Two Main Street Institute Seminars Provide Sound Business Tools, May 29 & June 12, 2009
Make the Most Out of Your Data
Two recent installments of the Main Street Institute business workshop series focused on tangible methods to grow your business, both from an analytical and customer relations standpoint.
The Main Street Institute is a partnership with the IU Kelley School of Business Indianapolis and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce to provide ongoing education for small businesses. The workshops feature Kelley faculty presenting on topics that incorporate not only knowledge of the subjects but also firsthand experience in the business community.
The May 29 presentation, titled “Make the Most Out of Your Data: Choosing Between Access and Excel,” included real-life data demonstrations of how the two software programs differ and what are the best applications based on the type of data and the results businesses hope to discover.
Patti Hammerle, an adjunct faculty member at the Kelley Indianapolis, walked participants through exercises showing how charts and graphs are best produced using Excel, but Access succeeds in analyzing relational data and creating easy-to-use forms involving customer information.
“What you want to get out of your data affects the way you put it in (to the two programs,” said Hammerle, who founded her own computer manual business based on her software knowledge. She teaches a computers and business course at Kelley Indianapolis.
Hammerle urged the audience to experiment with the two programs, even using both for the same collection of data, to see what works most effectively. Although many users are more experienced with Excel, Access has wonderful attributes as well, she added.
Managing New Prospects and Existing Sales in an "Always On" World
David Steele, also an adjunct faculty member at Kelley Indianapolis, led a spirited discussion about the changes in business in today’s “always on world,” at the June 12 Main Street event.
Steele told the large group in attendance the days of simply selling a product are long gone. Today is more about value and solution selling, fostering relationships and fulfilling customer satisfaction needs, he said.
“Understanding the world and human behavior and the world we live in now is really what is going to help you grow your business,” said Steele, an experienced entrepreneur and head of a local business consulting firm, The Steele Group.
Steele urged MSI participants to approach business using the “Globalization 3.0” viewpoint, where global business is interconnected and always evolving today amid instant feedback and social networking.
“In some way, shape or form, you will be interacting in the international marketplace and you have to incorporate some of ‘Globalization 3.0’ techniques,” Steele said.
Successful businesses today must understand the complex nature of sales and the importance of nurturing business relationships with customers and supply chain partners. He said auditing your customer resource management process is just as important as closing a deal.
“You don’t know where you are going to be tomorrow or next week,” Steele said, adding it is vital for businesses today to adopt and incorporate social networking strategies to maintain their brand.
Steele used examples of blogs and Twitter and their effects on business. He urged the crowd to devise a goal that incorporates social media in marketing and business plans.
“For client management and retention, you have to have somebody on your staff that understands these social technologies,” Steele said.
For more information, please contact Dave Hosick, coordinator of communications and media relations with the IU Kelley School at Indianapolis.
