4 Ways BI Influences Profitability

Just how important is having a strategy, solution or partner that focuses on business intelligence? Extremely important, if you ask us.

As a business owner, you should never underestimate the power of hardcore numbers. After all, businesses continue to run based on the positive, quantifiable nature of their sales and customers. Having the ability to measure your success or failures gives you the unbiased method to analyze exactly how well your company is doing. And for this reason, making use of your data is one of the most important ways to influence your team’s profits.

Plan Easier & More Confidently

One characteristic that makes for a good leader is the ability and willingness to look toward the future. It’s like chess. You move one piece now with the intent of making an even more powerful move down the line. By collecting data — the right data, that is — you’re able to analyze the past and present to see what techniques worked and which flopped.

With data in front of you, ask yourself: what can I do today that will drive my profits up by the end of this quarter? Whether it’s a marketing strategy, sales tactic, discount or the rising popularity of a brand that you supply, use the hardcore statistics in front of you and apply what you know to maximize that trend.

Some business intelligence tools even include projections that will depict what’s likely to occur in the future. Don’t neglect these features, but also don’t entirely depend on them. Use your judgment and discuss with your management team to fully assess the projections to make for wise decision making.

Create More Effective Strategies

It’s a no-brainer that successful, sustainable business stems from proper planning. By taking a shot in the dark with limited information, you’re bound to make mistakes that could become costly. With a business intelligence solution that allows you to properly analyze your data, your strategic moves become more sound and your risks become less limited.

Manage Your Finances Easier

Are you fully aware of what the actual root cause of your sales spikes really is? Identifying these factors in your business strategy is an underrated tool that some businesses tend to neglect. With the proper knowledge of how your customers are buying, you’ll be able to designate your money more effectively.

Information and hard-core statistics will become your right-hand man if you’re able to decipher them correctly. By using a business intelligence solution, it’ll make it easier to have a full understanding of your company, your clients and your goals.

Plus, these BI tools don’t have to just be limited to your sales department. Apply it to your marketing team, too! Using metrics isn’t something that business owners should shy away from, but rather you should embrace it as a method to track progress across every department.

Use Reports to Your Advantage

By bookkeeping manually, you’re using up a lot of time just to see how your company is doing. By implementing a top-of-the-line business intelligence solution, you can better use that time in analyzing. Many BI solutions offer custom reports OR you can customize your report to get the exact data for which you’re looking.

With real-time access to your company’s performance, you’re able to use financial reports to make quick changes before things can get worse. Having a computer calculate your statistics also leaves very little room for error. It’s practically like having a calculator on your desk during a math exam — of course you’re going to want to use it!

Even if you’re trying to compare your business to competitors or the nationwide industry, your business intelligence solution will be able to provide you with the proper insight so you can see how you measure up.