Systems should not live in your head. Learn all about the key business systems to implement in your business and how to refine them here.
All businesses need to implement systems or standard operating procedures. Without such systems in place, chaos ensues. You will end up losing, money, time, energy, and in the end, even the business itself.
That’s not good, right?
To avoid falling into this trap, I prepared this article especially for you. You’ll discover the three systems that should be a standard for every business and the 4 steps you can take to refine existing systems in your business.
The 3 Standard Operating Procedures
System #1 – Marketing
One of the most important systems that you need in your business is marketing. But I’m not talking about not just any marketing. You need a system that creates predictable marketing – it has to be good.
Now, what do I mean when I say predictable marketing?
Let me give you an example.
An unpredictable marketing system goes something like this:
Sometimes you post, and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you post three times a day, and sometimes you skip. And as a result, you have no idea how many leads will come into your business each week.
A predictable marketing system, meanwhile, sets you up for success. It can predict how many incoming leads you’ll have to deal with in a week, month, or year.
System #2 – Fulfillment
It will always be easier to get people who already know you like you and trust you to buy again and spend more than somebody who's brand new and doesn't know you yet.
This is the reason why fulfillment is the most important system to implement first in your business – it’s not marketing, but fulfillment. Because if you cannot deliver your end of the deal, no amount of marketing is going to save your business.
It’s about asking yourself: who's in charge of keeping your customers happy? And is that happiness translating into spending more money with your business?
So, when it comes to fulfillment systems, here’s what you need to think about:
- Who are the people that are looking after your clients?
- Are they happy with your program?
- Are your clients telling people about you?
- Who’s looking after the people that have left?
Making sure that you have a rock-solid fulfillment system also takes the pressure off your marketing team. Because if your existing customers stay, you don’t need to market so much and look for people to see and buy your new product or service.
When you dial in your client's delivery, it will save your marketing—and ultimately, your business.
System #3 – Operations
This may be the most boring of the three SOPs. But operations bears the same weight.
Here's what I want you to know: Operations is all about automation.
Because operations involves the boring stuff that you don't want to do, right? So, you have to think of a way to automate it. That’s how you can be more efficient and work on the more exciting stuff in your business.
The more you systematize your operations through automation, the less time and energy to put into it.
4 Steps to Determine if Your Systems Need Refinement
Step 1: List down your systems
First of all, take a look at all your systems in the business.
What part of the business is costing you money? Do you have no predictable marketing in place? How’s your fulfillment going? Are your operational tasks taking too much of your time?
Write them all down.
Step 2: Find out when was the last time they were updated
Once you’ve listed down your systems, take a long, hard look at them. Are they updated? Did you do something with these systems three years ago and no one has looked at it since then? Can anybody actually use it? And would it still make sense in your business?
If you’re not using, updating, and checking your systems every so often, you're going to have problems.
Step 3: Determine how often your systems were tested
Systems have saved our business time and time again. When someone goes on vacation, unexpectedly gets sick, or goes on leave because a loved one passes away, systems are there to help us out.
When any of those things happen with my team, the business does not fall apart. After all, we have systems in place to keep us going without a hitch.
Now, when I say testing your systems, it means determining how many people can jump in and fill a role when something happens. If none of your team members can do it, then there’s a problem with your systems.
Step 4: Get your systems out of your head
Systems should never just live in your head. They aren’t something that should live on post-its or any kind of paper all around your office. Instead, it is something you and your team need to live by.
It is dangerous for your business to exist without systems.
Why?
Because proceeding like this will cost you money. It will cost you time. And it will affect the overall performance of your team.
But how exactly should you get it out of your head?
Teach it to your team. Train them to adopt your systems until they can run like a well-oiled machine. And remember to make them accountable.
Implement the Right Systems Now
Systems not only ensure that your business will run like a well-oiled machine. It will also take the pressure off you as the business owner. And having good systems in place will ensure that you don’t always have to jump in and fix every little thing that goes on in your business.
Now that you know the three SOPs and the four steps to refine your systems, you have more than enough knowledge to create systems that will help you succeed.
But if you want more help in creating systems that will get your business running smoothly…
Schedule a free strategy session with us. Book a call here: www.stacytuschl.com/call.
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