Use this checklist to help identify strengths and weaknesses in your company's program. Print out a copy and feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 

YES    NO

                 Do you have a business plan?

                 Do you have stated and obtainable objectives?

                 Do you have a mission statement?

                 Have you defined your keys to success?

                 Do you have a listing and description of your products or services?

                 Do you review your profitability (price, volume, cost) relationships annually?

                 Do you have a marketing plan?

                 Do you know your market niche?

                 Do you have a sales strategy?

                 Have you established any strategic alliances?

                       Describe:

                 Do you use efficiency consultants or trainers?

                 Do you work with a Certified Public Accountant?

                 Do you work with a business attorney (formal contracts or agreements)?

                 Do you have proper insurance and are the policies reviewed annually?

                 Do you have sufficient business loans and/or capital?

                 Have you recently reviewed your location effectiveness and lease terms?
                 Do you plan to add partners or expand through acquisition?

                       Describe:

                 Do you have a succession plan or plan of liquidation?

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE

YES    NO

                 Is your business profitable?

                 Is your business growing?

                 Do you use a payroll service?

                 Are you current on all tax filings and payments?

                 Do you have a current tax reduction plan?

                 Do you have a Business Financial Report that is current, readable and useful?

                 Do you prepare your own financial reports?

                 Do you have an operating budget?

                 Are your accounts receivable current within 90 days?

                 Are you satisfied with your accounts receivable write-off percentage? How much? __ %

                 Is your business cash flow steady from month to month?

                 Does your business have a cash buffer, contingency fund or line of credit?

                 Are your credit card balances paid off monthly?

                 Do you have access to low-cost capital or normal loan rates?

                 Do you use accounting or sales software? Specify:

                 Have you recently reviewed your location effectiveness and lease terms?

                 Do you have a succession plan or plan of liquidation?

                 Do you have an annual review of your accounting system? Circle the expense category of most concern:

• salaries
• supplies
• insurance
• equipment
• travel
• consultants       
• training
• memberships
• rent
• other (specify) _______________________________

MARKETING & SALES

YES    NO

                 Have you defined your target market?

                 Do you know your ideal client profile?

                       Describe:

                 Do you have a marketing budget? Percentage of total budget spent on marketing: ______%

                 Do you have business cards and letterhead?

                 Do you have brochures or other promotional materials?

                 Do you assess your marketing effectiveness on a regular basis?

                 Do you know where most of your new business is generated from?

                       Describe:

                 Do you have any sales people or account representatives?

                 Are your salespeople/account representatives commission based?

                 Do you attend or exhibit at trade shows and/or conferences?

                 Do you receive referrals from customers/clients?

                 Do you receive referrals from other business professionals?

                 Do you have a website? Circle the best description of your current website needs:

• electronic brochure
• electronic billboard
• e-tail store
• interactive marketing
• data collection
• online database
• e-commerce

HUMAN RESOURCES

YES    NO

                 Do you have an employee manual and written policies and procedures?

                 Do you maintain current job descriptions?

                 Do you have an organizational chart with management reporting?

                 Do you use subcontractors?

                 Do you perform regular wage and benefit comparisons within your market?

                 Do you perform formal interviews and reference checking prior to hiring employees?

                 Do you have an orientation program for new employees?

                 Do you have a training program?

                 Do you have measurable and reasonable performance objectives for each employee?

                 Do you perform formal annual written performance and compensation evaluations?

                 Do you provide financial incentives based on productivity?

                 Do you review employee benefits packages annually?

                 Are your employees well-suited to their current positions?

                 Do you experience difficulty keeping valued employees?

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

YES    NO

                 Do you use computers in your business? How many? ___________

                 Are your computers networked?

                 Do all your employees work from the same location?

                 Does your computer system enhance your productivity and professionalism?

                 Is your computer system and software customized for your business operations?

                 Are you using e-mail to communicate with clients and employees?

                 Are you using a database to organize information? How many databases?_________

                 Do you perform daily network backups and have you recently tried to restore a file?

                 Do you have semi-annual workstation and server checkups?

                 Do you have system access security and virus protection?

                 Do you have on-site software user training?

                 Is your operating system using Windows XP?

                 Are you using electronic organizers such as Microsoft Outlook?

                 Are you using personal digital assistant technology (i.e. Palm Pilot)

                 Are you utilizing voicemail, mobile phones and/or pagers?

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