If you’ve ever looked at another entrepreneur and wondered how she manages to get it all done, the answer might surprise you.
It’s not genetics and it’s not tons of people working for her.
The answer is – she has good systems.
It’s true. The most productive people all have one thing in common: they don’t reinvent the wheel every day. Instead, they’ve figured out – for them – the best, most efficient way to do every task and they create a system to do just that.
Granted, each of us has our own unique style, approach, way of doing things that works for us. When we attempt to implement a process or system that isn’t aligned with our natural style, then one of two things happen. We get frustrated with trying to do something that doesn’t feel natural or easy and that can make us grumpy! Or, it’s so burdensome that we get discouraged, wonder what’s wrong with us and then give up.
There’s nothing wrong with you. You aren’t deficient.
Rather, it’s that the system isn’t designed to accentuate your natural flow, abilities, process and skill. In other words, it’s not uniquely you!
Of course, you can learn from the experts and then adapt what you’ve learned to compliment you, your time line and your organizational style.
No matter what business you’re in and what projects you find yourself tackling, a systemized approach will help you:
- Work faster and produce more
- Produce higher quality results with fewer mistakes
- Easily outsource the tasks you don’t like to do
Here are some examples of systems that are results-based and completely adaptable.
Templates save time and energy
How many times do you answer email from potential clients? What about responding to customer complaints? Or mailing your JV partners about an upcoming launch?
All of these tasks and more become effortless when you create fill-in-the-blank templates that can be repurposed for specific cases/people. Templates can be as simple as a “canned response” in your email client or help desk, or you can use software such as Text Expander (for Mac) or Phrase Express (for Windows). You might even create a template document in Dropbox or Google Drive to house all your templates for easier access.
While templates will undoubtedly save you time, the real beauty is that once they’re created, you can easily outsource things like email, private messages in Facebook – any written text that reoccurs. Simply instruct your assistant on the proper use of your templates, and you’ll be free to do other, more important things.
Scripts can prevent you from embarrassing yourself – and losing a prospective client
If you offer a free consultation or call, have a script to ensure you cover the salient points. After numerous calls, you won’t have wondered: “Did I mention xyz or was that on the previous call?” It can make the difference between losing the sale and closing the deal.
As you go through a day or week, make note of the conversations that a script would serve you such as talking with Joint Venture or affiliate prospects, enrolling new clients, and overcoming objections.
Checklists Prevent Mistakes
It might seem counterintuitive, but when you perform the same tasks over and over again, it’s easy to miss a critical step. You might think you paid your affiliates this month—you might even remember doing it—only to look back and see it was never completed.
But when you implement checklists, it’s suddenly much more difficult to miss an important task.
You can easily create checklists for all your common tasks and projects using nothing more than a text document. Personally, I use Excel rather than Word for all my checklists – for me it’s easy, fast, and flexible.
If you’re managing a team, checklists in your project management system allow you to see exactly what tasks are complete, and which are still outstanding. Google docs is a great tool for this.
Templates and checklists turn smart business owners into productivity superstars, and it’s easy to get started. The next time you answer an email you’ve answered before, save your response. The next time you set up a new product in your shopping cart or create a new opt-in page, take the time to record the steps. These documents will make future projects easier and faster to complete, and best of all, you can hand them off to your assistant to do instead.
Would you like to learn more tips, strategies and secrets for having a business and a life you love? About making more by working less?
If so, then step into my sphere of influence by joining my Facebook group –
Loving Your Business and Your Life where you’ll meet tons of like-minded women entrepreneurs who are ready to step into their uniqueness, claim it and monetize it, so they can have a business and a life they love. Yes, you can have both!
One of the benefits of being a member is that you can join us live for Fabulous Feature Friday where one of our members is featured on a live call. This happens each Friday so be sure to join the group so you can participate in this Friday’s call and have direct personal interaction plus each expert has a special gift for you. Can’t be on the live call? No problem. Just post your question in the group, it will be answered on the call and then you can listen to the replay. It’s totally easy, fun and fast – just 30 minutes and it’s a wrap!
I’ll see you on the other side.
Remember, the world needs the gift that is uniquely you!