3 Ways Strong Operations Make You Money

Back-end operations are my specialty, but, I get that they aren’t necessarily the sexiest topic to discuss.

Let me get real with you for a second though:

not having the right operations in place is costing you money–possibly lots of money.

Poor operations often lead to: missed follow-ups, lost sales, unhappy clients, and ultimately disappointing revenue. So, while there are much more glamorous topics to discuss — glossy photos, fancy websites, and flashy packages — the thing to keep in mind is that, if the foundation behind these is faulty, your business will suffer.

Do I have your attention? Super.

Now, here are three concrete ways that strong operations make you money.

Strong operations help you:

1. Close more leads

One of the most common pitfalls I see in my service clients’ businesses is in the follow-up process. Clients will work really hard to get that initial call or contact, but then lose the sale at the follow-up stage. Of course, this usually isn’t intentional, but is often the consequence of a business owner who is just doing way too much.

But, being busy is no excuse. You can’t afford to fail on follow-ups.

Here’s the thing, clients and customers often need multiple touch points before they’re ready to buy. So, even if your product or service are a perfect fit for them in their minds, they may still need more interaction before they are really ready to say yes. Or, they may also be not quite ready and simply need a few weeks or months to get their act together to click buy.

Creating a simple system to follow up with outstanding leads allows you to ensure proper communication and timely interaction. This will very likely lead to more closed sales as time goes by.

Here’s how to improve your follow-up process:

Start easy and low-tech with a spreadsheet and calendar reminders. Add every lead to your spreadsheet with details of the last follow-up and next needed follow-up. Then, calendar a reminder to check your spreadsheet 2 to 3 times per week. Depending on your volume, you may need more frequency, but most likely, this should be sufficient to start.

PRO TIP: Create a bank of responses you can use for your standard follow-ups so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time you open the spreadsheet. As you add to it, your bank of responses will become more robust. It will also be a great asset when you’re ready to outsource your follow-ups! And again, keep it simple and use a Google doc or one that lives on your computer.

2. Serve your clients better…

which will lead to more repeat business and more referrals

When you have the right systems in place, you will be able to serve your current clients better– you’ll onboard them more smoothly, you’ll have more meaningful and efficient communication with them, and when your engagement is complete, you’ll wrap up your engagement with them with grace.

It’s this kind of service that will have your clients sing your praises far and wide. Plus, when they have a great experience with you, they’re more likely to want to work with you again when the need arises! And, if you also provide an easy way for them to refer you business, they will.

Here’s how to up your systems to improve client service:

Start simple by creating an onboarding checklist of the “must dos” and “nice-to-dos” for a new clients. Then, if you have a team, decide who is responsible for each task. Use the checklist with every new client going forward.

PRO TIP: Add this to a project management system like Asana or Trello to better manage the process. You can create templates for your different offers so there’s no scrambling to onboard a new client.

Once you have your onboarding checklist in good shape, move on to the common deliverables for your clients. Then, document your wrap up process so that it runs smoothly as well.

Slow and steady wins the race here, so don’t feel like you have to document everything today. The most important thing is to get started!

3. Free up your time so you can focus on growing the business

When you are no longer scrambling to follow up with last week’s calls or trying to find your latest contract to send out, you’ll have more time.

What do you do with this extra time? Well, that choice is yours, but I’d recommend you use it to create new content, outline new offers, build new relationships, and build a better bottom line for your business–and ultimately, for yourself.

Even better, building strong operations helps you increase your bottom line without increasing your workload dramatically.

And it works for solo-preneurs and teams alike. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, these systems will also help you be more efficient so you can get more done in less time. If you have a team, they let you delegate more effectively so you can focus on what’s truly in your zone of genius — and not where the link is to that one intake form.

Here’s what it boils down to, while they might not be sexy, strong operations will save you time, make you more efficient, and help you grow your bottom line. And, perhaps most importantly, they’ll accomplish all of this while reducing your stress.

So, what are you waiting for?