The 6 Human Foundations EVERY business needs in 2019
Every year business seems to get more complex by an introduction of some new technology. Regardless of what tools you use and what cloud systems you integrate with each other, what matters most is that you have the 6 foundational systems in place. Software can and will make these foundations easier to build and manage but it’s the most basic systems and processes that still allow businesses to win. These foundations have nothing to do with technology. The purpose of this blog is to share with you that technology is not the reason businesses succeed, it is basic human behaviors that build solid foundations and great systems.
👉🏻 If you want to get to the meat and potatoes of this blog scroll to the bottom
1. Messaging
You can have the best looking and functioning website but if no one understands how your product or service is going to change their life they don’t care. All they want to know are the features, benefits, and how much does this cost. Don’t clutter your homepage with your 1000 word company history.
ACTION: To get your messaging down we highly recommend using the StoryBrand SB7 Framework. We have used this in our own business and with many of our clients. You will get crystal clear on your messaging and eliminate any confusion about your brand. You will have a clear roadmap on how to update your website, marketing material, and any sales tools.
You can start by reading the StoryBrand book, then create a free account at www.mystorybrand.com
2. Marketing & Sales Automation
Marketing & sales automation has been around since the beginning of the internet. The great thing about marketing & sales automation is that we can monitor every single conversion point so we can make adjustments to optimize campaigns. The not so great thing about marketing & sales automation is that it still relies on the most basic marketing & sales tactics that play off of human desire. You can have the most amazing sales funnel but if it’s not converting your sales funnel simply becomes a money pit.
You need an exciting customer journey that includes good sales copy, convincing landing pages, valuable lead magnets, and a simple user experience. If you cannot write convincing copy your sales funnel is going to flop. This goes back to getting your messaging dialed. Bad messaging guarantees bad sales. Good messaging increases sales.
ACTION: Focus on creating good sales copy for your ads, landing pages, sales emails, and a highly valuable lead magnet. Get your messaging down!
3. Collaboration
There are a ton of collaboration tools on the market today but none of them are effective unless the people using them understand the goals and priorities of the business. If you cannot write down your goals and priorities on a blank piece of paper so your team can understand them, then it doesn’t matter what system or platform you try to implement. The secret sauce is a healthy relationship between all the team members which include the leadership team. If the leaders do not clearly communicate the goals and priorities of the business, the buy in from the rest of the team will be a hard sell.
It is the leaders job to make sure there is time each week to let the team members understand the mission. But it is also each team members job to raise any questions when unsure or in doubt of what the mission is and the role they play in it. Basic human interaction is required to create a positive collaborative environment. If you can solve the puzzle of getting your entire team rallied around a singular mission, this will be foundation needed to start implementing new systems and processes for collaboration.
ACTION: Create an environment where goals and priorities are regularly communicated with the team. Once a year won’t cut it. Do it once a week at the very least.
4. Workflow & Automation Solutions
“We’ve always done it this way!” is something we have all said or heard. Unfortunately this mindset drains resources from a business. For the sake of this blog let’s remove automation from the conversation and focus on “Workflow Solutions”. When implementing new processes and procedures you should try to figure out how to optimize the process by asking yourself the hard questions if every step is necessary. At some point this new process will be “optimized”. This doesn’t mean it ends there. You should revisit the process again each year or if there are any changes that can affect its efficiencies. Don’t get comfortable just because this is how you have been doing it. Think and act optimized!
ACTION: Look at the top 3 workflows in your business and revisit them. See if you can simplify them by removing any busy work or unnecessary steps, digitally file documents instead of printing them out and filing them, or eliminate them completely.
5. Analytics
You need to become a data-driven business to have a competitive advantage. This doesn’t mean having flashy dashboards and complex reporting functions. None of that matters if you don’t know which KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to look for. Don’t get lost in the sea of data. Know the difference between actionable and vanity metrics. Actionable metrics drive strategy and allow you to steer the company towards higher profits and greater efficiency. Vanity metrics are simply for bragging rights and have little to no impact to revenue.
A vanity metric for instance is the amount of website visitors. People get so caught up on this number because they think it’s actually making them money but in reality this number has little to do with generating revenue. The actionable metric is your conversion rate. This is the only metric that matters when trying to make a sale through a website. If you have 1,000,000 visitors to your website and only 1 person buys something you have an amazing conversion rate of 0.000001%. If you have 10 visitors to your website and 3 people buy you have a conversion rate of 30%. Once you have the conversion rate dialed in then you can start looking at increasing your website traffic.
The simple formula: conversion rate = (conversions / total visitors) * 100%
Conversions is the number of actions you want the users to take such as purchasing a product, opting in, or scheduling a phone call.
ACTION: Find the most important conversation point in your sales process. It might be a landing page, a phone call, your yelp page, or emails you send out. Calculate the current conversion rate, then create and execute a strategy to start increasing it. This simple approach needs to be repeated in all areas of your marketing and sales process.
6. Customer Success
Great customer service is another strong competitive advantage for many companies. It always has been and it always will be. If you don’t have the most basic custom service policies and systems in place don’t expect customers to hang around too long. People are looking for fast response times. 24hrs use to be the standard but 6–12hrs is becoming the norm. The old saying “The customer is always right” still holds true for many cases. Especially with review sites like Yelp and Amazon, negative reviews can kill your business in a matter of a handful reviews.
ACTION: Get your response times down. Create a system so you can measure and monitor response times. Be consistent with your response times and always work on reducing the time it takes to respond to your customers.
tl;dr
“Technology is not the reason businesses succeed, it is basic human behaviors that build solid foundations and great systems.”
Key Action Items
1. Messaging
To get your messaging down we highly recommend using the StoryBrand SB7 Framework. You can start by reading the StoryBrand book, then create a free account at www.mystorybrand.com
2. Marketing & Sales Automation
Focus on creating good sales copy for your ads, landing pages, sales emails, and a highly valuable lead magnet.
3. Collaboration
Create an environment where goals and priorities are regularly communicated with the team. Once a year won’t cut it. Do it once a week at the very least.
4. Workflow Solutions
Look at the top 3 workflows in your business and revisit them. Simplify them by removing any busy work or unnecessary steps, digitally file documents instead of printing them out and filing them, or eliminate them completely.
5. Analytics
Find the most important conversation point in your sales process. It might be a landing page, a phone call, your yelp page, or emails you send out. Calculate the current conversion rate, then create and execute a strategy to start increasing it. This simple approach needs to be repeated in all areas of your marketing and sales process.
6. Customer Success
Get your response times down. Create a system so you can measure and monitor response times. Be consistent with your response times and always work on reducing the time it takes to respond to your customers.
The Why Builder has created programs to build these foundations into your business or organization. To learn more about these programs and services please visit our website. https://www.thewhybuilder.com
