Whether you are an Entrepreneur or Business Professional there are many things you do each week that would benefit from a strategic system to help you be more effective, reduce errors and stress, help you enjoy your time at work and give you more time to have fun outside of work.
Strategic systems are not static; they allow you to be flexible, creative, and spontaneous, and because they help you look at situations with a clear focus and a specific intention you can easily achieve your desired results. When you develop your strategic system you begin by setting an intention for what would be the best outcome in this area.
If we use the example of incoming mail both email and snail mail. An intention you might set would be to handle it only once, sort it effortlessly, and help you leverage your actions for greater success.
Once you set your intention and define the focus you can develop a strategic system to achieve that intention. With the snail mail those systems might include scheduling fifteen minutes a day to look through the mail when it comes in. The system could include a three tier sorting; things to throw away, things to file, and things to take action on. You can set up further systems so an action required on the mail will automatically be handled. In the case of accounts receivable or payable, answering an inquiry, scheduling a meeting, or call back?
Your systems would also include a file for reading material or reference and for handling mail that needs to be redirected to someone else who can handle it more effectively.
With the email you will want to have a similar sorting system. Filters can be helpful for directing the different email to corresponding boxes of important, reference, action, spam?
You can also have response emails set up for situations or questions that are frequently requested. This allows you to customize each response from a pre drafted template; cutting down your response time but allowing you to address each situation in the most efficient way.
Once you start designing strategic systems you will find that it's beneficial to keep adding to the system. One process will lead to another and each step of a process will be incorporated into the strategic system. This will allow you to move from your definition of success in a given area to implementation of the best processes to achieve it. Your actions will flow seamlessly from one strategic system to the next and nothing will be misplaced or forgotten.
The process of building one strategic system on another is an excellent way to boost productivity, reduce costs, boost employee and customer satisfaction and increase your profits.
Because your strategic systems are fluid you can easily update them when new situations occur or when you want to change or improve your definition of success on a given situation.
Make sure your strategic systems define success, include an intention, are simple, clear, and updated regularly.
Here's a simple 8 step process to help you create your Strategic Systems:
1. Define what success in a specific area looks like
2. Set your intention for the outcome of the Strategic System
3. Keep it focused and simple
4. Get it out of your head and on paper: you want to develop a step by step blueprint
5. Look for ways to leverage one strategic system with another
6. Have a template for tasks
7. Keep it fluid and dynamic and update the strategic system at least once a month
8. Keep it in PLAIN SIGHT; if it's in a drawer it won't be effective
You can develop Strategic Systems for everything that you need to do at work. Customer service, order fulfillment, meeting agendas, marketing, client referrals, telephone scripts, sales information, inventory, peer review, conflict resolution, training proficiencies, matching job outcomes to job openings, employee feedback, new product or service development, converting web visitors to sales?
Strategic Systems are powerful because they get the ideas and information out of your head and onto paper. They allow you to see the big picture and focus on a fluid procession of details that help you achieve big picture goals. This approach will get you working on your business and not in your business. Because you have clearly determined your definition of success in each area you can use inspired actions not reactions to effectively get things done.
All of these benefits lead to the ultimate benefit; you have more time and can have more fun because things are running smoothly. You don't always have to be there because the process is clearly laid out in the strategic system manual for each area.
Start small and develop the powerful habit of creating a strategic system for each area of your business.
©BZ Riger-Hull. Author of The Soul of Success http://www.allowingprosperity.com she is certified as an Attraction Coach, Prosperity Guide, Four Agreements Facilitator & Tele-Course leader. Start THRIVING in your Career, Business, Relationships, Bottom Line & Life. Receive $535 in free services take the 90 Day ALLOWING PROSPERITY CHALLENGE. The only risk to doing business with us is achieving success beyond your wildest expectations. mailto:BZ@allowingprosperity.com
Imagine that you have operated a successful franchise business for... Read More
In the first article we mentioned the main characteristics that... Read More
In this series of articles I'm going to show you... Read More
So there I was ? sitting in the audience of... Read More
There is a rather famous true story called "Acres of... Read More
Where do you find the right people for a business... Read More
If you're just ramping up your small business email newsletter,... Read More
If you are a franchisee of a large franchise system;... Read More
Do you need grant funding for your nonprofit organization? If... Read More
Costs of over regulation and over disclosure end up hurting... Read More
As long as you eat and breathe you will stay... Read More
How much is your time really worth? Is it worth... Read More
Don't let your customer satisfaction research initiative collect dust on... Read More
No matter what kind of small business you have, you... Read More
You'd like to go into business for yourself, and believe... Read More
Whether your target audience is in your neighborhood or across... Read More
1. Have A Strong Constitution ? Justices deliver decisions by... Read More
You've come up with the best idea since sliced bread,... Read More
Many smaller businesses choose niche markets for various reasons and... Read More
Winning small and home based businesses today must continually shake... Read More
One of the first things you will need to set... Read More
Never underestimate the power of perception! Perception plays a major... Read More
In these days of insecurity and uncertain futures, the tendency... Read More
When should you create a foundation in order to solidify... Read More
One of the primary concerns all small businesses have is... Read More
If you are just starting your business, or if you... Read More
Opportunities for home show businesses have never been more abundant.... Read More
How do you sponsor an event and get personal introductions... Read More
Ongoing support for a franchise system is omnipotent. A major... Read More
1. Everyone Makes A Difference ? Despite not letting him... Read More
"What do you do?" It just might be one of... Read More
Do you know what your genius work is? It's the... Read More
Macon, GA goes after garage-gas station conversion detail/hand car washes... Read More
It has been said that the only constant is change.... Read More
Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business,... Read More
One of the great challenges for independent professionals and small... Read More
No matter what kind of small business you have, you... Read More
Traditional advertising methods are still being used for almost 90%... Read More
TACTIC #1 -- Never simply slash your prices, unless you're... Read More
Many government department heads are on the take. Oh they'll... Read More
One thing I have noticed in my travels to different... Read More
Here are just a few ways to increase and diversify... Read More
Deciding to start your own franchise is just one of... Read More
Ask anyone trapped in a cubical about their entrepreneurial dream... Read More
Achieving real success should be the goal of any good... Read More
If you're just ramping up your small business email newsletter,... Read More
In the heavy equipment cleaning business you can make good... Read More
I only have to point to the 555 plus failed... Read More
If you really want to earn more money with your... Read More
Sexual Harassment is a disturbing part of employment life in... Read More
|