WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textAs a procurement leader, if you are too focused on seeking discounts, sometimes you might lose sight that the cost of spend could be higher than the discount you might be seeking. Also, as the number of SKUs increases in your organization, the SG&A costs rise at an increasing rate than your top line because of increased marginal overhead with each SKU. The cost of spend is a key metric that manufacturers and distributors need to measure and control. Or you might hit the growth inflection point.In today's episode, we have our guest, Edmund Zagorin, who describes why the cost of spend is an important metric for some of the strategic sourcing categories. He also touches on various strategic sourcing terms and processes, such as how to interpret the implications of purchase price variance KPI and why it's important. Finally, he touches on why businesses should be forecasting the outcome to reduce the cost of spend and better manage supplier relationships.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textCybersecurity issues are becoming more and more common. As the adversaries and state-funded agencies get sophisticated in their capabilities, most businesses will need to rethink their cybersecurity strategy. It will be even more critical for regulated companies such as aerospace and defense and medical devices. Also, as we advance with our capabilities with industry4.0, OT security will be even more critical. What can executives do to educate themselves and prepare for enterprise security?In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss how to plan for enterprise security. We covered many grounds in this episode, including risk factors and considerations for executives as they prepare for cybersecurity. We also discussed concepts such as the importance of threat profiles and the common entry points for ransomware. Finally, we discussed how to evaluate software and hardware from the perspective of cybersecurity.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textFor e-commerce sites, the conversion rate is perhaps the most critical metric. Many sites focus on getting tons of traffic, but what is the point in having that traffic if they don't convert. When it comes to improving conversion rate, various factors drive the conversion rate, including page speed, expectations of your users, and flow or navigation.In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss conversion rate optimization techniques. We covered many grounds in this episode, including the factors that drive it. Finally, we also had a chance to touch if platform selection may affect the conversion rate and any strategies to improve it.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe most critical factor in winning or losing a deal is always timing. And the faster you convert your customer, the faster you answer all of their questions, and the faster you ship it to them, you can outrun your competition. To do so, you need to think about the speed to your customers and suppliers. This speed requires cross-functional alignment and everyone operating on one system and with process harmony.In today's episode, we have our guest, Rich Sade, who describes his journey and the pitfalls of implementing six ERP projects throughout his career. He also highlighted the importance of the pre-ERP phase and how that could improve the chances of success of selection and implementation. Finally, he also touched on how he could convert his business from make-to-order to configure-to-order and improve the customer experience while expediting the sales cycle.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textBalancing your day job and executing a transformation project in parallel could be frustrating. Your team might look up to you to make the most crucial decisions when you might not fully understand the implications of those decisions. To avoid this uncomfortable situation, you might want to outsource your role as a sponsor to a third party. But this approach typically fires back as they may create their version of your vision. Additionally, they might not fully understand your business as they may not be living it.In today's episode, we have our guest, Tim Morton, who describes the role of sponsors in a digital transformation project and why it's crucial. He also discusses the implications of outsourcing it to a third party such as a system integrator and how sponsors can deal with situations when they might not have experience executing digital transformation projects. Finally, he describes several change management terms and how data can help with alignment among teams.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textAs a plant manager or an executive responsible for the P&L of a manufacturing plant, you will need to make several decisions to improve your internal capacity. They could be adding more bodies, equipment or adding a new location. Unfortunately, if you don't have data to substantiate them, it may feel as if you are investing money in improving your capacity but not realizing tangible benefits. In today's episode, we have our guest, Dave Westrom, who describes the importance of understanding the true internal capacity for manufacturers and how that could assist with decision-making in your plants. He also discusses how to go from point A to point B to create a data-driven plant and build a culture of continuous improvement. Finally, he shares several stories of manufacturers from his recent engagements where he improved the internal capacity.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textIf you are a growing siloed organization, you will have puddles of data sitting inside every department. You could also have hundreds of unused reports on top of your ERP system that you might not even be aware of. If you want to avoid growing pains because of data, you need centralized ownership and strategy with clearly identified systems for their roles and responsibilities.In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss enterprise analytics planning. We covered many grounds in this episode, including identifying enterprise datasets, their ownership, and appropriate systems to host them. Finally, we discussed the importance of data lakes and their importance in an organization, and how to avoid too many reports on top of ERP systems as they could be expensive.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textMastering SEO is no longer optional for ecommerce companies and manufacturers. If you are starting on your SEO journey, you will need to make decisions between SEO and PPC strategies. You will also need to understand the nuances of keyword strategies to identify the right targets that will help you meet your goals. Finally, you need to understand how to compare various channels such as PPC and SEO.In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss SEO strategies. We covered many grounds in this episode, including the SEO framework and signals that Google cares for. We also discussed SiteMap, machine-generated content, information architecture, and indexing and crawling patterns. Finally, we discussed why keyword research matters and how to choose between SEO vs. PPC strategies.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textIf you are ready to expand your e-commerce footprint, you have several choices. For example, suppose you have been selling to the most popular channels, such as Amazon in North America. In that case, you might want to explore other channels such as Walmart, Alibaba, or Etsy. Or you might want to explore some of the international markets such as the UK, India, or Brazil. But the decision is not as simple as that as you need to compare the channels in each country, understand regulatory nuances, and cultural synergies to be successful in each marketplace and market.In today's episode, we have our guest, Paul Sonneveld, who discusses the marketplace expansion strategy for e-commerce sellers or manufacturers aspiring to expand their footprint through digital commerce. He also describes visibility into the marketplaces around the world and their nuances. Finally, he discusses the unique requirements of each country and the resources available to them through the marketplaces ecosystem and service providers.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe journey of ISO could feel overwhelming with the amount of standardization and documentation required. But if your machine shop never served a regulated industry, it could be a great start as you expand your market to other sectors such as aerospace, defense, or automotive. You will not only be required to change your processes and procedures, but you need to game up on training and documentation.In today's episode, we have our guest, Derek Hall, who describes the importance of ISO compliance and why it's necessary for shops to grow. He also discusses what non-ISO shops need to know about ISO compliance and how the processes of ISO-compliant shops differ from non-ISO shops. Finally, he shares important concepts such as audit requirements and the importance of visual cues on the shop floor.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.