Table of Contents
Chapter 1:
Systemization – An Overview and Benefits
·
What is Systemization
·
Why You Need to Systemize Your Online
Business
Chapter 2:
Begin from the Start – Making a List of Most Recurring Tasks
·
Step 1: Identifying Recurring Tasks
·
Step 2: Organizing and Prioritizing the
Functions
·
Step 3: Developing Policies and
Procedures
·
Step 4: Documenting the Processes
·
Step 5: Implement the Processes
·
Step 6: Diagram the Flow of Your
Business
Chapter 3:
Systemization Tools for Your Online Business
·
Asana
·
Ontraport
·
Slack
·
Deadline Funnel
·
Lead Pages
·
Calendly
·
GoToWebinar
·
DropBox
·
Google Docs
·
Google Calendar
·
Webinar Jam
·
Screencast-o-Matic
·
HootSuite
·
Infusionsoft
·
MailChimp
·
Needls
·
Salesforce
·
IFTTT
Chapter 4:
Documenting Your Processes – Creating SOPs
·
How to Document Your Business Systems
·
Develop Naming Conventions
·
Writing Your First Procedure
·
Numbering the Steps in the Procedure
·
Creating the Action Steps for Your
Processes
·
Implementing Your New Standard Operating
Procedures
·
Get Employee Buy-In
Chapter 5:
Outsourcing Your Tasks Effectively
·
Step 1: Identify Your Outsourcing Task
·
Step 2: Write Your Project Description
·
Step 3: Eliminate Unqualified Bids
·
Step 4: Pick 3 to 5 Qualified Candidates
·
Step 5: Pick the Most Qualified
Freelancer
Chapter 6:
Automation Tools for Systemization
·
Zapier
·
Flow
·
Pipedrive
·
TextExpander
·
Alfred
·
IFTTT
·
Shortcat
·
Robotask
·
Tallyfy
·
Intercom
·
Delivra
·
Autopilot
·
mHelpDesk
Chapter 7:
Scale-Up Your Business to the Next Level
·
Create the Right Strategic Plan
·
Measure Effectiveness with Accounting
·
Focus on Sales and Marketing
·
Five Steps to Build a Baseline
Lead-Generation System
·
Implementing Marketing Controls
·
Hire the Right People
Conclusion:
The Final Words
Chapter 1:
Systemization
– An Overview and Benefits
The Internet has changed the way people think about
companies, especially when it comes to owning a small business. Millions of
people have tried to start an online business, with many of them finding
success. While there are several reasons why one might fail to get their online
business off the ground, one of the main reasons is because the owner was
unable to systemize the company and utilize the available resources.
People who have found success with their online
business know that they need a great idea, as well as the resources to
cultivate a customer base for that great idea. They also understand that the
same daily activities that are done in a brick and mortar business, also apply
to an online business. They know that they will need to take the necessary
steps to either learn those skills or outsource them to trusted and reliable
sources is about combining the vision with the practicalities of the business
world to become successful. The process of systemization is no great mystery.
It is possible to learn how to effectively systemize your business and position
yourself to run a successful online business that makes a profit on a
consistent basis.
What is
Systemization?
Many online business owners, when they hear the
word “systemization,” turn to the idea of an endless array of meetings that create
a ton of action items that must be followed up on at the next meeting so even
more action items can be created. In short, people believe
that systemization is nothing more than an ongoing, convoluted series of
processes that only make running a business more complicated. This couldn’t be
further from the truth.
Having a systemized business doesn’t mean that
you’ll be caught up in so many policies and procedures that you lose all
ability to work on anything productive and it’s not about filling time or
creating the illusion of being busy. Systemization is not about creating a
machine and being dominated by that machine. Systemizing your business doesn’t
have to be complicated.
True systemization is about creating a stable
functioning procedure that knows what needs to be done, has a way to do it, and
gets the job done. When you have a truly systemized business, you free up more
of your time to focus on more important aspects of your business, like
marketing, strategy, and product creation.
When your company is systemized correctly,
the procedures make sense and always have a purpose. With systemization,
everyone in the business knows what to do and when to do it. There are no
endless meetings to deal with, no complicated policies to follow, and no time wasted
with spinning the wheels.
This isn't to say that all the processes within an
adequately systemized business are going to be fun. However, when organized
properly, the tasks can be completed in a reasonable amount of time, leaving
the rest of the day to work on something more interesting, like converting more
prospects to buying customers, creating a new product line, or writing new
sales copy. True business systemization, frees you, while a lack of
systemization creates endless work and stifles your ability to succeed.
Why You
Need to Systemize Your Online Business?
v
There are many benefits that you can gain by
systemizing your online business. With a sound system, people in your
organization have a clear understanding of the work they need to perform and
what is expected of them. Without policies, there are many unanswered
questions, and quality and service can’t be guaranteed. Now that you understand
why it's good to have a systemized business let's explore the benefits that you
can gain.
Reduce Costs
Managing your email
inbox or reading through piles of mail isn't the most efficient use of your
time. As the business owner, your time would be better spent analyzing new
business opportunities or developing new product lines. Delegating many of the
days to day tasks that are required to run a business, can free up your time so
you can focus your energy on the activities that will allow you to grow your
business and increase revenues.
Without clearly documented business procedures, you
can’t delegate those daily tasks that eat up most of your time. By recording
your processes, you can easily delegate tasks knowing that they will be done
correctly, allowing you to free up your time to oversee more projects, which
brings in more revenue for your growing business.
Increase Efficiency
Documenting procedures allows you to discover any
unnecessary steps that you may be taking. When you record your systems, you
provide yourself with the opportunity to improve the process, which can result
in cutting costs and freeing up your valuable time to grow
your business. It can also help you complete tasks with fewer mistakes. Taking
the time to document new procedures and re-document existing procedures can
provide you with opportunities to make the daily tasks more efficient and
freeing up your time to focus on growing business revenue.
Improve Performance
Businesses that lack procedures often have
employees that have their own way of handling tasks. While this can make your
employees happy, it can also lead to inefficiencies. Not having documented
procedures can lead your team to complete the same function in different ways.
Recording the best way to perform the task will allow everyone to become more
efficient in his or her jobs and improve their performance.
Improve Communication
One of the biggest killers of time and profit in a
business is miscommunication. When there are no documented procedures in place,
internal and external communication becomes a huge issue. When you have clearly
written procedures, there are fewer arguments over how things should be done.
Scale Your Business
Having procedures in place for training new staff
will reduce the stress your current staff endures when training new team
members. Following documented hiring procedures will allow
you to hire the right people for each job and they'll be able to follow
procedures without requiring additional assistance.
When your new hires receive better training, they
can become more productive at their jobs. They can be trained in a way that
reduces the number of mistakes being made and improve their overall
performance. When your employees perform better, you can gain more sales and
have fewer errors to deal with, ultimately cutting costs.
Measure Your Progress
While the money coming into your business is
one way to measure your progress, being able to measure your marketing efforts
or the development process of new products will provide you with a better
picture of the health of your company. If your business is organized and has
clear documentation of your procedures in place, you will be able to quickly
check on these things, as well as other areas of concern and obtain real-time
data on how they are doing.
Meet Deadlines
Without having a basic plan in place for each day,
the daily activities that are needed to keep your business operating can begin
to build up, eventually creating a bottleneck and bringing other essential
tasks to a halt. For example, if you aren't posting your Accounts Receivables
and Payables on a regular schedule, you can find yourself with a lot of work
when it comes time to pay your employees or
calculate
taxes for the current quarter. Having an organized, well-documented system in
place, ensures that you won't run into situations where you have to drop other
tasks to play catch-up.
Free up More Time
When your business is systematic in its functions
and operation, it frees up your time, so you can focus on the activities that
will help your business grow. Instead of spending the afternoon responding to
emails, you can work on your marketing efforts or promote your business at
local business events. Business systemization provides you with the opportunity
to spend your time on those endeavors without having to worry that your company
operations have halted because you're away from the office.
Take Time Off
Being able to take time off from the business is
one of the main benefits of a systemized business. When your business is
systematically organized, you can take a vacation knowing that your company
will still be able to run, even in your absence.
Now that you’ve been shown the many benefits of
having a systemized online business, it’s time to take a moment to evaluate
your circumstance and make a list of what you want to accomplish with your
online business. Write everything down, no matter how small, vague, or
inconsequential it may seem.
One of the easiest ways to become burned out before
your business even has a chance to succeed is trying to master everything
yourself and doing it all. No matter how good you are, this line of thinking is
just not realistic. Developing a logical and workable business system will
allow you to build and run a successful online business.
