Entrepreneurship is an exciting and rewarding lifestyle, but it can come with a cost.
“I feel like there is no such thing as weekends as an entrepreneur…the responsibilities never end.”
“Vacations use to be a break from work but now I have to bring it with me.”
“I haven’t fully unplugged in months.”
Can you relate?
Until I created functional systems and processes in my business, I felt like a hamster on a wheel.Running and bustling through each day with intensity and never getting a break. I would check one task off my list while simultaneously adding two or three more. It was craziness!
The average American worker is spending 14 hours a week JUST DOING EMAILS!
Imagine if you could create a system to streamline and automate that process so you could get the same work done in just 4 hours a week or less…
The following steps take some energy and thought to implement properly, but once they are set up, they will dramatically improve the efficiency of your business.
Not only that, but systems enable you to focus on what you LOVE in your business and also give you the freedom to unplug once in a while.
Here are 3 steps to implementing systems in your business:
Identify.Look for areas that are frustrating, take a lot of time, or are outside of your competency/skill realm.
Create processes.On paper, write down how these processes run currently in sequential order. Often this will show you immediately where time is being wasted, inefficient patterns, and where unnecessary bottlenecks are being created. Fine-tune the process until you have a numbered step process that is as simple and efficient as possible. Then determine whether this is a process you will run or one you will outsource.
Execute.Implement your processes immediately. There may be some trial and error, but you should be able to quickly polish the processes until things are running smoothly. You can take time weekly, monthly or quarterly to re-evaluate your processes and continue to improve them.
Investing time to create these processes may be scary at first, but will literally save you hundreds of hours down the road.
One of the biggest hurdles my clients face in scaling their business is learning how to delegate.
It’s tough, isn’t it? You have the vision for your company. You know what you want. It’s hard to just hand things to someone else and expect they’ll apply the same excellence that you do.
If you’re like most passionate entrepreneurs I work with, your business is your baby. You’ve poured your heart and soul into it along with blood, sweat and tears.
But each small business owner comes to a point where there is just TOO MUCH on the to-do list.They simply don’t have the capacity to do everything effectively so that their business can get to the next level.
And so they must learn one of the most vital keys of running any business…delegation!
It’s not easy at first but trust me, learning to delegate effectively is not only going to make your life more enjoyable but it might just be the key to 10x the success of your business!
Here are 5 tips to get you started.
#1 Figure Out What Tasks You Dread
What do you NOT enjoy doing when it comes to your business? Writing emails? Taxes? Payroll? Website stuff? Whatever it is, make a list of the tasks that drain your energy because you don’t enjoy them. This is your list of tasks to start delegating!
#2 Delegate Strategically
Each of your employees or contractors have different things they are good at. You’ll be surprised to find that the very things you hate the most are someone else’s passion zone. Take some time to hone in on the different talents/strengths of your team and arrange delegation of tasks accordingly. If you are missing certain skills in your company, it might be time to expand and bring in some new people.
#3 Give Clear Expectations & Instructions
When delegating a task to someone, communicate clearly and simply as possible. Make sure you know exactly what you want them to do, how you want them to do it and when you want it done. It’s a good idea to give these instructions verbally and in writing so that no one forgets details.
#4 Acknowledge & Appreciate
When you’re done handing off a task to someone, finish by acknowledging them for taking over. A simple “Thank you for taking this on, I’m so glad I have you on my team.” will help them to feel important and create more motivation for them to do the task well. Once they complete the task, always show appreciation. Employees who feel appreciated are much more likely to show excellence in their future work than those who feel undervalued.
#5 Create A System For Reporting Effectively
Create a clear system for who reports to who. You may be the one everyone reports to but there should still be a clear way for doing so effectively. If you stay on top of emails, an email might be good enough. But if you are fairly busy you might want to set up a different system by using an online organization program for businesses. The goal here is to create accountability so that tasks are completed in a timely and effective manner, and none slip through the cracks. If you don’t have a good system, tasks will start to slide and your company’s efficiency and follow-thru will suffer.
Once you pass even a few simple tasks to the right person, you’ll be amazed at how much of a difference it makes.
You’ll have more time to focus on what you LOVE in your business.
You will be able to reach business goals and milestones more quickly.
You will be able to make it to your kids soccer games on the weekends without being on your phone the whole time.
New, awesome ideas will come from employees that you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
Marketing statistics tell us that it costs 6 times more to bring in a new client than to keep an existing one.
And a small 5% increase in client retention canincrease profits by up to 95%.
You knew customer retention was important, but did you know just HOW important they are to keeping your business profitable and staying within your budget? The numbers don’t lie!
Simply put, you are going to save and/or make a lot of money if you put a good amount of energy into people who have already invested in your brand.
So just what does it take to make peopleLOVEwhat you do and who you are as a company?
What will keep them coming back for more?
Here are4 strategies to create loyal customerswho not only love you but refer you to their friends:
#1 Surprise With More Than Expected
This is huge. If customers invest in your brand and get MORE than they expect, they will be very happy! Make sure your customer service is 150% awesome. Constantly give great value without attachments. Do whatever it takes to make your brand stand out as one that really cares about the client and isn’t just about the bottom line. If you consistently over-deliver, it will also help customers forgive small mistakes that are bound to happen (no one is perfect).
#2 Quality Over Quantity
Always always focus on quality over quantity. No one wants to be bombarded with 5+ emails a week from the same company. That is a sure way to lose subscribers. If someone invests in your product/company, treat them like you would any valuable relationship in your life. Give them quality over quantity. Offer them discounts and/or freebies as a way to thank them for believing in your brand. Show them what it means to be part of your community. Provide quality, valuable information/support/etc.
#3 Insert Emotion
A recent study found that 75% of consumers make buying decisions based on their emotions. Strong emotions are what make people remember certain events/people/places/things more than others. If your brand is emotionally engaging, people are going to remember who you are and when they need a service you provide, they will think of you. When they come to you this way and are also given incredible value in return, they will be more likely to recommend you and keep coming back.
#4 Ask For & Listen To Feedback
Another study found that when customers are unhappy, 96% will simply leave and take their business elsewhere. Only 4% actually bother to complain, leave a poor review or reach out to have their problem resolved. This means that every piece of negative feedback you receive should be treated as extremely valuable/important. Listen to what people are saying about you and make every effort to show them that their opinion was heard and action was taken. Reply to negative reviews and offer resolution.
These are excellent ways to retain customers/clients and create a lovable brand.
Did you know that money is the number one cause of stress, both in personal life and in business life? That fear of not having enough income to pay monthly expenses is real, especially when you add in the responsibility of supporting a family and the families of those who are working on your team.
One way to alleviate your money woes is to pay attention to your pricing, both for coaching programs and for products. Instead of just randomly picking prices out of thin air, think strategically and figure out your financial sweet spot.
Never heard of this term before? Your financial sweet spot is that monetary figure where you can live comfortably, pay your bills, and still invest back into your company. This figure will depend on many factors, including the cost of living where you’re located, but will serve as your overall income goal.
Now examine each of your coaching programs and products and research how much your market is willing to pay for these products. Is there a way to bundle multiple products together for an even higher price? Ask your audience directly what they want and can afford or make a beta offer on a new product or bundle with a higher price and see if it’s well-received.
Another way to bring in more income as well as new prospects is with group coaching. This option is ideal for those who want your expertise but who can’t afford private one-on-one sessions. Even though each individual would pay less than a client in private coaching, you’ll still make more per hour because you’ll have more than a single person in your group.
Do you have upsells for those clients who purchase coaching packages or other products? An upsell is simply another product offered exclusively to those who make another purchase. While this can be a free bonus product, it’s perfectly acceptable to charge for your upsell product. Upsells work best when the price is considered a bargain and when the offer is relevant to the customer.
Another way to achieve your financial sweet spot is to create a membership or a mastermind group that clients can graduate to when they are done with their sessions. Membership groups are generally billed on a monthly basis and members have access to your original content and you. Masterminds are generally more high-end than membership and cost more per month. The big difference, however, is the mastermind members are all experts in their own right and you all gain knowledge from each other. Membership members simply want to learn from you and may not feel they have enough success to help others yet.
I’m holding a webinar titled, “5 Steps to a Stress-Free Business” and we’ll talk more about this financial sweet spot. Implement that financial thinking with the other four steps and you’ll be on a path to a more relaxed way of doing business. I want you to find the joy in your business again so follow the link to reserve your seat.
Do you know how long someone takes to decide whether or not they are going to open your email?
3-4 seconds.
That’s it! That’s the total amount of time you have to capture someone’s attention as they scroll through their inbox.
If you want to give your message the best chance of being seen and read, here are a few tips you can use to give your emails a competitive edge.
#1 Send From A Person
One of the things people notice when looking through their inbox is WHO emails are sent from. They are much more likely to click on an email coming from a PERSON than a COMPANY.
#2 Stop Buying Leads
Some email marketers buy leads in order to boost their numbers of subscribers. However, these usually have extremely low open and engagement rates. Why? Because the leads you buy don’t necessarily care about your business niche. A middle aged business man isn’t going to be interested in organic cotton baby clothing, for example.
#3 Format For Mobile
66% of all emails are opened on a mobile device. Check your own emails from your phone often so you can make sure they are formatted nicely and easy to read. If sentences trail off the page, if text is too small, if paragraphs or the title are too long, you are going to lose a lot of potentially interested readers before they even read your content.
#4 Stay Out Of The Spam Folder
No one checks their spam folder and filters are getting more and more sophisticated. To avoid being dumped into spam, follow these tips:
Don’t use words like “sale” “free” “rich” or “deal” in your headlines.
Limit links in your email (1-2 max).
Don’t design it like a brochure
Format it like an email to a friend
Encourage new subscribers to hit “reply”
#5 Invest In Quality Content
Whether you outsource your email content or do it yourself, be willing to invest time/money in content that is high quality. The better your content, the better reputation you will have and the more likely readers will be to take notice of you in the future. Add value to your emails so that your readers always feel like they leave with something.
If you are struggling with the fine details of your business, I have opened up some spots on my calendar for one-on-one consultations. Let’s connect and see what is in the gap between you and your business goals! Click here to reserve your spot.
Let me ask you, are you struggling to improve your email open rates?
Or are you spending hours writing content that only a small part of your audience is reading?
Do you feel like your audience is silent and unengaged?
Your problem might be your SUBJECT HEADLINES.
In a recent survey, researchers discovered that:
47% of email recipients click on an email because of the subject headline
68% of email recipients decide something is spam based on the subject headline
Pretty interesting right?!
Even if you have incredible content and value in your emails, nobody is going to see it if they don’t notice your subject headlines (or if they move it to the trash)!
Your open rate percentage is a huge indicator of how well you are capturing attention with your lead-in phrase.
I want to give you a few tips today on how to create quality headlines that will improve your open rates.
Because the more people who notice your content, open it up, become familiar with your voice and your product, the more people will end up investing in you and your product.
The following are tried and tested headlines that people click on over, and over, and over again.
Don’t believe me? You’re here, aren’t you? 🙂
If you want to see increased open rates, here are 13 headlines that will help you get them.
Fear of missing out:
Urgent…
50% Off Today Only!
You Have One Day Left
Personal subject headline:
(Recipient name), It’s Time To Say “YES” To Your Life
I’m Going To Buy You Lunch
Congratulations, You’ve Earned An (Insert Valuable Free Gift)
Curiosity:
Don’t Open This Email!
Last Chance To See This Mystery Content
Making their life easier:
7 Blog Post Ideas
10X Your Email List With This Tactic
Pain Points
Master Email Marketing In 5 Easy Steps
9 Tips To Eat Healthy On A Tight Budget
This Is What’s Making You (Insert pain point here)
Test some of these headlines on your email list this week and see what they click on. Modify them to fit your audience. Let me know how they respond!
If you’re struggling to run your business, feeling overwhelmed, or are spending hours learning new skills that aren’t your passion zone, let’s talk. I help people just like you thrive in business. You don’t have to do it all! Schedule a one-on-one with me here
Have an awesome 24 hours and a wonderful week!
Robyn
P.S. Running a telesummit soon? I help with those too. Book a strategy call with me here.
