Part 2: The 3 S’s of Investing in Your Business - Systems

This is the second blog post in a three part series about investing in your business. Systems What do I mean by systems? No, not your computer systems (even though they may be involved), and I don’t mean organization systems (even though you may need those). Systems means ways to take all the tasks, projects, and items on your to-do list, and create a system to get it done faster & easier, to leverage your time to get the really important things done (like getting new clients, servicing your clients, and enjoying your life).

• Checklists/Flowcharts: Do you have tasks that you do over and over again? Examples - setting up a new client file, handing a prospect call, promoting a teleclass, sorting your email. Next time you have this task, keep a short, bullet point log of the steps you use for that task. Now, you have a great checklist, so (1) you can get through the task faster next time, and (2) you can eventually delegate the task to someone else.
• Automate: Do you perform tasks that could be performed by someTHING else? Examples - answering the phone, responding to emails, sending out bills, and scheduling appointments. Brainstorm ways you could use computer, telephone, or other automation systems to perform these tasks. For example, I use Appointments Plus for clients to schedule their own appointments … preventing at least 3 hours each week of phone tag.
• Delegate: Now that you have a checklist for those administrative tasks … why are you doing those tasks? You need those 4-10+ hours a week to get clients, not for filing paperwork. Hire a Virtual Assistant to answer your phones, answer your email, do your Quickbooks, send out mailings, format documents, and do anything else that does not need your expertise. VA’s are independent contractors, and you can hire one for only 2 hours a week. Yes, you need to pay them $20-50/hour … but if you are billing at $100-300/hour, isn’t it worth it?

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