By Howard Partridge
“The secret is the system.” –Michael E. Gerber
In 2011, I had the pleasure of helping Tom Ziglar, son of American legend the late Zig Ziglar, create a powerful business assessment for Zig Ziglar’s last book “Born to Win” which Tom co-authored.
As we began to flesh out the parts that every phenomenally successful business needs to have, we settled on five specific areas of the business.
Secret #1: A Phenomenal Marketing System
Marketing is everything you do to attract prospects to your business. Notice that I said a phenomenal marketing system. The marketing of most small business owners is poor.
Marketing is the key to business growth. Without customers, you have nothing. You can do a wonderful job but if you don’t have enough customers, nothing else matters.
So, you want to have not just good marketing but phenomenal marketing. What is phenomenal marketing? Marketing that is remarkable – extraordinary; outstanding. Phenomenal marketing creates experiences that engage, educate, and build a sense of belonging.
And you want to have a marketing system. Once you determine what phenomenal marketing looks like in your business, you want to figure out how to duplicate it without you having to be involved in every detail.
Here’s an example: Let’s say that you determine that mailing a newsletter to your database helps you bring in more business. You write a procedure on how to compile the newsletter and get someone else to do the mechanics of it.
You might still write it but let someone else do the lay out, print it, mail it, get the database together, etc. Then put the task on a calendar so it happens without your direct supervision.
Secret #2: A Phenomenal Sales System
“Sales” is everything you do to turn a prospect into a paying customer. Once you generate prospects through marketing, the sales system is what turns them from prospects to customers. Remember, you want a phenomenal sales system.
This system includes answering the phone, using phone scripts, responding to an email opt-in, doing presentations, and so on. Once the prospect has actually purchased something from you, they are now your customers.
Many times you may not need more prospects but you need to take better care of the leads you get. Is your phone answered live? Is your phone answered in the most professional way possible? Do prospects and clients have a great experience when they call your company? Are your closing ratios what they need to be? Do you consistently make the add-on sale?
Do you have proven scripts for your people to follow so that you aren’t the only one who can close the “big deals”? Do you have phenomenal on-site sales materials? How effective is your response to internet leads? Increasing your closing ratios and your job averages can have a big impact on your business.
Secret #3: A Phenomenal Operations System
“Operations” is everything you do to service your customer, patient, or member. The level of service you provide determines whether they will ascend the “loyalty ladder” and go from customer to client.
What’s the difference between a customer and a client? A customer buys something solely on the price, value, or special but doesn’t have any loyalty to you. A client wants a consultant, an advisor, or a partner, so to speak, to “take care of that area of their lives.”
You wouldn’t choose a doctor based on price, would you? Or how about finding the cheapest accountant or attorney? If you do, you’ll get what you pay for. Clients are loyal; they want a relationship; they want information; and they refer others like them.
Do you have service systems in place so that your clients consistently get the most phenomenal service experience possible every time and without you having to be personally involved?
Next month, I’ll share the next two secrets and a powerful graphic to assess your own business systems.
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Howard Partridge, President of Phenomenal Products, Inc., is the author of 7 Secrets of a Phenomenal L.I.F.E. and 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business. You can contact Howard by phone at 281-634-0404 or visit his website at www.HowardPartridge.com.
