Systems and success

Business systems create a framework for achievement.

Large organizations have policies and procedures so that employees and customers know what’s expected of them and have guidelines for dealing with various situations.

The poster child for systems is McDonalds. McDonalds doesn’t have the greatest food. You can get a better hamburger somewhere else. But you know what to expect. A Big Mac and fries is the same at any McDonalds that you visit, and will be ready soon after you order them. You know the dining room looks the same at McDonalds restaurants and the restrooms will be clean. The employees dress in McDonalds uniforms and are clean and efficient. That consistency encourages the customers to trust the McDonalds experience and go to McDonalds when they visit a community away from home.

For a small business, having consistent “rules of engagement” is a way of managing customers’ expectations and also inspires trust. For example, if customers know you only return text messages or phone calls in the afternoon or on certain days, they don’t (or shouldn’t) expect an instant response for their texts and calls.

Having sales scripts for employees can “free up” their minds to make adjustments for a customer’s special problems. They basically already know what to say.

When you have a system, you might also need to know how and when to violate the system in certain cases, usually in favor of certain customers, especially “A” customers that are major sources of revenue and are centers of influence that generate a lot of referrals. (You might also create a “pay for access” system, like the “Lightning Lane” Disney offers in its amusement parks.)

The New Year will soon be here. What systems can you create to make your business more successful and fun next year?