Process Prodigy – Work Less, Make More Money & Create Outrageously Effective Systems for Your Business

By Beth Schneider

Did you miss part 1? Become my Facebook friend and check it out in the notes section – or see it on our blog at http://www.processprodigy.com/blog/?p=244.

These days I find myself doing a lot of writing. I have a whole routine; grab a cup of coffee and close down all programs except for a word document. Since I like to scribble notes, I keep a pad and pen handy. I also like to be comfortable, so yes, I have special writing pants. Even with my routine in place, I often find myself sitting and staring at a blank screen. Tapping my finger on the pad, scratching my head and getting frustrated, which makes it hard to think, which makes it harder to write. UGGGHH!
People are always asking me how to get started with putting systems in place. It dawned on me that these same people might have their own routine. They get motivated, put on their special systems pants and then stare at a blank screen. Focusing on HOW you do something in your business is the key to squeezing 2-3 times the results from your existing team and marketing efforts, so let’s make this easy to get started. No more starting at a blank screen. Oh and special system pants are not required.

There are three essential systems that every business, no matter what the size, must have. In my Outrageously Effective Systems Club, we call these the core systems. They are:

1. A system for Overcoming Sales Objections
2. A system for Setting Up New Clients
3. A Project Management system

Overcoming Sales Objections
My friend, Sharla Jacobs of www.rejuvenateyourpractice.com calls this “dancing with concerns”, which, I think, is a great way to describe this task. Take a close look at the excuses . . .er . . .I mean reasons that people give you to explain why they are not ready to buy. Then, one-by-one, create a list of things to say and do to turn those “reasons to walk away” into “reasons to buy”. The biggest complaint out there is, “I don’t have enough clients.” Consider this an essential piece of your business because it is what brings in the clients and signs them up.

Setting Up New Clients
I bet you’ve been in this situation. You go into a store and the clerk follows you around, attending to your every need… well, until you hand over the cash. Once you’ve given up your money, you become suddenly invisible. What do you do to your clients once they’ve said yes? Every marketing guru in the world will tell you it’s easier to sell more to an existing client than to go out and get a new client. So what are you doing from the start to make sure that your clients feel like royalty and want to stay around you? Lay out all of the new client steps ahead of time so that each and every one of those new additions feels completely taken care of and important. When your clients feel good, they buy more from you and then they tell their friends to buy from you. Result? You feel good, too.

Project Management
The dream is to be able to kick back and enjoy your life while your business runs without you. That’s a scenario we’d all like to live into, isn’t it? Unfortunately, the more common scenarios I see include stressed out, overwhelmed and very “stuck” business owners. Why is like this? Well, primarily because so many business owners have “fallen out of the driver seat” and their businesses are driving them rather than vice versa. If this sounds like your situation, take a breath… You can get back into the driver’s seat by laying out the pieces of your business as if it were a recurring project. For example, my client Michele takes each and every client through a series of steps and tasks. By documenting those tasks she made it easy for her team to understand exactly what she needs them to do and how to do it. For your own situation, pick something that happens over and over, maybe coaching clients, launching products, doing teleclasses, etc. Lay out each and every step so that you can repeat those same steps instead of constantly reinventing the wheel.

Next time you sit down to figure out how to free up your time and make things easier, think about the core systems.

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By Beth Schneider

Think back to when you were a kid. How many times did you quickly get in a single file line and calmly follow your teacher out the door during a fire drill? It got so routine, the drills just seemed silly, right? But think about, had the bell been an actual fire, you knew exactly what to do without thinking.
It’s easy to pretend that nothing bad will ever happen. We’d all like the think that emergencies, illness and accidents will only happen to someone else.
But what would happen to your business if you, someone you love or one of your team members was suddenly out of commission?
Would your clients go away? Your marketing efforts stop? Your cash flow wither up and die?
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick, sad and stressed out, I don’t tend to do my best thinking. The idea is to be prepared and ready BEFORE you need that emergency plan so that it just happens without thinking. Here’s how to get started.

Figure out who would need to be contacted.
If you were suddenly out of commission, who would need to know? People like team members, clients, vendors, leads.
Have a communications plan. Determine who your communication lead is. Maybe a VA, a manager, maybe even a friend or relative depending on the size of your business. But be sure to choose someone that won’t be emotionally involved with your emergency. For instance, if you fell ill, your husband probably wouldn’t be the best choice because he’d be off taking care of you.
For me, it my communication lead is my coordinator, Tasha. When ever any thing happens she is the first person I call. I call her and she does the rest.

Determine what you want your communication lead to do.
When you do make that emergency call, what do you want your communication lead to do? Reschedule clients? Ship product? Reschedule speaking engagements? Monitor email? Complete a project? Pay bills?
Here’s how you determine what you need to do. Pretend that you have just won an all expense, first class, once in a life-time trip. The only catch is you have to leave tomorrow and you can’t take your lap top with you. Make a list of all the things that would need to happen immediately or be delegated so that you could get on that plane. Those are your emergency items.

Define how emergency items are handled.
Now that you know who will handle the items and what they are supposed to handle, you have to set up your lead to actually get to the information they need. Here’s where your systems really come into play. Lets say, one of the items on your list is to reschedule appointments. How will your communication lead access your appointments? Are they on a calendar that only you have access to? How will they get the phone numbers of the people to call? For me, I use an online tool that syncs my calendar and contacts. Tasha just has to log in and she can see all my appointments, who they are with and she can access their phone number and email address. All without me lifting a finger. While I’m a big fan of online tools, this particular item could be solved by simply giving someone you trust a key to your office and a quick tour of your computer so they would know where to look for your calendar and contacts.
So now go through your list of emergency items and figure out how the information will be accessed.

The idea is to simply know what to do should something happen BEFORE it’s an issue.

© 2007 Beth Schneider.
Want to reprint this article? Feel free as long as you include the following: “Beth Schneider, Chief Infopreneur of Process Prodigy, is a business process consultant who helps solo-entrepreneurs, small business owners and network marketers who want to systemize their business to increase profits, increase productivity and grow their business without having to give up the family oriented, flexible, balanced lifestyle they desire. Beth works one-on-one with her clients, offers home study courses, and teleclass boot camps. For more information visit www.ProcessProdigy.com and sign up for your FREE 5-Step Process Starter Kit and FREE Process Tips. Also, visit Process Prodigy’s family sites www.YourBusinessMachineBasics.com and www.MadeItToAMillion.com

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