Disclaimer: This was written with business owners in mind, I talk about ACT! later in this post…

In my quest to know if I had what it took to start and run my own business, one man told me he read a book that totally changed the way he ran his floor cleaning business. E-Myth by Michael Gerber…

After reading it years later, I fought some of the concepts he presented, but eventually realized I was operating as a ‘technician’. If you have read the book, you know what I mean. I began to thoroughly document all my key internal processes (which I later converted to videos, surprise surprise), and hired someone to do what I find mundane and inefficient.

I finally had the opportunity to meet Michael just last week, and he said many things which resonated so poiniently with me…let me share one here…

“You don’t need an Expert, you need an Expert System!” -Michael Gerber

Please read that again, outloud… Did you get that? You don’t need a specialized coach, expert, or consultant you need a specialized, expert system. I found this statement asounding….In fact, I want to shout this from the rooftops to all of my clients and prospective clients, You don’t need me, you need a system! I would be honored to assist you in acquiring and integrating the right system in your business.

The cool thing is he just came out with a book the day before this picture was taken…and it sounds like a great one, “Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies“ As I perused some of the pages, it was clear to me that this Sage has put together another gem, and the reviews thus far seem to reflect that sentiment. Did you know he has a ‘Dreaming Room’?

Part of creating a solid ACT database system or any contact management system is to first understand the role of the database in your business. What is it going to do for you, how is it going to serve your business? These aren’t always easy questions to answer, but the answers will help you get successful with the system much faster than not answering them at all.

Consider what Gerber says, you need a top notch system…we all do, you’re not alone. Software isn’t what we need, but an expert system. Software is a tool to help automate the expert system. Make sense? Tell me what do you think of what Gerber told me. Am I taking it too far, or simply a misguided zealot? Please leave your comments below.

Filed under: Business