I had a meeting with a client this week and she is launching a business that helps business owners have systems in place so that they can succeed!
This topic is not very sexy when you talk about it with another business owner. Seriously, next time you’re out at your business networking event ask people you meet if they have set systems and processes in place for how they sell, market, track the financials, or do customer care and experience.
Usually, eyes will gloss over at the very thought of having systems and processes in place.
But without planned systems and processes in place, aspects of your entire business operations and business are doomed to fail, or if your business doesn’t fail, it won’t be as successful as you might like it to be!
Think about it; life is a set of systems. How you are born takes certain steps for it all to happen. For a tree, each spring grows their foliage and a leaf suddenly appears, geese fly south when it gets cold in the fall, and the traffic light system in your city is programmed so cars don’t go through a red light and crash!
This summer, begin to look within how you structure your business and make a goal to build and improve various systems and fine-tune aspects of your company.
Make a project out of it, so it is more fun to do!
Look at how other companies do things and adopt “best practices”. This reason alone is why I believe joining a trade association is key, because when you go to the monthly meetings, or the annual trade show/conferences, you get a chance to learn about success strategy and how others do it well!
Here is an infographic to help you manage the systems and processes…
When you look at your business this quarter, divide into components.
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
Look at your product and service offering and figure out how you can do what you do better, cheaper, faster.
CUSTOMERS (MARKETING AND SALES)
Look at who your customers are and who new ones will be and then examine how you will reach them and attract them to your business…and make sure you have products, services and ideas that your customer needs and will help them achieve a result they are looking for! Make sure your products/services offer a client a solution to their needs or problems!
Then look at how you work with a client from beginning to end. What goes into how you attract prospects, work with them, service them, follow up and most of all how do you treat and serve your prospect and clients?
Examine your marketing tools. Do they work? Does the message you communicate work? Is how you market or advertise connecting to your ideal market or customer?
PRODUCTION AND FULFILLMENT
From there you need to look at how you make, do or process goods and services. Are you up to par technologically? Are you using the best vendors? Is your equipment effective? Can you scale? Can you make dozens instead of one at a time?
This is all about how you deliver the goods and services and finding ways to be efficient. Heck, even I struggle on trading time for dollars in my coaching/training practice…
PEOPLE
You need to look at how you hire people next. How do you hire, where do you find them? What do you look for in a new hire? How about training them? Or having processes in place if you must let them go. You even need to ensure you ask appropriate questions in an interview, so you guard against anything that is said that might be deemed as discriminatory!
MONEY
Look at the money aspects of your venture. Can you edge your prices up so you can increase sales? Do you look at additional offerings so that you bundle a sale and sell more with each transaction?
Can you cut costs? Are you profitable? Is your cash flow in check? Do you need an influx of capital to grow and yes, take it to the next level?
You might need to look at crowdfunding, venture capital, factoring or alternatives to financing.
Look at it…
In fact, look at all aspects of your business and decide what is yelling out, “I need help, I need you to work on this NOW”!
This quarter, look at one or 2 aspects of your business and how you do what you do and then plan on improvements. Work the plan, share it with your team, stakeholders and yes talk to your banker, accountants and legal team!
Here is to your success. When you do look at how your overall business works and when it comes time to make improvements, take on a little at a time. You don’t want to be on “Overwhelm mode”.
Make little adjustments on the road to your company running like a dream!
