Is there a magic formula for sustaining success in my business? I wish I could say yes, but there are some strategies to help you get momentum!
Good morning friends, Thomas Joyner with Business on Purpose here.
So… we get it all the time. Thomas, I feel like I take 2 steps forward and 1 step back every week. Or maybe it’s worse, 1 step forward and 2 steps back. How do we get momentum? How do we take that success, replicate it, and then repeat that over and over and over?
I’m here to tell you, there’s not a magic wand to wave. It takes work and consistency and… wait for it… process.
However, we have found a few strategies that every business can implement to keep you sustaining success.
So let’s dive right on in today.
The first step towards sustaining success in your business is…
1. Find someone to help you implement
It sounds simple, but it makes as big a difference as we’ve seen in every business we work with. So much so, as it’s become a question we ask as we interview potential new clients. Do you have a key leader who can help you implement all of this?
Ok, but why? Why can’t I just motivate and charge forward with my team following my lead? Well, in short, you can. But what happens when you burn out? What happens when your team starts to tune you out and your voice becomes stale? A whole lot of nothing.
That’s why having someone who helps you implement is invaluable. Another voice on the team helping push everyone towards the vision. Helping you see things you couldn’t and implement all the changes and corrections along the way. Someone who can see your mistakes, think critically, and help you correct them in real-time. That person is a game-changer.
We build out a ridiculous amount of tools with our clients and the ones that we see thrive week in and week out are the ones who can pass these tools down the chain of command and out to the team as they implement. They don’t just sit in a google drive folder somewhere to rot and collect dust. No, they are used to empower the team to get better.
If you don’t have someone helping you implement, hire them today or develop one amongst your team. It’s that important.
2. Listen to your customer
Hey, Thomas, we do google reviews and send out surveys to hear how we’re doing.
That’s great! But I’d wager that most of that is to give you a sentence or two to use on your website… or maybe even to drive sales.
But how often do you invite a client to lunch and REALLY ask how their experience was? And I mean everything. How did they feel early on with our estimating? How did the schedule go? Did it line up with the expectations we set out? Did we even set expectations? How was our communication along the way? Could it be better? Was our team dressed professionally? How was the quality of work? How was our clean-up? Did we follow up with you to make sure everything was perfect? Did we collect payment in an easy fashion?
These are all questions that you need to know the answer to from your customers' perspective. I was so proud of a client of mine recently, who called every sub he used, sat them down, and figured out how to improve his customer experience from start to finish.
That’s a game-changer…that’s what creates rave reviews and sustained success. Because you own all parts of your customer experience. You don’t just throw up your hands and say…”Well, that’s out of our control.” That’s a fixed mindset. No, ask how you can get better. Invite clients you trust to lunch and talk through all of this. They will feel valued, heard and will probably refer you 10x more as a result.
3. Own your weekly schedule
Now, this one gets to the heart of the matter. If you were to sit down on a Monday and write down the things you KNOW have to get done and done well, what would those things be? I’d imagine it doesn’t start with email. And yet so many of us leave email open to dictate our day all day every day!
No, start with what matters. The big-time blocks…and find the best time to do those. Blocks for sales or prospecting. Blocks for estimating and invoicing. Blocks to meet with your team and train. Those things MUST get done well.
Then figure out the next group of items and add them to your schedule. Is it email and voicemails? Great, give yourself a set amount of time to finish it. Is it continued ed or recording processes? Do it.
Your task will take up as much time as you will give it. So learn to control the chaos and give yourself a realistic amount of time to finish something. Deep work…then move on. Even if you aren’t finished sometimes, to keep yourself on task.
Lastly, fill in the little 30 min blocks with the little tasks…cleaning up, ordering, simple admin tasks, mindless things that you can fit in anywhere.
This one's tough. Give yourself a few weeks to lean into the weekly schedule. Don’t change it immediately, but take notes and tweak after a few weeks.
That’s how you control the chaos. That’s how you sustain success. Or at least take a great giant leap towards sustaining success.
Finding someone to help you implement Listening to your customers Owning your weekly scheduleHope you have a great week!
