If I could tell business owners (no matter the size) one thing, for their business, it would be to identify their systems as it will make their business easier. Systems involve the process(es) you use from identifying potential clients, to starting a conversation with them, to having a strategy call, to signing them on as a client.
Systems make your business easier as you won’t have to think of what you will do when you meet a potential client – the system is what you will follow each time. That makes business easier and you won’t be all over the place each time. It’s the old ‘rinse and repeat’ process.
I see many business owners who struggle with this; they have a potential client who wants to work with them but then they aren’t sure what to with them; they feel they have to recreate a new way each time. This not only leads to massive frustration (on both sides) but it is a costly mistake in that the potential client drops out and finds someone who does have a system.
Clients want solutions to their problems – and quickly. Many of your potential clients have struggled for quite some time; they have lost some sleepless nights and have developed self-defeating behaviors that prevent them from moving forward in their business. Making the decision to get help is very challenging for a lot of business owners.
So, when they finally reach, out they don’t want to wait on getting the solutions they need. With a system, you can help them faster and you will have a thought-out method that leads them to that solution. Not only that, you will have a way to gauge your return on investment (ROI) as they move from one step to the other. Results will be more visible to both them and you.
So, what is involved in a system? This will vary with each business and their offerings but, basically, they include:
- Identifying and finding your target market – knowing who you serve is the key to then finding and helping them with what keeps them up at night. When you know your target, then you can have a system for finding where they hang out.
- The method you take them through from intake to goal accomplishment – these are the specific steps from the time you have that first conversation with them to them reaching whatever goal(s) they set in the beginning. Knowing these will not only lead to client success, but it can also be the foundation for products to create, such as a book or eBook, a how to manual, checklists, etc.(and can add multiple streams of income while helping more people).
- Your marketing methods, including follow-up – this is where you plan all activities for attracting your ideal client, and letting the world know about you; this can include: your website, business card, log, social media, networking events, speaking events, writing (blog, articles), and the like. Having a calendar each month will keep these action steps in view so you know what to do each day Following up with clients – potentials, current, past – will keep you on their mind and lead to them hiring you, whether the first time or again and again.
Following these steps will help you to have a proven method that you can repeat over and over again. This will not only help your clients achieve the level they desire, but it will take the stress off of you so you can focus on helping more clients and having fun in your business.
One of my favorite new shows is Songland, which is a competition for songwriters to present their word for a famous star. There are three others, who have all written songs for major stars, such as Beyonce; the mentors work with them to make the songs better and then the star chooses the one they will sing and put on their next album.
