COACHES CALL: (full story)
Stand Apart From The Crowd With Systems ...Are
Post-It™ Notes your method of a reminder system? Do you
have a protocol for your clients, regardless of the
stage they happen to be in the sales cycle? What are the
two key components in a successful client relationship?
Are you doing the same task in three or four different
ways? And most importantly, are your systems helping to
differentiate you from your competitors?
Systems are often discussed in seminars and
articles, but most often in business planning
arenas. Strategic Planning is perhaps the most
paramount element to your business plan.
Incorporating your plan requires systems –
successful systems. Too often, I hear of
multi-tasking being dubbed “doing it more than one
way,” when, the correct definition is being able
to complete multiple tasks at the same time.
Think back to the days of paper only…everyone
had a method of planning their day, keeping track
of phone numbers and addresses, and making a to-do
list. The first ‘system’ that was introduced took
the paper plan to the next level. Day-Runner™
created all-in-one books that organized your
contacts and sorted your meetings and to-do’s.
Checklists were added, and follow up systems
incorporated into the product. Methods of
recording multitudes of information were offered
and before you knew it, your paper plan was in a
3” thick binder. There had to be a better way.
Soon, the paper plans met a challenger – the
electronic organizer. The electronic organizers
moved into a more streamlined system that kept
track of ‘the important things.’ With the
computers advancing into daily business life, the
electronic organizers began to morph into advanced
contact management programs that synced with
devices such at the Palm™. The ability to truly
multi-task really made its debut with these new
systems.
There is a common thread no matter what the
system of choice is for your business. The
‘important things’ for success are having a
database that incorporates your prospects, current
clients, and past clients – thus allowing you to
market to each of these categories. Keeping your
appointments on the forefront is key. The systems
of today allow for conflict checking, preventing
two appointments from being scheduled for the same time
and day slot. To-do lists have become more
sophisticated, allowing for histories to be
created and follow-ups to be put in place.
There is that term again – ‘follow-up.’
Remember in the beginning I mentioned two key
components to a successful client relationship?
Communication & follow-up. Without both, true
success will be hard pressed to achieve. Having
systems in place to ensure that both of these
integral parts are met is perhaps the most
important aspect of meeting the goals of your
strategic plan.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Your database should be up to date at all
times
- Your marketing plans should incorporate all
categories in your database
- You must communicate with your current
clients regularly
- You must follow up with everyone
A question that is posed to me often is ‘how
can I set myself apart from everyone else?' This
is a very important question with a fairly simple
answer: Put a system into place for your business
and follow it, down to the last detail. With
various methods of communication available today,
follow-up should be effortless whether it be a
phone call, a drop by, an e-mail, a fax or a
meeting. All of these methods are incorporated
into your system. If you are still ‘backing up’
your system with a paper plan – take the leap –
stop using the paper, you will gain valuable time
in your day to devote to new sales and clients. If
you abide by the protocol of your system, nothing
will fall through the cracks – and you will set
yourself apart from the rest!
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