told that out of 10 appointments they can expect to make one sale. That means it will take 1,000 calls and 100 appointments to make 10 sales. Whether you do a little better or worse, the message is clear: finding prospects who are interested and ready to buy is so inefficient it doesn’t work.

The prospecting possibility

It should come as no surprise why there’s so much resistance to getting out and finding new customers. Even if we know who and where the prospects are, the obstacles to access thwart our efforts.

It’s time to step back and take a careful look at how selling and prospecting differ. When you think about it, they require two different types of skills. Prospecting is all about getting the fish on the line, and selling involves getting the fish in the boat.

In other words, successful prospecting depends on getting customers to find you. Specifically, those who want to do business with you. If you’re thinking this takes work, you’re right. It does. But if you’re investing time and energy and not getting the results you want, that’s a lot of work, too. Besides, if prospects don’t know you and trust you, it’s easy for them to ignore you or say no.

So, why keep on doing what doesn’t work? Why not take a different approach, one that’s consistent with how prospects think and what they expect from today’s sales professionals? 

The task is helping prospects find you, getting them to recognize that it’s in their best interest to seek you out and learn more so they can make informed decisions. This is how savvy restaurants, businesses, insurance advisors, and real-estate agents, for example, attract the customers they want. They use carefully crafted messaging, ratings and recommendations, testimonials and blog posts on social media, advertising, promotional campaigns, and, of course, word-of-mouth to attract prospects. 

Instead of trying to get through a prospect’s door, the job of salespeople is shaping the way prospects think about them. No matter what you’re selling, it’s all about pulling prospects into your orbit so they’re “sold” even before meeting you.

Here are the four basic principles that attract prospects and bring prospects closer to you.

1. Never stop building your prospect and customer cultivation database and keep it up to date. Why is this so important? It’s your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so never neglect it. Without this database, picture yourself in a darkened room with no windows or doors. 

2. Develop a prospect mindset. Here’s why: less than 24 percent of prospects open sales emails, according to TOPCO Associates. So, if you want to engage them, it’s essential to let them know you understand their issues. They don’t care about what you sell; frankly, they tune it out. Always stay focused on what prospects want or need.

3. Share your competence. To do this, salespeople must answer one critical question that’s on every prospect’s mind: “Why should I believe you?” or to put it another way, “Why should I give you my money?” Selling is all about sharing what you know. To become customers, prospects must believe that your knowledge and experience will benefit them. 

4. Cultivate prospects constantly. No salesperson is wise enough to know when a prospect is ready to buy. If you’re not top-of-mind, the chances are a competitor will get the sale. Prospects need reminding why they should do business with you. By staying in touch regularly with helpful information (not sales pitches) by email and social media, blog posts, and presentations, you’re there when they have questions and are ready to buy. 

Staying in contact sends the message that you care enough to stay in touch. When they’re ready, the chances are they will pay you back by becoming customers.

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategist-consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing,” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com, or visit: johnrgraham.com