Good Morning,
I hope you’re having a fantastic first quarter so far (and have managed to keep your Resolutions this far into the New Year) but I have to ask you:
What are you doing to make your business easier for you?
Now, “easy” is a relative term for a lot of folks, but what I’m really talking about is your client fulfillment system, your lead acquisition process, and how you’re keeping up with all your prospects.
Have you made that “easy”?
THAT’S the theme I want to explore this month: the various parts of the complete business model you have and how to maximize (or minimize) the time you’re spending in your business doing “day-to-day” operations-based tasks.
Let’s start with some definitions then, okay? After that, I’m going to give you some homework…
Your client fulfillment system is just that – how your business actually does the job it is in business to do. Build houses, fix computers, clean offices, grow oranges. Whatever.
Your lead acquisition process is how you get customers: are you a contractor to a larger entity and simply provide a specific solution to their needs? Do you sell to other businesses? Customers off the street? Are you digital or brick and mortar?
Finally, there’s prospect nurturing. Now, this is NOT just about acquiring leads, it’s about how your business is seen in terms of marketing, your social media presence, and to a smaller degree, the overall advertising gameplan you’re using. Think of the differences between how Apple users view their products and how PC or Samsung users view the devices driven by those operating systems. Two completely different ways to look at products that do the same thing.
When you take the time to define and plan how each of these pieces work in your business and then, how they impact your own personal schedule, I think you’ll see how creating systems to run them – versus simply “doing them” each month – can give you back far more time to develop other key pieces of your business.
So where can you start? Well, let’s think about it in terms of something we ALL have in common – time.
How much of it are you having to spend each week doing and fulfilling these key parts related to your business growth?
If you’re truly interested in budgeting out your time better and spending more of it in places that really benefit your company, then I’d like you to keep track of the time you’re spending this week on each of the three pieces we’ve talked about today. Make the simplest chart – even if it’s only three columns on a legal pad – and track how much time you’re spending “in” each one of these.
Oh, and something a lot of entrepreneurs forget about? Track how much time you actually spend working, too.
Not going to Starbucks.
Not at the gym.
Not in traffic.
Not on Facebook.
Working.
I think you’ll find there are some hours that aren’t accounted for each week that can give you an edge over your competition.
Sincerely,
