3 Ways to Simplify Your Business
Let’s face it, running a business is extremely time-consuming! I think we all start our entrepreneurial journey with the dream of having more free time than our fellow 9 to 5ers! But reality soon sets in and many of us find ourselves working evenings and weekends.
Flexibility, Freedom, and Unlimited Income! Those are the 3 reasons why I started my own business. But all of these things are achieved with time, consistency, and automation tools.
So here are 3 ways to simplify your business:
Keep Sales Simple
“…the number one reason for failure in sales is an empty pipe, and, the root cause of an empty pipeline is the failure to prospect.” – Jeb Blount
Your marketing funnel refers to the process of attracting leads and converting them into sales.
Your funnel begins anytime you introduce your brand someone new, whether that is a social media post, paid ad, google listing, or just sharing your business card at a networking event.
From there, your digital marketing strategy should take your lead on a “buyer’s journey” – moving them from initial awarness to education and nurture, to finally buying.
When set up correctly, this funnel will work for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Automate Where Possible
“Marketing is a process, not a decision… and never a magic trick.” – Jonathan Gebauer
For most of us, the word automation sounds impersonal and technologically advanced.
Automation doesn’t have to be an overwhelming idea. There are many tools that you can easily incorporate into your sales process to simplify your workload and cut costs.
My favorite tools combine email automation with a smart “customer relationship management” system (CRM), like Keap or Hubspot.
Your customers have become accustomed to immediate gratification. If you’re not looking for ways to automating things like scheduling, sales, emails, social posts, etc…, then you may lose out to your competitors who offer a more seamless customer journey.
Outsource
“The important thing about outsourcing… is that it becomes a very powerful tool to leverage talent, improve productivity and reduce work cycles.” -Azim Premji
As women, we’re used to multitasking and doing things ourselves. We don’t always find it easy to give up control. This doesn’t always serve us well in business, however.
Smart business women understand that delegating tasks to individuals who have specialized skills is more valuable to them than trying to do everything by themselves.
Skilled people can do things faster and better – saving you time and money in the long run.
I challenge you to think about the tasks you perform on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Write them down and highlight the tasks only you can perform.
Then, decide which tasks can be automated or outsourced. Set a goal to get these tasks off of your “to do” list and onto someone elses. Doing so will save you time, stress, and energy, helping you to grow your business.
