Page 129 - The UnCaptive Agent

102 THE UNCAPTIVE AGENT

important asset, even though you can’t record its value
on your balance sheet.
It’s with data and its value in mind that we must
consider the various productivity tools you will imple-
ment in your agency. In the past, new business owners
have tended to focus on the cost of the systems they
need as the preeminent decision factor, only second-
arily considering ease of use. I suggest that you use the
ability to store, track, and utilize the data that you will
collect on prospects and clients as the number-one factor
in your decisions regarding systems that you purchase.
Many agents in the past have delayed the purchase
of an agency automation system, for example, for up
to three years. This typically resulted in an agency that
attempts to track client data on programs like an Excel™
spreadsheet. This is ultimately a mistake; just about the
time that the flywheel is beginning to really turn, when
the agency’s growth is beginning to really spin up and
the agency principal is busiest, the house of cards built
by running an agency on an Excel™ spreadsheet comes
crashing down. This forces the new agency owner to
stop, repair the damage, install an automation system,
and play catch-up with herself. What an inevitable
loss of momentum at the most critical juncture in the
development of the business.

Computer Systems

So, what information processing systems does the new
small agency need? The first thing of course is a com-
puter and the immediate decision you’re faced with as
a new owner is whether to purchase laptops or desktop
computer systems. I suggest that your first purchases be
laptop computers, even though they are more expen-
sive and lack some of the processing power of desktops.