Online Business Management

3 Systems Every Business Needs

Online Business Management, Operations, Strategic Consulting, Strategic Planning / January 24, 2022
A system is a process which focuses on specific issues in your organization. By applying systems to your business, you will save time and money by not repeating the tasks over and having everything automated.

There is one issue every business owner and entrepreneur faces – we all have so much to do and not enough time to do it! This leaves very little time to spend on things that really matter like revenue-generating activities and scaling your business to its next level.

However, there is something that all business owners can do to help alleviate this issue. Implement business systems.

What are business systems?

A system is a process which focuses on specific issues in your organization. The system is normally automated, but the essential part is that a system makes the process much simpler. Systems improve productivity! Systems save the business owner time and money by automating repeated steps of the processes in your business. Typical examples of tasks that can be systemized include social media posting, email marketing, client onboarding, client offboarding, time-tracking, or invoicing.

Beginning with a systems approach means not having to waste time on smaller activities that consume your time in your business. Having solid systems in place, your processes move more fluidly and like clockwork. As the business owner and CEO, you will be able to redirect your attention to the more important activities that are likely to add so much more value.

 The idea of implementing systems can be overwhelming. And as explained above, this is your Why. But for the other 4 W’s, I’ve seen and heard many business owners who were not sure Who to turn to for help, What systems were needed, When to begin, and hoW to optimize them.

Here are 3 very important systems every business owner needs and should have. They can be quickly and easily implemented into your business. The Return On Investment will be greatly manifested!

Client Onboarding

You know what they say about first impressions. Having a Client Onboarding system will impress your clients and cement how your clients view you and your services. Automate and personalize your onboarding process with your brand. Typical areas to automate are your online scheduler, email templates, proposals and contracts to name a few. Once you have created these systems, you can map out an entire workflow that will move your clients through the Client Onboarding system.

Example: Client receives your proposal which links to a contract and invoice once accepted. After the invoice is paid, the client receives a link to your Scheduler to schedule the onboarding call. After the onboarding call, the client receives a Welcome email containing important information regarding your organization.

This process can be refined and tweaked as much as you like and even more as your business scales

The Dubsado platform is a great tool for creating a Client Onboarding system. The system will be pretty much plug-n-play. Click HERE to use my affiliate code to receive 20% off.

Client Management

Client management systems are also important to your business. Having one in place helps to improve service to clients and keeps you organized while doing so. Creating master files, templates, and guidelines saves time, and improves efficiency and accessibility. Creating master data forms which house your clients data will help to stay on top of the client’s important information. Using tools as simple as this affiliate link for Google Workspace (enter this code 963FD7RG9JM36RL for 20% off the first year)  can be very effective and cost-efficient or you can reach higher with more robust systems such as Keap. As your business grows and scales, having this process systemized will provide long-term efficiency.

Project Management

Having a team means delegating and monitoring tasks. The most effective business system that is a must is the project management system. Using a PM tool like ClickUp, Trello, or Asana will absolutely allow you to take your business to the next level and scale. You and your team will remain organized on all current tasks while previous tasks can be documented for reference. The PM tool also helps to stay organized and create timelines to manage client expectations on projects. Clients will feel like they are getting a customized experience that impresses them.

PM tools typically have the ability to integrate with MANY other tools to make your work easier and smarter. And when working with team members, the PM tool is great for matching the person to the process which keeps everything running smoothly.

Summary

By applying systems to your business, you will save time and money by not repeating the tasks over and having everything automated. Your time can be invested in other areas of your business that can bring greater value. Even better, clients are happy and feel appreciated because consistent service is being delivered.

Start with these 3 systems as outlined then move to other areas of your business to automate. Have questions? If you’re not sure where to start, why not start with a Strategic Planning session with me where we spend up to 2 hours with each other assessing your business systems and creating a plan for you to implement. Start here and let’s have a coffee chat. You will leave our session with so much more clarity. Book your spot now and receive 22% off any package (use code PCM). Offer expires 1/31/2022. Let’s go!

It’s Time to Make Changes to Your Business Practices When… 

Online Business Management, Operations, Strategic Consulting / January 18, 2022

Your business rules your life.

If your clients are calling, texting, or emailing at all hours of the day, expecting you to answer, your business is ruling your life. Boundaries are important to your wellbeing and clients should know upfront that you are not on call 24/7. You are a business owners and entrepreneur, not a first responder. Even first responders get time off! Set your boundaries (aka business hours) from the start or implement them now.

You feel burned out.

Business burn out comes when you are solely responsible for completing every task. Or when you don’t set boundaries. Or when work infringes on your family time. The ultimate result is you end up physically sick and/or you want to throw in the towel and quit. Your brain and body need down time to relax and regroup, which is why a good night’s sleep is so important to physical health. Constantly thinking about business without a break is a natural case for burn out. Outsource your admin tasks, social media, and/or marketing tasks. Leave work at the office, even if it’s your home office.

You don’t have any free time with family or friends.

Your friends and family will certainly complain if you fall off the face of the earth working your business but these complaints may one day turn to resentment. A spouse may resent being the sole caregiver while you work all hours of the day. Your kids may feel you love the business more than them. Your friends may get tired of issuing invitations if they think your business takes top priority. Without a strong support structure, your efforts to build a legacy may leave you alone in the world.

You spend more time on administrative tasks than with clients.

If your primary purpose of starting a business is to help others, then why are you spending more time on administrative tasks than clients and customers? Yes, you need to market yourself to obtain new clients but implementing your marketing strategy can certainly be done while you are with your clients. Hiring a marketing strategist can help you stay focused on your clients instead of worrying so much about where to find your next client.

Change isn’t easy, especially when you’re talking about changing things about your established business. But the right changes can breathe new life into your business.

Are You Ready for Change but Not Sure Where to Start?

Imagine what it would be like to go from doing all. the. things…to mastering your time, your projects, and the CEO role. As an Strategic Consultant and Operations Manager, my goal is to offer you solutions. Planning, processes, and Analyzing are my Superpowers! I can help you analyze what needs to be changed and how to implement those changes. Some changes are easy, others are more difficult, but they will all be worthwhile if they streamline your business so you can bring in more profits. As business owners, we tend to overthink the process or even the solution that might be in front of you. Let’s connect for a quick coffee chat. GO HERE TO SCHEDULE THAT COFFEE CHAT! If you would like to know more about how me and my service, CLICK HERE.

5 Reasons Why You May Need to Hire an Online Business Manager

Online Business Management / December 20, 2021

Wondering if you should hire an Online Business Manager? Here are 5 tell-tale signs that it may be time for you to add an OBM to your team.

1. Your business is growing while your own free-time is shrinking.

I’m betting you started your business to create more freedom in your life yes? Freedom of time, money and choice. Let me ask you – as your business grows are you actually working more or less time?

If you are on the ‘working more’ side of things you certainly aren’t alone… I can’t count how many times I’ve talked to business owners who have shared how they are actually working more hours in their own business than they ever did in their ‘old job’! Ugh. However it doesn’t have to be this way… as a business owner you have the freedom to be able to make changes in your business, including hiring the right help to get stuff off your plate.

This is exactly what an Online Business Manager does – their focus is to free up the business owner (YOU!) so that they can focus their time and energy on the things that only THEY can do in their business.

2. You are having to turn away opportunities because you are so busy!

This is a sad by-product of the first point. Are you so busy that you can’t take advantage of the opportunities that are coming your way? Do you ever find yourself saying “I would love to do X and know it would be a great new offer… but I simply don’t have the time for it right now.”

Not only can an Online Business Manager help free up your time to be able to explore these opportunities, they can also work on bringing some of these opportunities to life for you! An Online Business Manager helps turn your vision into reality, and can manage the process of creating new offers in your business from concept to launch.

3. You are still doing the same things you were doing when you started your business.

Remember when you first started your business and had to wear many hats? You were the cook, hostess, waitress and busboy (so to speak, hehe.) Now that your business is growing, are you still doing the same things as you were in the beginning? Are you still updating your own website? Are you still sending out broadcasts? Are you still answering all your customer service emails?

As your business grows your role will (and should!) change. An Online Business Manager can lovingly ‘slap your wrist’ when it comes to you doing some of these things… helping you delegate the ‘old’ stuff that is taking up your time and getting in the way of you growing your business.

4. You have a great team, but find yourself frustrated by them always ‘bugging’ you.

This is a common complaint from business owners – they have a great team of VAs, techies and such. And yet they are constantly frustrated by how much their team needs from them. They feel like someone is always tapping them on the shoulder with a question or request.

The thing is, your team does need someone to manage them. They need someone who they can turn to with questions, to get what they need to complete their projects quickly and on time. And if there is not an Online Business Manager on the team who do they turn to? You – the business owner.

As a colleague of mine so eloquently shared:

“My VAs were doing a fine job – it was ME who was unhappy managing them.”

Most business owners really don’t enjoying being managers, and I’m guessing this may be the same for you. An Online Business Manager becomes the key point of contact for your team – all questions, requests and check-ins go to the OBM instead of you.

5. You are stuck at $X revenue and can’t seem to get past that point!

When you find yourself stuck at a certain point in revenue there is usually one thing getting in the way – you! This is often referred to as the quarter million dollar speedbump – where you get stuck in early 6-figures – and a big part of the solution usually requires you removing yourself from the day-to-day of your business.

Start to ask yourself as you go about your day – do I need to be the person to do X? (with X being the many things you spend your time on each day.)

Chances are many things on your to-do list could be passed along to someone else on your team. And an Online Business Manager can help with that process by delegating and managing those tasks on your behalf.

Curious if you’re ready for an Online Business Manager? Click HERE to review my offerings.

Ready to get started? Book a discovery call via this LINK.

Stay tuned next week as I provide 5 Reasons Why You Should Work with an Online Business Consultant.

Are Your Clients Happy?

Online Business Management, Operations, Strategic Consulting, Strategic Planning / December 10, 2021

If you don’t hear any complaints from your clients, you might assume that they are satisfied with your service or product. But are they really satisfied or are they just non-confrontational and looking for another coach behind your back?

The easiest way to attain client feedback is with a survey. You can set these up with a service like SurveyMonkey and ask just a few simple questions. They can be scheduled at the end of your service package, the end of your class, or semi-annually to your current clients.

One common complaint is that clients don’t take the time to look at the survey or answer the questions. If you want to avoid this scenario, offer a free gift for taking the survey, such as a coupon code for an upcoming product or a free checklist or other tool they will find useful. Sometimes gifts like these provide just enough incentive to get the answers you need.

To make your survey even easier, simply ask for a customer satisfaction score, such as 5 stars. This can be done via SurveyMonkey, email, or even a Facebook Messenger chatbot. If anyone gives a low score, you can follow up with a personal phone call or email to get clarification of what happened.

If you want to avoid the whole survey process altogether, simply ask your client at the end of their session package or class if they are satisfied with the results. Ask if there was anything missing that would have helped them during the process. If they are happy, always ask for referrals.

What If My Client Blasts Me with Negative Feedback?

It’s bound to happen at some point that you and a particular client just don’t mesh for any number of reasons. When you ask for feedback – which can be a simple question of “Why don’t you want to continue your sessions?” – you probably won’t like what they have to say. However, it’s important to listen objectively and not take the negative feedback personally. Think back to your interactions objectively; is there any validity to their complaints? If so, make note of those complaints and work immediately to resolve those with other clients.

If your unhappy client turns to social media to blast you, remain calm when crafting your response. Yes, you should respond to unhappy clients so it shows anyone who’s reading that you’re receptive to resolving the issue. But take the high road and don’t resort to name calling or throwing insults, no matter how tempting. Showing a calm demeanor online can build up your professional image and credibility.

Monitoring your social media should be a daily practice so you can catch any kind of negative talk right away. Your virtual assistant can monitor your profiles and can set up Google Alerts, Mention, or Social Mentions so you’ll know when people are talking about you online. Lots of positive shout outs occur on social media so keep an eye out for those mentions, too. Don’t be afraid to share the positive feedback you receive either on social media or as testimonials on your website.

Avoid Negative Feedback by Creating a Plan

One way to prevent poor client satisfaction results is to create a plan of action. A personalized client satisfaction plan spells out all the steps you’ll take (or your client care specialist) to assist the client and make their experience easy and worry free. Never heard of a client satisfaction plan? Why not schedule a free discover call/coffee chat with me to discuss further? Click HERE on my link to get started. Want to know more about what I do, go HERE to see how I can help you and your business grow!