When should a business start implementing marketing automation?
Given that we are still dealing with the pandemic, obviously, many things have shifted from face-to-face to being online to be some level of virtual. But as business owners, we still want to give the same high-quality service to our clients and customers. And so, automation helps us to do that. When the world opens back up again, those of us who may work with people face-to-face will still want to be able to create a consistent, excellent experience at all phases of the client lifecycle. The best place is to first think about what you want and how you want things to operate in your business. I always tell people, figure out the system first and then focus on automation. What do you want the experience to be at all phases of what we call the customer lifecycle? That’s why I say that I help people attract, convert, and serve their ideal clients – because each of those three stages is important. And there are things we can automate in each one of those phases. But before you do, you need to sit back and think about: · How am I attracting people to my business? · How do I want to attract them? · How am I converting? · Do I want to send out invoices? · Or do I want to automatically have recurring payments come out of the person’s account? · How am I making sure that I’m delivering on the promise that I make? And once you’re clear on the experience you want people to have, then you can go back and say, “Okay, what pieces of this can I automate so that I can be doing something else while people are still being served?” “I talk with people about systems as well. And if you automate a bad system, you’re going to get the same result or even worse. Take the time to plan and make sure the steps all work before you automate the process.” I think so often when people are working with a marketing consultant or strategist; they probably get frustrated by how we all start with: Who’s your ideal client? What’s your client avatar? Because do you know who is your ideal client and if that person wants to get things by text or email? That’s why we want to know that before we can automate, so we can have a good system and have good automation. “Any consultant that you bring on should always ask you three questions. Who do you serve? What do you do to serve them? And, where do you want to go? If they don’t ask you those questions, then they don’t have enough information to give you any direction.” What role does marketing automation play in each stage of the lifecycle of the customer? In the first stage, the attract phase, it’s about making sure people are aware of you. It’s about giving somebody a free sample of your genius in exchange for their contact information – so you can add them to your list. That can be an automated process of saying, “Hey, go to this link, download my free resource, and give me your email address.” And then now you can continue to nurture that relationship – which can be through a series of automated emails. Then in the Convert stage, that’s all about accepting the money and figuring out what your payment process is going to be. Again, are you sending out automated invoices? Or are you setting up recurring billing? And then, before I move on, when is it the right time to ask for the sale? There’s a whole process that we call lead scoring, which means based on the number of times that they’re opening emails and clicking on links and interacting with us, that they’re probably ready to buy after X number of times. That’s the time to make a phone call or send them the emails related to purchase something. The third phase is the serving phase, and that’s about how you deliver on the promise. How do you automatically give them access to the login information for the coaching program? Or send them a link to your calendar so that they can schedule their intake session with you? Or check for client satisfaction? Are they happy with the services? How do you remedy issues automatically if they’re unhappy? If they’re happy? How do you request testimonials or referrals? All of that can be automated so that you, as a business owner, can be focused on the other parts of your business. It’s almost like you’re hiring an additional team member. “When we look at automation, you may think it can be pricey to put automation into place. But if you look at the time that is saved by not hiring a person to send each individual email, to follow up on those bills, to ensure that you remember to ask for that referral – all of those things that takes that take energy and time from a person – we can use systems to make that happen. So, oftentimes, it will be a less expensive option than hiring a person.” What is the best marketing automation platform? That’s sort of a trick question because the answer is: the one you’re going to use – that’s the best one. You should be looking for a combination of the best mix of cost, features, usability, and integrations – how well it works with your other tools. When you find the one that has all of those, then you know you’ve found one that you’re actually going to use. “That’s the same answer I give when people ask me what the best calendar to use is. It’s the one that you’ll actually use.” 3 Action Steps 1.Establish a clear vision of the experience you want your clients to have. 2.Implement marketing automation during all three phases of the customer lifecycle to save yourself time and money. 3.Choose a marketing automation platform that you will use. Connect with Denise Dennis on LinkedIn or at www.Automate25Things.com to receive “25 Things Every Coach Should Automate.” Please comment below. I would love to hear from you.
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Well, today is a BIG day…it’s MY BIRTHDAY!
Yes, I am one of those crazy people that LOVES my birthday. I know you may be reading that and gag as you dread the reminder that you are one year older. But after a year and a half like we have had, with more adaptation in the months ahead required, I am feeling incredibly grateful to celebrate another birthday. And I’ve got to say; I really enjoy my birthday. Today on my morning walk, I pondered why. For me, the reasoning comes down to words. I “enjoy” it. If you break down the word to its roots, you get “in joy” as in “within joy”. To me, this means being within the joyful state or being within delight. “I feel present on my birthday and aware of the good feelings and delight of the day.” So often, when a birthday comes around, people ask you what you want – and you may think it’s a bit tacky to ask or that people should “just know” – but this isn’t always the case. In fact, after a birthday debacle a couple of years ago, I learned that it’s important to ask for what delights you because people want to see you happy (they just don’t always know how to help you get there). My most favorite birthdays revolve around receiving in my love language. (If you haven’t figured out your love language(s) – be sure to click that link!) I happen to have two love languages, and they are: * Acts of Service * Words of Affirmation Birthdays filled with notes to me, cards, letters, and well-wishes warm me from the inside out. And, while I like birthday cake, it’s the act of making the cake for me that lights me up. One of my favorite acts of service is the Momentum Live event. With Monica’s help, I put together a scrapbook that I would like to share with you – and for my birthday, you can help me celebrate by sharing YOUR favorite moments from your own Momentum Live experience. If you have never been, that is okay – check out the slide show and share with me what delights you about what you see. Momentum Live ScrapbookSo yes, please hit that reply button after you’ve checked out the scrapbook and let me know what brought a smile to your face! Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. Let me know if this sounds all too familiar…
· Endless emails and text messages sent back and forth as you attempt to get projects and tasks completed · Spreadsheets upon spreadsheets to try and keep you and your team organized · Tasks falling through the cracks or never getting off the ground at all · Customers and clients who are a little “salty” because you missed a deadline or forgot to get back to them If you’re sheepishly nodding “yes” to some (or all) of these things, then you need some help – and I’m not talking about more emails, another team member, or the creation of the ultimate spreadsheet. You need a project management tool. I can’t imagine life without one – and that’s why I started using Asana with my team. It keeps us all on the same page. Everyone knows their tasks and responsibilities. We can use it to communicate with one another. It’s an essential part of our team. There’s a reason that Asana’s slogan is: “Work works better with Asana” – because it’s TRUE! They have several different pricing structures – although you may be pleasantly surprised that the free version is just what you need! If you’ve got your systems and processes in place and you want to move away from emails and spreadsheets and a hodgepodge of tools that aren’t getting the job done – then be sure to check out Asana! (And no…I’m not a paid spokesperson – just a business owner who loves the features and what it’s done for my team!) Not sure where to start? This tutorial from Vicky Brown – The Leaders Journey, should give you a great jumping-off point. Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. How do you focus on people and keep them focused when things are as tumultuous as they are right now?
I think internal communication is key. I think you need to keep everyone updated around what you’re personally thinking as an executive team and around what’s going to be happening. Unfortunately, I’m seeing too many companies doing last-minute communications around decisions related to COVID. You know what you’re thinking about doing prior to the decision that you actually make. So, as you’re thinking it through, it’s not a bad idea to let your employees know what you’re thinking. Of course, you can let them know that nothing is set in stone – so make that clear as well. But let them know, “This is what I’m thinking, and here’s what’s mulling over in our heads right now.” Human beings really enjoy being prepped for something, and they don’t like it when abrupt things happen. Then the second thing is just to really lean into that practicality. At the end of the day, no matter what role someone has, this situation may affect their day-to-day roles and responsibilities. Find a way to be a little bit more flexible. I know a lot of companies have leaned into that. But I know a lot of companies still have not. The last thing, no matter what your personal perspective is around what’s happening, don’t bring any of your own personal or selfish perspectives to the business. We know the politics have been really weird and making people divided, but those things impact the workflow. I’ve heard companies that are not taking the mass situation as seriously as they could – not closing shop as fast as they probably should based off the rising cases. You really need to contextually unpack each and every employees’ desires. Don’t give fully into what you selfishly think is the right thing. It does not matter. You need to give in to your employees because they’re the ones that are operating your business on a day-to-day basis. I’ll give my co-founder a little bit of a shout-out. Angela R. Howard is the head of people at a company called Dover. She’s in Chicago, and she’s doing an amazing job. She’s being very aggressive around communications, being very aggressive around leaning into empathy and the conceptual needs of the people there. So, even when executives may be divided around when we come back, we need to come back, we want to come back – she has been a nice, stable force. She says, “Look, we really need to pay attention to what our people want, what they’re saying and really what the data is saying around this particular situation.” So, she’s done a really good job. “I think some business owners and founders think, “The more I share, the more concerned my employees are going to be.” Or, they think, “I have to make so many decisions right now. I don’t have time to involve everyone in that.” But maybe this is the time to put those things aside and bring people together. It’s a difficult time to feel cohesive, but the more you can bring your employees into that community, the better off you will be.” When it comes to driving revenue and creating revenue streams, what out-of-the-box ideas do you have? I’ll give you a real example first. In New Jersey there was a pizza place – an old school site with the big ovens – and when everything happened, they got shut completely down. But their oven, for some reason – because of the heat could create certain products. I forget the actual something they created, but it was something that the nurses in the global hospitals could utilize. So, they actually helped out and started creating those things. But the hospitals actually said, “We’ll pay you for these things.” So, it didn’t have to be just a donation. They created a new revenue stream, an actual new business model in the middle of a pizza shop. So, you have to think outside the box. You can’t look at the scenario and be like, “Well, this is what it is, and I’m just going to die here.” So it just doesn’t work. Again, at a macro level, you have to think outside the box, like really unpack and understand. What do you have right now within your business model that you can fill up when it’s dead? And how can you try to drive revenue in other ways? How can you get out of your own way and start to lean into the realities of the situation? Whether that’s going direct to the consumer, or through Amazon, or through other mail providers. Maybe that’s not comfortable for you to learn those things, but this will be something that we’re probably going to have for another year. So be very, very open to looking into all different aspects of revenue streams and business models. Look at competitors out there. And don’t be afraid to burn and break what you normally do; lean into reality. Don’t be so egotistical and comfortable with what you used to do because you won’t survive. “Have you looked at what you’ve got and pivoted in a way that’s helpful for everyone? What have you learned about yourself and your business by doing this?” What are some practical ways we can let go of our self-centered decision-making process and do something better? You can look into the day-to-day realities of your organization. Ask the employees what is best for the organization right now. And here’s what I’m really talking about. Many CEOs, no matter if it’s a small business of 50, 60, or 70 employees or even big organizations – for them, it’s been a while since they’ve been in the day-to-day. And what I mean by that is it’s been a while since they’ve been on the ground floor doing certain things. So, the processes that you put in place six years ago, when you had a little bit more of an empathetic view and a little bit more of a hands-on experience, may not be the same processes that will be the best for today’s time and your people know about these things. So, let’s set up a one-on-one or group call and figure out what is working now and what needs to be tweaked or what needs to get adjusted. Be okay with a new perspective, a new workflow, a new decision – and trust that people know the best things that are moving and grooving correctly. They’re probably doing things a little bit different than what you did six weeks or six years prior. “You may not even have to go back six years. You could just go back 12 months and look at things and say, “Okay, yes, this worked then, but it’s not going to work now, and how can we apply some of that creative thinking here in this situation?” 3 Action Steps
Connect with Anthony Vaughan at LinkedIn. Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. With all of the preparations being made for the upcoming Momentum Live: The CEO Experience, I can’t help but think about the reasons I love this event so much.
And there are SO MANY reasons. But one of them is the supportive nature of this event. You have support from me – of course. You have the support of our co-hosts – Brian Rassi and Sensei Victoria Whitfield. And you have the support of those in attendance. It’s a room filled with “entrepreneurial leaders supporting each other.” And that’s exactly as it should be. Nobody knows what you experience as a business owner more than other business owners. And Momentum Live is the event that brings us all together. These three days provide:
All due to the tremendous people gathered in the room. It’s really a powerful three days. Knowing how impactful this event is for so many, a few years back, The Sappari Group started offering a scholarship to a young entrepreneur (under age 30) to attend this event, and I’m thrilled to say this tradition continues. Applications for this scholarship are STILL being accepted (until August 30th) – and if you’d like to apply, please go here and do so. (Yes, it says applications were due August 15th – but you’ve still got time! After all, I know the person in charge!) Momentum Live: The CEO Experience is October 6-8, 2021 – and I can’t wait to see you there! Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. |
AuthorBeing an entrepreneur and business owner is hard! Once you have your business up and running it's not uncommon to hit a few snags: scalability, staff retention, launching growth projects, getting enough sleep! Archives
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