If you’re like a lot of professionals, you put in extra time trying to close unfinished projects and make sure your key accounts, contacts, etc. knew were going to be out of the office with (probably) limited access to voice and e-mail. Of course you couldn’t start each day of your vacation without checking your messages and replying to the important messages.

All the while you were on vacation you couldn’t really relax because of the anxiety knowing what was waiting for you when you got back.

That first day back in the office you spend cursing your co-workers for not lending a hand, and cursing all vacations because quite simply…they’re just not worth the stress and extra work. Your dream vacation can (and should) have a completely different ending.

Let me explain…

There are “systems” every business should have in place to use as needed in case an employee takes an extended vacation, calls in sick, or (perish the thought) gets hit by a bus. Everything shouldn’t come to a screeching halt if you’re not there to ensure things run smoothly.

As a professional marketing firm helping hundreds of businesses in the US and Canada, we can tell you exactly what works not only in immediate revenue generating activities, but can also pinpoint what successful businesses do to keep themselves continuously moving forward like a well-oiled machine; regardless if the key person is out of contact.

1. Have DOCUMENTED Systems

Most work is completed in an ad-hoc manner. To improve your business (and get more of it) you must begin by documenting how work is completed. This clarifies accountability and makes it easy to improve things. We’ve worked with companies who have documented systems on everything from how to properly answer the phone to how a salesperson closes a new deal. The goal is to have consistent systems delivering consistent results.

You can right out the systems yourself or use a simple software application to document and store the systems for you making them easily executed. KasTech Consulting offers great solutions to make this as easy as possible.

2. Be able to articulate “Why Me”

Looking at your own business, what’s your best source for new clients? I ask this question of every client we work with. Just about every response we hear is “from referrals, or word-of-mouth”. My next question is: “If that’s the case, what are you doing to get more referrals?” This is where the conversation comes to a pause.

A major part of getting qualified referrals is for your advocates to be able to correctly and succinctly articulate what you do and the value you bring. This normally takes a bit of training so the business owner can themselves articulate what they do without the use of industry jargon and in a way so that anyone can understand and in turn, continue spreading the word.

To find your value statement, try going directly to the source. Go to some of your really good clients and ask them questions like: “Out of all the choices out there, why did you choose do work with us?” Another is, “What do we do that others don’t”. Asking these questions will give you a lot more valuable information than trying to brainstorm your own value statement.

3. Live by the calendar

Just like your business systems must be documented in order to be effective, your marketing must also be on some type of calendar, spreadsheet, list, or some way to ensure the job gets done. Every successful business we’ve ever worked with has a working marketing calendar. In a lot of cases the calendar is printed and posted where everyone can see it. This does a great job of holding the owner of the campaigns accountable and also everyone’s on the same page with the marketing coming around the corner.

The old adage is true…”Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail”

Please keep in mind there’s a lot more to keeping your business afloat as well as growing to reach the revenue goals you’ve set. We hope this gives some quick information on simple things you can do today to keep from going in the wrong direction. If we can help with your business systems documentation or marketing strategy, please let us know!

David Murphy
Bewater Marketing Concepts
www.bewatermarketing.com
707-321-1183
dmurphy@bewatermarketing.com