You created a business because you wanted it to support the lifestyle you were after. For many, freedom is the main reason for being self-employed. But if you don’t want to become a slave to your own business, then you need to systemise your business.
Systemising your business simply means defining all the processes you use, so you can maximise efficiency, ensure consistent results and automate where possible. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use automation, as some processes will simply warrant a template or workflow to ensure efficient results. But there are a lot of different things you can systemise in your business, so here are 5 key areas you’ll want to take into consideration.
#1: Onboarding/Reporting
The way you onboard new clients is an important part of your business. It’s one of those areas where it’s crucial that you are consistent in your actions, as it gives clients an indication of how they’re going to be treated, moving forward. Once a client has been successfully onboarded, you’ll also want to create a system for reporting progress and getting feedback from your clients too.
#2: Systemise your sales process
Your entire sales process needs to be systemised. From Lead generation and nurturing, through to quotes, proposals and the sales process itself. You want to implement a proven system that generates leads and helps convert them into satisfied buyers – whilst also providing a great level of after-sales care too. So document everything you do to take a client through this process, so you can systemise and replicate it.
#3: Customer support
One area you’ll want to systemise is customer support. How do you provide customer service and what does it entail? Remember to cover everything, from answering frequently asked questions right through to complaints and feedback/testimonials.
#4: Systemise your training processes
This covers two sides of your business – the inhouse training you provide staff and outsourcers, and the training you provide for your clients (such as webinars and challenges etc). All of the training processes you use can be systemised and documented, to ensure consistency and efficiency.
#5: Your business marketing
Marketing is essential for any business and when you’re running an online one, you have a lot of marketing elements to cover. From content creation (such as blogging and podcasts), through to paid advertising and SEO, you need to ensure you’re using replicable processes and have them documented. Business operations such as marketing, form an important part of your business operations and it’s crucial that you know what you’re doing and the results you can expect to get. [If you’re not sure what business operations are, check out: Why business operations are an important pillar in your business foundations.]
The above 5 areas are easy to systemise in your business, all it takes is a little effort and time. But if you want to maximise efficiency and ensure consistent, replicable results, it’s an essential part of growing your business. And let’s not forget, once it’s done, it will help you save time and money in the future – something we’re all keen to do!
If you’re looking at the above areas you can systemise in your business and feel a little overwhelmed or confused, don’t worry! Whether you need help implementing systemising in your business or simply would love to get your ‘how-to’ questions answered, why not book yourself in for a Power Hour session with me? We can get clear on the process, and how to automate it, along with the tools I’d recommend you use, in a Power Hour call. You’ll find more information on my Power Hour calls, here.