“Until you professionalize your operation, its potential is limited. The amount of money you make and your ability to have a positive impact on the world will be limited.”
The above is a nugget from Donald Miller’s “How to Grow Your Small Business”. Right in the introduction. This hit me pretty hard.
He goes on to speak about a mentor giving him some advice with regard to the whole business, which sets the premise for the book. However, I took it from a different perspective, one from the solo entrepreneur who floundered for a little bit but knew I need to present myself more professionally. Thus developed my systems, workflows, etc to be just that.
There is a perception your clients view you and your business, which ultimately determines your brand. The developed persona that they see comes from your interactions, your communication, and your personality, among other aspects. They want to know they can trust you and feel comfortable engaging with you. You have to build trust.
If you are not on top of email, or messages, or you don’t send information on how to prepare for their service. Will the client trust you to perform the service? They may be skeptical going into it, however, those seemingly minute mishaps can lessen their overall experience and put a “less professional” filter over how they perceive you and your brand.
This starts when you are the only one on the team.
How can you set up your processes and systems so that you are consistently presenting yourself and your business in a professional way?
- workflows, email and document templates, online scheduling, etc.
These tools can make your job easier by giving you the time and space to be more present for your clients while your clients feel they are being tended to and their needs met through the experience they have with you.
Prepare for the crazy times now while you have the time and can build your processes. It will save you stress and headaches later when you get busy. You wo t have time when you are busy to work on this.
Start with the ideal schedule and process you want your clients to experience then work on building out each area or stage to maximize the value you can provide at the most relevant time for your clients.