27 Internet Marketing Rules for Success. Rule #27: Systemize Your Business
Here we are at rule #27. It may be the last rule, but it’s actually the most important. And it happens to be related to a common problem that Internet marketers have: they never systemize their business processes.
To understand why this is a problem, just think about one of the things that characterizes the difference between an efficient, scalable corporation and a small business that cannot grow beyond $500,000/year in revenue: ad hoc decision making.
If you’re not familiar with the term “ad hoc,” it refers to anything that is designed for a specific purpose. And this is exactly how we can characterize the decision-making of small businesses: there’s a new decision for each new situation; and no plans for future contingencies.
To the contrary, large corporations plan, work out contingencies, and create systems that can be re-used without spending the time to re-invent the wheel. Take, for instance, the concept of franchising. This makes it possible to create hundreds of retail stores or restaurants without coming up with an “ad hoc” plan for each individual store. Instead, there’s an existing template that can be used and is sufficiently general so that it will ensure the success of the business.
The same thing applies to Internet marketing. Consider how hard it would be to manage an affiliate program if you didn’t do it through Clickbank.com or through some affiliate program software. You would have to talk to each affiliate individually, take her contact information, and record a massive amount of payment information. Instead, you can reduce the amount of time you spend on these tasks to virtually nothing through the use of some systemization and automation.
Now, reducing the amount of ad hoc decision-making you do isn’t just a lofty suggestion. There are many concrete ways in which you can do this to further the systemization of your business; and to improve its efficiency.
I personally suggest that you do the following five things at a minimum to streamline your business processes:
1. Create templates for everything you do. Whether you find yourself frequently sending out the same emails, frequently posting the same information on forums, or frequently explaining the same concepts to joint venture partners, make a template for it using Word; and then use it to send all subsequent emails. This will make your life much easier and cut out a lot of unnecessary re-writing.
2. Download a free password-manager and form filler. Add all of your relevant information to these programs; and then use them in the future whenever you need to fill out a form or fill in a password. This will save you a great deal of time and effort in the long run.
3. Spend a full day re-arranging all pertinent information related to your business. Create a database using Excel or Access to keep track of important client information. Create an elaborate system of folders to keep track of all of your business information, so that you can quickly locate it when needed, rather than searching through endless amounts of disorganized information.
4. Create templates for all of your outsourcing tasks. This might include templates for projects you frequently hire freelances for, templates for joint venture proposals, and templates that you use to pursue new affiliates to sell your product.
5. Spend some time drafting process diagrams that clearly define how tasks should be carried out in your business. Consider things such as how you find leads, how those leads translate into buyers, and how projects flow from you to your workers; and then back to you. This will help you work out a logical outline in your mind for how your business should operate; and how it can build systems that will allow it to become scalable.
In short, putting systems in place is one of the best ways in which you can eliminate hundreds of different ad hoc decisions; and instead replace them with processes that clearly delineate what you should do in each situation.
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I always enjoy reading spot on articles by an author who is obviously knowledgeable on their chosen subject. I’ll be watching this post with great interest. Keep up the great work, see you next time