Why 3 is the magic number when it comes to growing your business

I’m a very big fan of simplicity. Life is complicated enough so when we run a business on top of everything else, we need to keep the admin and to-do lists at a minimum.

That’s why I’ve come up with 3 things to focus on to grow your business. Some important points to note before I start:

1. These 3 things are proven: businesses have, and do, use them to grow
2. They will genuinely impact your business growth on the bottom line: that means more net profit
3. Consistency is key to success. When you find ways of working that allow you to make the most of your business, you need to repeat them until they are habits to embed them as a process

With each of the 3 focus areas, I have shared facts and anecdotal information so that you can really gain an understanding of why it works to put your time and attention to this area. There are also 3 hot actions for you to get on with right now so that you can start to see the benefit of focusing immediately. So, let’s do this.

1.    Data

Before you all start nodding off, or scrolling on, take a minute to appreciate this piece of advice from Chip & Dan Heath, best-selling business authors: “Data are just summaries of thousands of stories.”

I want you to fall in love with your data. Better than that, plan a date with your data. Spend some time getting to know it and hear some of those stories.

Your data is probably the most untapped goldmine of information in your business. You have information about your clients, the services they use, how often they want your services. All these things tell you something. They are chapters in the story of how to find, and win, your ideal client.

So, what are the 3 hot actions?

Consider your ideal client avatar and mark your CRM or database up to show who fits the bill and who doesn’t. (Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you get rid of anyone, just be aware of who’s perfect)

Ask yourself, are you actively marketing to your existing contacts as well as on social media? If not, send something to the avatar matches encouraging them to consider your service(s). Capsule integrates with Mailchimp, making this task quick and simple

Create a segment in your Mailchimp audience so you know who these people are and can track their interest and engagement. These should be your priority warm leads (even if they’re existing clients because you can cross-sell/up-sell too). Using ‘tracks’ in Capsule, you could even set up a ‘nurturing track with regular touch points to stay in touch with these top opportunities.

2.    Processes and systems

Now, you know we don’t do dull so stay with us. Did you know that getting your process and systems in order is liberating?

What are the fun tasks you do for your business? For many, it’s ‘doing the doing’, in other words delivering to clients.  Some people love taking a look at their numbers and playing with forecasts and scenarios. Others will enjoy sales (there are some, you know!). If I told you that by getting your processes and systems properly set up and configured for your business, you could add more time in the week to do that fun stuff, what would you say?

For most businesses, the key processes are Sales – Onboarding – Delivery – Post-delivery. Basically, that’s finding clients, getting them ready to be amazed, amazing them and then showing them how you could amaze them even more! What’s not to like?

So, what are the 3 hot actions?

Systems are the things that support your processes and make it easier to stick to them and be consistent. One of the best systems to start with is a CRM. So, the first quick and easy step is to book a discovery call with me if you haven’t got a CRM or yours isn’t working well for you.

Sketch out your ‘client journey’ – think about the moment you get an enquiry through to what you do when a project finishes: list the touchpoints you have/experiences your client has with you. This gives you something to build a process around.

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought? Check out our blog about how to have a kickass sales process to get some inspiration.

3.    YOU!

Finally, our third area to focus on is one that might sound a little more appealing, but is actually strangely difficult for many business owners to prioritise. It’s easy to miss ourselves out of the planning for success but, if we are owner/operators, our business cannot be successful if we are not in good shape.

If you need evidence that your health and wellbeing is integral to the success of your business, check out these stats:

• Positive people are 31% more productive than negative people
• Positive people are 37% better at sales that negative people

Who doesn’t want to be in that club? With all the emphasis on mental health and overwhelm, it’s really important to build some time for you to re-energise into your business.

So, for the final time, what are the 3 hot actions?

Watch this TED talk for more on happiness and success.

Read my blog about loving what you do, and doing what you love.

Get up, get out and enjoy a bit of fresh air and nature, it really is the quickest and best way to brighten up your day.

 

How can you find out more, and fancy a challenge?

So, a challenge to you: have a go at taking some of these actions and see whether you feel your business is in a better position for growth. If you’d like further information or guidance, I am always happy to chat about business growth, CRMs or processes and systems so do get in touch on Julia.blake@blakeconsultants.co.uk or 07775 791682.

I have been working with CapsuleCRM for a decade and helped many clients increase revenue, reduce costs, make the most of their contacts, manage their pipeline and deliver great customer service. Capsule is an excellent way to capture your leads and clients once you’ve identified them using your avatar.

I can design and install the perfect bespoke version of Capsule to meet your needs. Capsule really is a great solution for coaches, consultants and business owners and when it is integrated with Mailchimp and Xero you have really solid foundations in place to grow your business.

I’m always happy to have a chat – you can contact me at julia.blake@blakeconsultants.co.uk and sign up to receive my Growth Hack Bulletin too.

You can also follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

 

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