Document Your Process
Do you have your process documented? Now, before you say, “Yes, Mitch, everything about my sales process and presentation to a client is documented”, stop.
Yes of course as a Sales Trainer I am speaking of your sales process, but not just your sales process with a new lead that comes in. What happens if you send information to a client and they don’t respond? When do you follow up? How do you follow up? Once they become an Active Lead in your system, what happens? When do you touch base after you send a contract but haven’t heard from them in a few days? You need to document what to do at every step. Your homework: Think of every status that could happen in your sales cycle and where any client could fall at any step and have a plan in place for what to do. Now communicate that with the rest of your team, or if you are a solo op, with someone who could be your successor or take care of your business if you were to, unfortunately, pass away.
How about your social media calendar for marketing? What do you post each day? When do you do venue visits? When do you follow up with fellow event pros? Take some time and write this out. What months do you want to have promotions? How can you tie holidays in with company promotions?
Without a marketing plan, you’re planning on not working and not getting your name out to people that can refer you.
How about training? I know some amazing trainers and my training program is a conglomeration of all of the training that I have had in my career. Lay out what you feel is most important for a new trainee coming into whatever position they are being hired for. Maybe you’re hiring an office assistant. What tasks do you need to have done?
My good friend Matt Radicelli has a quote and it goes like this. Decline, Delegate, Do. Say no to things that aren’t that important to you first. This frees you up to do more important things, spend time with family, or perform the tasks that are most productive for you. Delegate tasks that are below your pay grade. Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t know how to do every job in your company. I believe you should. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to return every email, answer every phone call, or always be the tech. Finally, Do. Do the things that make your company the most productive. Run your team. Network. Sell. Perform. Manage. Whatever that is, do it.
Have everything spelled out in your Employee Handbook for your staff, and have a GANTT chart to manage projects for the operations of your business.
We really only covered the documenting of your Sales, Marketing and Operations processes here and frankly very briefly in this article. Is EVERY facet of your business documented? Do you have procedures in place for what to do if you keel over and die the next day? Dave Ramsey calls it a legacy drawer. Does your heir apparent, spouse or best friend know where it is and what needs to happen should that happen to you? The legacy of your business and your loved ones depends on you having these systems in place. Get to work and get it done. There’s no reason to decline or delegate this one.