Remember how excited you were to start your job? The anticipation, the nervousness, maybe even downright terrified for that first day. You worked hard to be a team player, built relationships with your co-workers, and gave 150% to show everyone you have what it takes to get the job done. Flash forward a couple of years, how’s that motivation now? I bet many would say comfortable, maybe even in auto pilot mode, and the enthusiasm that you had that first day has waned a bit. I think at one point or another, we have all felt that way. How can you get your mojo back? Two words; continuing education. Don’t roll your eyes and start thinking how am I going to go back to school when I have little extra time or money. I am talking about venturing out and attending a conference in your field. There’s nothing like spending a few days networking with people, learning new ideas and rejuvenating your mind and spirit. And the best part, most employers will pay for it. One of the things I appreciate the most about my boss, is he truly believes in the value of continuing education. In fact, it is part of our job description; we are encouraged to have 40 hours of continuing education each year. We receive credit for books read in our field, trade shows and online Webinars we attend, and of course outside conferences or workshops.

I just returned from a content marketing conference in Cleveland that included over 600 professional marketers from all over the world. The networking opportunities were amazing and I attended break-out sessions lead by industry leading experts and authors, whose books by the way, I have read and are on my Kindle. The best part of the conference? The friends I have made and the new information I learned, left me motivated and excited to come back and work harder at my job. You might say I found my mojo!

When it comes to business, playing games is not a good strategy. However, there is something to be learned from those board games we have played over the years. Use these game strategies when you are searching for the right accounting software vendor for your business.

Pictionary

Don’t get out your paper and pencil just yet. Play Pictionary with accounting software vendors by having them show you instead of tell you. It’s easy for somebody to simply say, “Yes, our software can handle that.” Ask the vendor to show you in a demonstration how the system can actually handle the function, for instance, if you need recurring invoicing, have the vendor show you how their system handles that. By seeing it, you can be assured it works how you want it to.

Trivial Pursuit

Thankfully, you can do this without brightly colored pie shaped pieces. Play trivial pursuit with vendors by making sure you find out about even the most trivial of needs. If the shipping department really needs a piece of information on the packing list, ask about it! Just imagine the time you can save over a matter of years by ensuring your system can handle a wide number of processes or functions that may seem trivial. On the other hand, purchasing a system that cannot handle those things can cost your business big in time and money. Clarify on paper your most trivial of needs, so you can be sure that the new system you choose has something to handle them.

Chutes and Ladders

Do you remember this game from childhood, and how frustrating it was to be a space or two away from winning and then fall down a big slide or ‘chute’? In real life, nobody wants to climb a huge ladder and unexpectedly or mistakenly go down a monstrous slide. In much the same way, you should have a team of support experts standing behind their software and able to help when you need it. When you are trying to reach accounting software support, being transferred from person to person or infinitely on hold is nearly as bad as falling down a giant slide!

Monopoly

Hey, just because an accounting software vendor is well-known, doesn’t mean they have the monopoly on the market. There are many accounting software vendors and one of them is right for your business, you just have to do your research to find out which one is right for you!

All this game playing is really just another way of saying, be sure to put accounting software vendors to the test before purchasing a new system for your business. Since you will work with this vendor for many years, these are details you want to work hard to get right.