~ Issue Number 30 ~
Nov. 18, 2011 [Next Issue: Dec. 2, 2011]
Hello Friend,
We have some gardeners on the StomperNet team. Some have roses, some have flowers, and some have vegetable gardens or combinations thereof. But these are a lot of work, unless you put some great systems into place that can make it easier.
Your business is similar in many aspects to a garden. Both should have certain systems and mechanisms in place to automate labor and reduce it as well.
Weed block cloth reduces weeding, just like using someone to check your email reduces your email. Sprinkler systems help reduce the amount of watering the gardener does, just as your autoresponder sprinkles information to your subscribers. Many gardens require supports to help the plants grow better and stronger, just like businesses. These are all systems the gardener or your business can use to make things work smoother and easier.
You have already received some great advice this week about systems and automation. Today we have some tips that you want to make certain are part of your business. Although basic, these are the supports that will help your business, so you aren't constantly weeding and watering your business to get it to grow.
Now you can work on the main goal, which is the cultivation of your business and the regular harvests of profits.
Talk soon!
Lee Collins
Managing Director
StomperNet, LLC
"Organize around business functions, not people. Build systems within each business function. Let systems run the business and people run the systems. People come and go but the systems remain constant"
~ Michael Gerber ~
E-Myth Revisited
Three years after starting my first successful online eCommerce store, I was exhausted, overwhelmed, frustrated and underpaid! Thanks to the original Stomping the Search Engines course, my website was ranking in the top 10 for most all of the major keywords we went after and sales were through the roof!
Unfortunately, this meant that I spent most waking hours answering the phones, emailing orders to vendors, and updating the website with new products and sales! This left little to no time for marketing and almost no time for sleep during our peak season. The site soon became a source of conflict, and I began to wonder if this was the entrepreneurial dream that I had signed up for!
But I have learned some tips about virtual teams and systems for your business that helped my business and they can help yours.
Out-task.
One of the very first and important business tips I learned was that I needed to out-task. As long as I was answering the phones and processing orders, my business could not grow. Basically the premise is that if you can pay someone minimum wage to do a task and you choose to do that task, you are earning minimum wage. A good idea is to make a daily To Do list, and examine what you are spending your time on. If there are tasks on the list that are not generating income or making your business run more effectively, those tasks need to be out-tasked to someone else.
Systemize everything.
If your business is dependent on you, you will never be able to take a vacation or enjoy the reasons you became a business owner in the first place. Create How To guides and manuals for each area of your business. This is a gradual process and not something that you do once only to forget about it. Set up your business processes and when there is a breakdown and an employee or contractor has to come seeking your approval or advice, update your business processes.
Set specific goals and tasks for everyone on your team.
Have a weekly meeting and discuss the pending tasks and any issues that have arisen with those tasks. Always praise in public and criticize in private. Take this time to give positive feedback and to deal with any problems. Many times employees don't bring problems to management because they think it is their responsibility to try to figure it out themselves. Such initiative is often good, but other times, there are problems that we as management have already dealt with and we can provide a simple solution in about 20 seconds!
Teach your team to out-task and supervise others.
To be successful you will need a core team that supports you and can work effectively to get projects done with little to no input or guidance from you. If your team is not functioning, it's your responsibility as the business owner to set up systems and procedures so that they can be successful. Everything does rise and fall on leadership. If you have great team member, but he or she is not able to give up some of their responsibilities and supervise others, then you cannot grow. One person can never do it all. Teach them to assign tasks to junior team members and how to effectively supervise their junior team members so that their time is freed up doing more productive things.
Have two people for each job.
Although this may seem impossible in the beginning when finances are tight, as soon as possible, always have two people for every job. When out-tasking projects overseas, unexpected problems happen. Hurricanes (especially in the Philippines), power outages, kids get sick, and so on. By having two people trained for every task, you ensure that you won't have to renege on the responsibilities you have already trained others to take over.
These are just a few tips that I have used in my business. As a mom of 7 children, a wife and a missionary, my life is busy. Your life is busy as well, so you can't afford to not add what you can to make your business run easier and automatically.
To celebrate our 5th Anniversary,
we're doing something extra special for you...
This current offer ends tonight at Midnight! Tips for Virtual Teams and Systems for Your Business
- Out-Task.
- Systemize everything.
- Set specific goals and tasks for everyone on your team.
- Teach your team to out-task and supervise others.
- Unexpected things happen, so make certain you have 2 people for each job.
Remember: Next Stomper Intelligence Report:
Friday, Dec. 2, 2011
NEXT WEEK'S FOCUS: Landing Pages
FACULTY OFFICE HOURS NEXT WEEK:
TUESDAY, Nov 1st, 2011 ~ 3:00 pm Eastern "How To Build Your Value In The Eyes Of Your Customers" with Vin Montello Join Vin and learn how you can sell your same old products or services to your same old customers... but for much more money.
StomperNet Members: Register Now! | StomperNet. Empowering Your Online Success.
StomperNet, LLC 3379 HWY 5 Suite A Douglasville, Georgia 30135 United States (888) 325-7845 If you purchase anything through a link in our emails, you should assume that we have an affiliate relationship with the company. This means if you buy something from a link in this email or from the website, or based on our express or implied recommendation, we may be paid a commission. It's how we pay the bills. If you want to do the same, we can show you how. Please do your own independent research before purchasing anything. | |
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