It took chance and good fortune to have the paths of Barbara Hyde and Sandy Ramsey cross 15 years ago.  Both had relocated to Phoenix years ago, were business owners and had a need to fill.  Barbara required software for Statewide Barricade and Sandy needed customers for her software development company.  Little did they know what started out as a standard business relationship would turn into a thriving company that now markets software to barricade rental companies across the country.

After developing and using the new program for a number of years, Barbara and her husband Ken sold the business, but kept the software rights in a partnership with Sandy’s company, Programs R Us, Inc.  As Statewide’s ex-employees moved on to other companies, they began contacting Barbara about the software which they had come to depend on for their daily operations.  Smart business women that they are, Barbara and Sandy realized they had an opportunity to fill a niche as only one other company catered to this industry.  In June 2004, Barbara and Sandy merged their talents and created Traffic Control Rental Software, LLC.

With Barbara’s sales background and knowledge of the barricade industry, she is able to contact companies and introduce them to TCR Software by relating to their needs and problems inherent in the industry.  She knows how to ‘talk the talk’ and companies appreciate dealing with someone who has been in the business.  Barbara offers her expertise by sharing the methods they had used to keep labor costs down such as making their drivers more accountable for their time, as well as valuable ideas on dispatching, tracking and maintaining their equipment.  Being proactive with the customer is something Barbara always promotes.  Weekly reports emailed to customers keeps them informed on the status of jobs prior to them ever receiving an invoice.

Sandy’s degree in Business in conjunction with her programming skills helps customers convert their challenges into business solutions.  Sandy is able to look at the current operations of the company and offer ways to streamline processes to become more efficient.  Using the latest technologies available allows companies to get far more done with less manpower, saving them money.  And when it comes to tracking thousands of pieces of equipment and producing accurate invoices it is critical that this process is straightforward and not time consuming.

Both Barbara and Sandy realize each others strengths and capitalize on them when working with customers as well as managing the day to day operations of their company.  Being a women owned business in a construction type industry certainly has its challenges, but Sandy and Barbara have discovered many of the companies they sell to are also women owned businesses.  They have found it easy to talk “woman to woman” to help brainstorm and problem solve.

Having a great product is only part of their success.  Both Barbara and Sandy know excellent service and follow through is vital in any business.  If any of their customers were contacted they know they would be given the highest praise for customer service in addition to providing a quality product.  Any software is only as good as the people using the program, so extensive and detailed training is part of any installation.  Here is what one customer had to say:

“What a pleasure to work with you ladies and my staff is very happy with the training they received, as well as the product itself. Osiris is beaming and who would have thought that traffic control billings could be so fun. Anyway, thank you so much for your professionalism, expertise, patience and determination to get me and my staff up to speed. I’d recommend you any day!” Debbie L. Hunsaker, President, Alert-O-Lite, Inc.

Today, after 5 years Barbara and Sandy are proud to introduce TCR Online.  With the help of Yagna Soft, they rewrote the software, originally developed in Microsoft Access. The new Web-based application uses Microsoft’s SQL database engine and enables TCR Software to offer customers the same features of the original software, plus many added benefits. Their new program gives customers the ability to have a mobile office, whether a supervisor is on a job site or an employee is working from home, both can easily access their data and valuable reports.

By paying a small monthly licensing fee, companies can accurately track and bill their equipment rentals online without the larger up front expense of licensing software and purchasing hardware.  In tough economic times, it allows companies to better utilize their cash flow for other business needs.

Sandy and Barbara took a leap of faith with this investment in their company and wanted to be at a different level than other rental software companies catering to this industry.  They feel Web-based programs will continue to be strong as portability is key and having a program accessible anywhere the Internet is available is a very valuable asset in today’s market.

Elisa Balabram asked Barbara Hyde to share her advice on starting a business with a partner, here is her advice: “In any partnership give and take is important.  Knowing your partner’s strengths and weaknesses is key.  With Sandy and I, she is more analytical while I am more a creative.  I can jump to a quick solution while Sandy needs to ponder it, but at the end we both agree and arrive at the best method.  We each value each other for what they do, talk over all issues before implementing and above all take some time to have fun together.  On the legal side, as with any business, it is important to have an Operating Agreement that spells out exactly who has what responsibilities, how income/expenses are divided and how future events are handled with regard to the status of the business.  This document not only protects all parties involved but also makes sure that you all have the same goals for the company from the beginning.” Barbara Hyde.

For this issue of Womenandbiz.com, Barbara Hyde shares the most important sales lessons she has learned:

1. Talk less and listen to your customer more.  Find out their needs before expanding on how great your product is.  Be sure to address how your product can solve their problems.
2. When telephoning always ask your prospective client if this is a good time to talk as they might have taken your call, but are in the middle of something else.  You will not have their full attention so it is best to call back.
3. After the sale your service is as important as the sale itself.

For more information, visit www.TCRSoftware.com.