Five Business Lessons We Can Learn From McDonalds

Fortune magazine recently published an article, 'Why McDonald's wins in any economy?' highlighting the business' annual growth rate of 5%, since hiring their CEO, Jim Skinner in 2004. Intrigued by the numbers, I read the article and would like to share some lessons and tips we can take-away from McDonalds to implement at our businesses today:

Even hash-browns are subject to review - The article kicks off with Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonalds inspecting the kitchen at one of his restaurants in Illinois. Managing 33,000 stores nationwide, McDonalds is focusing its time on planning and developing a strong accountability system throughout the business. Do you have a quality management system at your business that allows you to review and improve upon existing processes, no matter how big or small? 

Back to basics turnaround strategy - Instead of focusing on expansion through new customer acquisition and new locations, McDonalds is focusing on increasing sales at existing stores. To entice customers to buy more, the business is focusing on platforms instead of 'one hit wonders'. What is your business doing to entice customers to buy more? What marketing plans do you have in place to cross-sell and up-sell to your existing and hopefully loyal customer base? Do you have a sales management system to analyze the results of your sales and marketing campaigns and adjust your future campaigns accordingly?

Continue reading WACCG blog article: 5 Business Lessons We Can Learn From McDonalds

Five Keys to Implement an ERP System Successfully

Guest WACCG blog writer - Elizabeth Crandall, Project Manager

ERP software can greatly benefit your company with its standardization of business processes, integration of functional units, increased visibility and data sharing. It is important, however, not to think of an ERP system as a magic bullet. The system must be right for your business, must be accepted and ultimately used by the employees to effect change at your business.

Consider these five keys to a successful ERP system implementation:

Know what you have - Understand and document your workflows and processes and be sure to go through them with your ERP software provider. A new ERP system doesn’t have to emulate your current workflow. Understanding your current processes and how they may differ under the new system, is something that both you and your ERP software consultant need to discuss early. Make sure to point out holes and failures in your current system and business processes.

Be clear about what you want – In the initial planning phase of an ERP implementation, it is critical to define the project scope and the finish line. Break the project into phases and have fair expectations. Most implementation projects fail here, with client expectations not clearly understood or agreed upon by the consultant. Many cost and time overruns are also attributable to unclear definitions of project scope and completion.

Continue reading WACCG blog article: Five Key Steps for Successful ERP Implementations

Missed the WACCG 2011 Customer Conference? No Problem! Get Access to Our Customer Conference Materials Today.

If you missed the WACCG customer conference, we want to give you the opportunity to get access to all our conference materials electronically. The WACCG 2011 customer conference included some great presentations from WACCG partners introducing Sage ERP Accpac, Sage MAS 90/200, SAP Business By Design, and Microsoft Dynamics GP to our customers. We also talked about the benefits and challenges of staying on Sage Pro ERP, and discovered when cloud computing makes sense for an organization.

Are you in the process of developing a Business ERP plan for the future? Explore your business ERP options, and don't miss this opportunity to take advantage of the special promotions from Sage Software.

Get access to our customer conference materials now.

Welcome to Our New Clients

We are pleased to welcome our newest customers into our group, and want to extend a sincere "thanks" for the trust and confidence these clients have shown in us:

- Hampshire Hills, Inc., DBA Genden Auto Parts, Springfield, MA

- Hard Fire Suppression Systems, Inc., Columbus OH

Refer Us to Your Business Associates

Referrals from trusted partners and satisfied clients are fundamental to our marketing efforts. We have found that a prospective client who is referred to us is more prepared to appreciate the value that we can offer.

Our ideal clients are business owners or decision makers that are committed to improving their business processes. If one of your business contacts expresses frustration with their current business software or support, please consider referring us to them.

Contact us at the office today to find out more about our referral marketing strategy and rewards for our customers.

WAC Consulting, Inc. 367 West Main Street Northborough, MA 01532

Robert Distler rdis@wacinc.com