Running your own business involves a millions of details and moving parts. And if you’re relying on yourself to remember all of these, you WILL get burned out. Things WILL fall through the cracks and ultimately you will lose the trust of your customers. Not a great place to end up in an environment where prospects and customers are seeking you to be their trusted advisor.
This is why the creation of systems is vital for you if you are to create a Joined Up Business so you can become focused and productivity by saving yourself resources. You see systems are the lifeblood of your business – they are an integral part of the business DNA and yet many business take an ostrich approach to systems – preferring to stick their head in the sand rather than take action and get some simple systems set up,
A system is simply a series of steps for a particular task or project. The cool part? You shouldn’t be the one executing the system. Once you have systems documented, you can hand them off to key team members – this is how you begin to create a business that runs without you.
If you’ve never systematized anything in your business before, take heart – if you take the same steps to achieve particular tasks in your business more than once, you already have the makings of a system for that task.
The key is to hone, refine and ultimately delegate the RIGHT systems that are going to grow your business.
Which systems should you implement FIRST? Below are my top 7 systems that I use daily to run my business.
1. A system to attract new clients.
Your business growth depends on your ability to attract new, highly qualified, highly awesome ideal peeps into your world, month in and month out. (The easiest way to get started? A signature system, a signature talk, and local speaking gigs. Simple, streamlined and proven.)
2. A system to turn prospects into invested clients.
What happens when a potential new client contacts you or your team out of the blue? When you invest time, energy and attention to attract new clients, it only makes sense to have a system that kicks in to turn these prospects into invested new clients.
3. A system to follow up with prospects (after events, networking, or in-person meetings).
Nothing closes the “know-like-trust” gap faster than face-to-face connection, which means that every event you attend can mean thousands of dollars in business for you – if you follow up. Next time you find a stack of business cards in your purse, ask yourself, “How can I systematize follow-up within 48 hours of the event?”
4. A system for “keep in touch” (such as a newsletter).
There is no way that you can expect to fill your programs easily if you’re not doing SOME kind of outreach or follow-up. Whether it’s a newsletter, a video newsletter, an evergreen autoresponder, or a blog (used in conjunction with email), you’ve got to do something and do it consistently. Which means… you need a system. 🙂
5. A system to serve clients in your programs.
When a new client signs up, there’s excitement… and terror. She’s thinking a zillion things, not the least of which is, “Did I really make the right move, invetsing £5000 to this person?” Every program you offer needs to have a system behind it to give your clients a stellar experience: welcoming new clients, scheduling the calls, delivering the calls, recording calls, distributing the calls, communicating with your herd and whatever else you do to deliver the goods. Your clients DO notice these details, which, when done well, leads to better results and repeat business.
6. A system to manage your cash.
Your cash flow system should include “buckets” for incoming money (X for taxes, Y for expenses, Z for your salary, and so on). And always pay yourself, even if it’s just one dollar – the action matters more than the amount when you’re just getting started.
7. A system to generate referrals & testimonials.
The best clients come from your awesome current clients. Awesome current clients love to refer, so make it easy on them. (Which makes your business growth easy on you – win!)
The small amount of time you’ll invest in setting up your systems will pay you back exponentially in time and income over the long run, PLUS give all of your clients and potential clients the kind of high-value experience that truly sets you apart.
You can learn more about the 21 Ways I see most business owners losing cash and clients because they don’t have simple systems and processes in place by going to www.businesshorsepower.com and downing my free report
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
