Great systems are both high tech and high touch and enable the online business owner to “scale personal attention.” Here are a few scenarios where offline systems can support your business (and even bring in more income!):

Scenario 1 : Reach out to Leads

When your business reaches the point where you’re offering low cost levels all the way up to private access, higher value programs you’ll want to reach out to leads when they’re interested in your offers. But it’s more important to reach the client who wants an annual program that begins with a 5-figure investment rather than someone who wants to buy a $5 ebook.

If you’re selling products you may want to follow up with wholesalers and those who select thousands in merchandise, rather than the lead interested in a single $10 sale.

A system that combines online and offline actions might trigger a task for your sales team to call the high level lead and answer any questions that they may have and encourage them to complete their order.

Scenario 2 : Client follow up

Automating your client welcome sequence and client service is awesome but there are times you’ll want to connect personally as well. This could be at the beginning of a program to welcome the new client, on their birthday, halfway through a program or when they’re looking to upgrade or even refund.

Personal attention is critical – after all, you’re the one they chose to buy from and unless you want to be a commodity (something that can be bought anywhere, anytime, for the cheapest amount possible) you do need to have personal touches.

Even something simple, like a birthday greeting, can be an offline system. You can automate the reminder and then personally pick out a gift or card and send it in the mail. It’s a great blend of high tech and high touch.

Scenario 3 : Systems for Events

Imagine you walk into a conference and get a badge from a kiosk, your workbook pops out of a vending machine and then log in to a website to select your seat.

Sounds terrible, right? Even automated industries like taking a flight post a friendly attendant at the desk! So in addition to your automated systems to print badges, send welcome emails and send follow up messages, you need offline systems.

This could be how your registration table staff greets attendees, the process of handing over the workbook and how the team talks about your programs and the order process.

Would you rather your team say “yeah, sure, you can sign up for that, I guess.” or “absolutely! Our home study is perfect for women who want to implement quickly and have a great support network. Here’s the order form and there are 3 convenient payment options…” These personal interactions can be systematized so that you get the best results.

Remember that systems don’t have to be managed by a computer and the best ones remember that we’re human!

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This is how we work

While you should cover policies and what it’s like to work with you during the lead process, having a document that spells out how your business operates is critical at the beginning of a relationship. These could be reminders like “payments must be made on time” or courtesies such as “please send files 24 hours in advance of calls for review.” 

Often these are non-enforceable requirements that are requests of your clients in addition to items covered in your contract. It’s up to you to set the boundaries in any relationship but you can’t reinforce a boundary that doesn’t exist. The welcome packet is your way of saying ‘this is how we work with clients’ before any issues arise.

Setting expectations early resolves the question of wondering what comes next and gives the client a sense of comfort.

A welcome packet shows you’re not a newbie

If you’ve ever worked with a brand new business you can usually tell. They often seem to be scrambling, you may be the first person in a program and everything seems to come later than expected. Clients don’t like to feel like guinea pigs, they’d much rather know that you’re not a newbie and have experience.

A well thought out welcome packet will inform your new clients of how you can work successfully together, presupposing that you’ve done this before with other clients to some success.

What’s in a Welcome Packet?

Your welcome packet can start out very simple and evolve over time. Initially you may want to cover working hours, the typical return time for documents, copy or other deliverables, how to contact you and introduce any key members of your team.

As you continue to work with clients you’ll find yourself adding to the standard welcome packet. A few things that prompt me to edit mine include:

• working with a non-ideal client
• when a client crosses a boundary I didn’t clarify
• any time I’m frustrated by a circumstance
• when we make a policy shift
• if I observe the policy of another business I respect

Even as they’re edited, my welcome packet is a standard document that goes out to every new client, regardless of program.

How do you send the Welcome Packet? And when?

If you have a Client Relationship Management tool like Infusionsoft then you can create a new client campaign that delivers this document automatically. If not, simply add it this step to your new client process and manually email it.

We don’t share our welcome packet with any client who hasn’t paid and signed the contract associated with the program or package. Once those two items are in place the welcome packet goes out and includes instructions on scheduling the first call.

The strategic importance of a welcome packet goes beyond confirming that your client made the right decision and setting expectations. If you operate your business under the premise that you have a full practice of clients (whatever that looks like in your industry) then you realize that a welcome packet is an essential piece to communicating with each new client. Additionally, as your practice fills you won’t usually be able to sign a contract in the morning and start working in the afternoon. The welcome packet helps fill this gap as the new client gets scheduled, without them feeling lost and confused.

And in the case when a client has crossed your boundaries, abused the relationship, over demanded of your time and more, the welcome packet is a clear point of agreement that you can refer to when sharing that the client’s behavior is unacceptable.

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Just Say No to doing everything

Tell me, when was the last time you went to Sears for an engagement ring. Or toaster. Or shoes. Or a tractor. That’s the problem with the one stop shop – we’re moving into an economy of specialists. Because we’d much rather buy diamonds from the diamond expert, shoes from the shoe expert. 

Your business is no different, if you do it “all” then it dilutes your message and makes you look desperate. Few people know that the rest of the phrase “jack of all trades” is “master of none.” Would you want to spend good money with someone who hasn’t mastered what you’re asking them to do?

Instead focus on what you do best and can deliver better than your competitors!

Just say No to changing your programs to fit every need

It takes a lot of time and experience to create the packages and programs that serve your ideal client best. So why do entrepreneurs allow non-ideal clients to come along and change everything at a whim? This could be a simple request like changing the price or payment options or more structural changes such as adding or removing features or extending a 2 month program over 6 months.

You need to be willing to stand up for your business and act as the expert. For one, your clients are hiring you for your expertise and clients who try to run the show don’t respect your experience.

Further, when you begin making exceptions it’s much harder to create a system to provide a consistent program to your clients. It’s also more difficult to explain your service when there are potential hundreds of permutations and options. You’ll come across as more confident and secure when you clearly share how others can work with you and when they attempt to add on services you don’t provide or remove elements you know they need you stand your ground.

This will also enable you to make more money, both because you have a clear picture of your packages and don’t waste time doing custom work and since you have a system for working with clients that works. Many times those custom jobs suck up much more time and energy, leaving you less available to work with other clients.

*Just say No By saying “I don’t know.”

Entrepreneurs love being able to solve problems for others but there comes a time when it’s necessary to say, “I don’t know” and “but I will find out.”

Clients don’t need know-it-all coaches, assistants or team members. Most of all they need honest ones who are willing to do the work that’s required including research. If you lie and say “oh sure” but have no idea what is going on then the truth will come out eventually and you’ll lose the hard earned respect of your clients.

Sometimes this comes up even more subtly when you’re asked, “do you know this guru?” or “have you seen the opt-in form on that site?” Be honest and stay in integrity. Say no if you have no idea what they’re talking about and be willing to learn something new.

Entrepreneurs have a pervasive fear of looking stupid but you don’t resolve that concern by lying and pretending to know things you don’t.

The best part is that when you say no it doesn’t make you appear stupid or stubborn or uninformed. When done in integrity and the right attitude, instead of pushing away clients, the willingness to be honest about what you do and where your expertise lie will actually attract the right clients to your practice.

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Today’s edition: flyers everywhere

This happens far too often. I go to the store, happily do my shopping, load up my car, return the cart and then as I’m driving home notice, on my windshield, a flyer flapping in the wind tucked under my windshield wiper.

Let me explain the reasons why I hate this marketing strategy:

1. I never look at my windshield for paper unless I’ve illegally parked.
2. It’s likely to contribute to littering and if it flies off my car and I get ticketed you know I’ll blame you.
3. It’s not personalized or considerate of the recipient. Which would be me.
4. I either have to pull over on my way home or look at your flapping flyer until I can throw it away.
5. You touched my car. No one touches my car.

Just kidding on #5, I really don’t care if someone touches it but to affix something to my car means we’re just one step away from you slapping on a bumper sticker or writing in paint on my window.

Listen, I’ve only ever seen big corporate businesses use this strategy and whether they’re affixing flyers to car windshields or sticking a pizza delivery flyer in my screen door (where it falls, stuck between the screen and the grate and drives me CRAZY) it doesn’t work. But I’ve seen this advice given to entrepreneurs as well.

“Stick your business cards on bulletin boards everywhere!”
“Distribute your flyer for that class to everyone you meet!”
“Just hand them out until you run out.”

Listen, marketing doesn’t have to be impersonal bordering on rude. You can have personalized messaging and it isn’t obscenely expensive.

The real reason I hate this kind of marketing strategy is that it’s ineffective carpet bombing. The company doesn’t know if I need pizza, custom frames, a babysitter or mortgage refi. They don’t know me at all. So instead of feeling understood and supported I feel like a speck in the massive parking lot where my business is just as coveted as the owner of the car next to me. I’m not excited to do business with you after I find a flyer on my windshield, I’m likely to recycle your flyer, or curse you for littering my car with trash.

How to do it better

Okay, this post isn’t all whining! Let’s say you really do have flyers you need to distribute and it’s so easy to put them on some parked cars.

Stop right there. Marketing isn’t supposed to be whatever is most simple for you to get done. Good marketing helps you understand your audience better and support their goals. Which means you’ve got to talk to people instead of slinking around a parking lot.

Instead of blindly stapling, tacking or handing out your marketing material first have a conversation. I know, it’s not a revolutionary idea but it is effective. Ask what this person in front of you needs, their goals, their struggles. Then, if it’s a good fit, offer your material to help them with the next step.

Notice I said offer, not thrust a flyer into their hand and walk away.

If the company that left the flyer for custom framing on my car had thought through this strategy they might set up a table in a busy place and ask “Do you have anyone you love graduating college or high school this month? Any weddings coming up this summer? Is there a budding artist or photographer in your home?”

Upon receiving a “yes” (i.e. the confirmation of interest) then the pitch could begin with a very simple offer, “a custom frame is a great piece for a diploma, wedding pictures, a marriage certificate or even one of a kind art. Would you like a coupon for 80% off your next custom frame?”

Do you see the difference? While you may hand out far fewer flyers in this alternative strategy the leads will be pre-qualified, interested in the offer and (this is important) not pissed off.

Ironically the same day I got this annoying flyer I had two graduation announcements in the mail but the coupon offer was already in the recycling bin.

Image Idea: flyer tucked under a car windshield wiper
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So why do so many entrepreneurs struggle to create, promote and manage their websites when there are so many ways to outsource it?

The top reason is of course we think it’s too expensive to get support. Often we think of the hourly rate of a web developer (someone who is coding and creating new sites) is the same as someone who can update your site (adding content on the blog, updating a contact page, approving spam). Another reason is that we don’t understand how to ask for support so we don’t know who to hire. 

There’s a big difference between using standard solutions like WordPress templates and just adding content and creating custom work. You’ll want to ask lots of question and, if this is a weak area for you, make sure you can communicate well with the person you hire.

If coding and website work is not your unique ability then you could be wasting valuable time trying to figure it out on your own. Time that would be better spent talking to leads, serving ideal clients and creating new content.

What does it look like to outsource web work?

At the very basic level it means that you can focus on writing copy or blog posts and hand it off to a HTML savvy assistant to queue on the website and make it look good. When you get more advanced it means creating web pages, sales funnels (linking a sales page to your shopping cart, thank you page and upsell offers), and doing custom design work.

Some entrepreneurs only think of hiring out web work when it comes to creating a new website but there are other ways that web savvy assistants can bring value to your business.

• Making sure the site is up to date, backed up regularly and functioning smoothly
• Creating additional resources like custom landing pages that have been on your to do list for ages
• Trouble shooting issues so broken links and missing code doesn’t ruin your day and hold back your business

How would you get started outsourcing web related tasks?

As with most tasks, our first suggestion is to create a list of the things you’re doing on a regular basis that suck up your time and creative energy. This could be editing videos or fixing website headers, you might spend too much time creating the perfect SEO title or searching for images and plugins. Once you have that list then you can determine the hours, frequency of support needed and skill set of your ideal assistant.

If you’re struggling to hire out this position be sure to grab my 5 Ways to Find Fabulous Help for Your Online Business in the Success Toolkit at the top of the page – it’ll walk you through our hiring process for any position that you need filled.

Outsourcing these tasks are a little more complex than standard admin work because in most cases you’re relying on the assistant to be the expert. As as result, expect to pay more and request that your team member document their tasks. Often when you hire a new technical assistant for your website or software configuration, you’ll pay for a good chunk of time for the new person to figure out what the old assistant did (or didn’t do) and then to fix it.

However, if you’re running an online business, the success of your business depends on being online and having these assets work properly. If you’re not naturally tech savvy then hiring someone for this position can give you more time and energy to work on the aspects of your business you love while knowing that everything is handled.

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