It’s every business owner’s dream to work with their ideal clients – and that’s a perfectly acceptable dream. But as a business owner, you’ve got to ask yourself a few very important questions:
Are you really ready to have an influx of your dream clients knocking at your door? Have you put the proper systems in place? What about an onboarding process, welcome notes/gifts, process maps, etc.?
My business has been growing at a rapid rate and I’ll be honest – there were several areas in my business that needed some new systems and automation… and fast.
I have spent the last 18 months interviewing staff, demoing systems & tools, and creating a structure for my business that puts the client experience front and center. I understand that my business is nothing without my clients; ensuring that they have the best experience is engrained in every single decision that I make.
I share this with you because when you think about these things ahead of time, you avoid a lot of unnecessary hurdles, hiccups, and mistakes. And most importantly, when those dream clients do come knocking, you’re prepared to provide them with a 5-star customer experience they’ll want to brag to their friends about!
Here are a few systems that you need in place as soon as possible:
Scheduling
Want to know what’s a waste of valuable time and energy? Going back and forth via email about availability. Imagine having a system in place that automatically shows clients your availability and allows them to book a session with you seamlessly. Yes, those exist! Systems like Calendly and Acuity are both great scheduling tools to help your business run more efficiently.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by how many business owners do not have a professional email address. Email is one of the best ways to communicate for business. It’s more professional than social media messages and easier to keep track of conversation threads. I also encourage you to pay for a business account through your email system – this allows you to use a personalized email address. For example, my business email address is tashana@beyondsolutons.biz – an additional layer of professionalism, wouldn’t you agree?
Project Management
As your business begins to grow, it will become more difficult to keep track of all of your projects in your head or by using sticky notes (trust me, I’ve tried). To make sure you stay on top of client milestones and deadlines, I strongly urge you to invest in a project management tool. Platforms like Asana, Trello and Monday are all excellent options. You’ll feel much less overwhelmed, and a lot more organized – and your clients will get the work they expect on time, every time.
Accounting
This might be the least fun topic, but it’s arguably the most important. Accounting – or bookkeeping – the software doesn’t necessarily affect your clients like the others, but it’s essential to the life of your business behind the scenes. If you’re working with more clients, you’re (hopefully) making more money, and you’ve got to pay taxes on that income. I’ve used QuickBooks for several years and it’s been such a valuable tool for organizing my finances. Invest sooner rather than later – you’ll thank yourself at tax time!
CRM
This is all about the client experience. Platforms like Dubsado and Honeybook are both great CRM tools for customer relationship management. These tools help you easily send professional and branded contracts, automated emails, invoices, and more. Essentially, a CRM helps you stay connected to your clients and streamline processes effectively.
Lead generation
Lead generation pages and quizzes are a great way to attract new clients by gathering information about their interests and eventually encouraging them to buy your product or service. Lead generation also helps build trust and rapport early on to make the purchasing decision that much easier.
Website
Your social media accounts are only the tip of the iceberg. When potential clients are vetting businesses, you better believe a website can be the deciding factor between you and another company. A website is your opportunity to make a strong first impression on clients. You can really spell out who you are, what your company is all about, and the problem your company solves for clients. Having a professional website also helps you stand out from competitors.
There are a million options on the market and every guru has their favorite. Ultimately, you have to choose the options that work best for you and that function for your business in a way that will actually get you excited about using them.
If you start to feel overwhelmed with any of these processes, take a moment to visit our website and let the experts help you!
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At Beyond Business Solutions, we use proven marketing strategies to increase your visibility, grow your business relationships, and expand your income. We take the overwhelm out of your marketing strategy, because marketing your business should be one less thing you have to worry about. Check out our website to schedule your complimentary discovery call today and learn how we can take your business to the next level!
