By Eden Sunshine- "The Systems Guy" Making Your Business and Life Work For You! www.equestdevelopment.com
Within your business is a million dollar system. Perhaps you have several million-dollar systems.
Now when I say system, I am referring to a clearly documented or replicatable way of doing things that has been proven and OH did I say, “Documented”.
Unless your work or idea or way of doing things is documented, it's really not a system.
It is merely an idea of “how things get done from time to time”.
Maybe its an excellent way of getting things done and it happens regularly in your business but if it's not replicatable, other than one mouth to another, then you do not have a system dependent environment. You have a people dependent environment.
Do you remember the game you would play as a kid called telephone ? You would whisper into another person's ear a phrase or a story who in turn would pass it on to another person in the circle. By the end of the line the story that started out talking about my mothers delicious pumpkin pie turned into a joke about gorillas eating tortillas while surfing in Hawaii .
So if you are depending on the story of “ how things get done in your business” to be communicated entirely by word of mouth, don't be surprised when you step in a little gorilla poop from time to time.
I would suggest that within those “the way things get done here from time to time” there is a system that could be worth millions to you.
Let me explain. I have a client that single handedly sells over 1.2 million dollars of revenue for his company every year. He has 4 sales people that collectively don't do half that.
So what's the problem? He has a million dollar “the way things get done here from time to time” system that could potentially be turned into multi-millions of dollars generated for his business while not being dependent on him.
How?
What if he could document his sales process, making the processes that he follows turnkey and then turn pass it over to his sales reps with the necessary training and support to ensure consistent replication?
He could turn his sales reps into superstars. “Imagine 5, 10, 20, 50 sales reps producing a million dollars of sales per year” , I asked him, “what would that be worth?”
Not surprisingly, He and I are working on developing and documenting that system is we speak.
Yes, it is going to take some time, but how much time would you invest to add 5 million dollars to your revenue per year?
I've had clients systemize their hiring and recruiting that enables them to attract the best possible candidates for the business and save literally thousands of dollars doing so.
Have you ever attracted a great candidate?
If you have, then you can repeat that by creating a great system to consistently attract great candidates?
The list of potential systems that positively affect the finances of your business are too numerous to list. Even the way your company answers the phones could be worth money, or cost you money if it's done poorly.
Despite the fact that these systems are potentially worth thousands of even millions, there is one system that is worth more.
It's a Multi-Million Dollar System.
The multi-million dollar system is the system you use to get systems documented in your business. It's the System of Creating Replication.
This system is the most powerful of all because it ensures that your business develops the practice and an environment of documenting and installing all “the way things get done here from time to time” to clearly defined, replicatable systems.
So the value of this process is equivalent to the potential value of all your documented and leveraged systems combined.
So what does the System of Replication look like?
• You must first decide, who is going to be involved in the documentation process. Will everyone in the company be documenting or just a few. Or will you bring in a specialist to act as your System Administrator?
• Next you need to develop a comprehensive list of your systems and prioritize them by the position that does the work of the system.
• Create your templates for your systems, checklist, performance agreements, policies etc. What are they going to look like and what are going to be the critical elements of each of the systems?
• Train your employee that will be doing documentation on how to documented and create the system.
• Establish a documentation schedule and accountabilities and stick with it.
• Keep track of the systems development process by setting up a system documentation tracking spreadsheet.
• Determine where your finished systems will be housed and how updates and revisions will take place in your business.
This is the process I utilize when working with and supporting my clients to create replication and systems in their business. And it works if you follow it.
I was working with a client several years back that was having a difficult time getting the systems documentation process done in his business. His business was very successful yet largely dependent on him.
He had been in the business for 27 years and the knowledge base; the key thing that differentiated his business was all in his head. Everyone in the industry knew that his company was the best, or should I say, HE was the best, but he couldn't get that leveraged through his people.
So he called me in to help him get his Multi-Million Dollar System in place.
Initially we identified roughly 106 potential systems in his business, three of which were actually documented.
We determined his entire staff would be trained and responsible for documenting in their respective areas.
His biggest concern was time.
I told him that, once trained, an employee could document one system a week working approximately 1-2 hours on the system.
We trained his staff and set up a back end accountability process that involved me and my team to make sure that the process was staying on track. In other words, we made sure the process was staying one track so the owner didn't have too. We provided regular reporting so he knew what was going on.
Within three months the company had gone from 3 to 39 documented systems. Within 9 months, over 90% of the company systems have been documented and are being followed.
The same client, who couldn't take more that 3 days off work at a time just returned from a 17 day vacation in Europe and didn't receive one e-mail or phone call from his staff while he was a way.
As business owners we get consumed with the systems that appear to have the most impact on the business like sales, marketing, lead generation, hiring and recruiting, employee performance issues and I will be the first to say they are critically important. However, if you want to build an extraordinary business then focusing on the system that will replicate, evaluate and improve those critical systems is the most important system of all.
About The Writer:
Eden "The Systems Guy" Sunshine is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, facilitator and consultant. He is the Founder and President of E Quest Development Company and creator of the Level Seven System for Realtors. He is also one of less than 40 Certified Master E-Myth Consultants Worldwide. Send your questions to equest2001@cox.net or visit his website at www.equestdevelopment.com |
