Can I use Excel in my business process?
Yes you can!
In last week’s blog post I asked if you knew what your business process was and hopefully it gave you something to think about.
I promised to discuss some of the topics I raised and so I thought I would start with Excel.
I use Excel for many things not least to make things ADD UP!
Did you know that Excel is also great for keeping lists? If you are just starting out in business and want to keep track of things, without forking out on a Contact Relationship Management System to begin with, Excel can come to the rescue.
As Excel is set out as a grid with Columns and Rows it lends itself to keeping records (as well as doing your profit and loss calculations, more of those features in a later blog).
In the picture below you can see that I have started to populate a SpreadSheet with data about when I met a new prospect.
You can add columns for instance for their address and also for every time you talk to them or meet them. Then all you need to do to find the information is to use the Find command or to filter the spreadsheet.
You can even store the email address as a hyperlink so that you can click on it to launch an email readily addressed!
What do you use Excel for in your business?
it sure helped me a lot as well. this is not an easy topic, but you make it easy to be understood. thank you so much!
This is an excellent idea. It brings immediate structure, is easy to understand and you already have the software. You can use the same approach for lists of invoices and their due dates. A bonus is that all modern CRM systems and Address Books can import information in excel format, or if not by converting excel to .csn format
…..I mean .csv format not .csn format – apologies for the typo
Hi Mike
Thank you for your response to the ideas in my blog. Over the coming weeks I will be sharing ideas on how to use the tools that we already have in order to help. As you rightly point out, all of the modern Contact Relationship Management Systems (CRM) can import from the .csv format (comma separated values).
What else do you use Excel for in your business?
Shelley
happy i found your blog, there are so many useful things in here. i’ve bookmarked you so i can always have access to your posts.