Turning your OOO message into an easy marketing win

OOO should stand for “optimal outreach opportunity.”

Welcome to The Manual Weekly – LI Edition, the can’t-miss newsletter for business leaders. You’ll find snackable bits of news highlighting emerging trends, actionable resources, and proven best practices that can help take your business to the next level.

This week’s must-reads:

• A process template for effective meetings — every time.
• Don’t sleep on this overlooked email marketing opportunity.
• This company can onboard new employees in two days. Here’s how.
• And what Michael Jordan teaches us about the power of competition.

Template of the week: How To Run a Meeting Process

Ah, meetings. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re a crucial part of running any business. But we’ve all been in those meetings — the ones that make us want to bang our heads against our keyboards (and we would have, too, if it wasn’t for that pesky “cameras on” rule!).

If only there was a way to get your team to prepare and execute efficient meetings — every single time. (Hint: There is.)

?? Teach your employees the right way to carry out meetings at your business with this How To Run a Meeting Process template. When everyone’s on the same page with how to consistently hold great meetings, you can wave good-bye to wasted time and those badly hidden eye rolls.

Check out our entire template archive of free and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

Here’s why you should revamp your standard OOO message

Summertime!

Between summer holidays and PTO, you may be seeing more automatic “we’re out of the office” replies in your inbox. Or, maybe you’re about to grab your suitcases and hit save on your own OOO message.

It’s a good thing we caught you, then — because your standard OOO email response is a golden copywriting opportunity that you don’t want to miss.

Consider the number of people who send you emails on the daily.

That’s a lot of eyes on your automatic email reply. So, instead of your standard “I’m OOO and I’ll respond when I’m back!” message, Trainual CEO Chris Ronzio recommends some easy self-promo.

Maybe your business just launched a new product or service, or you’re hiring for a new role. Maybe you want to hype up your latest blog post, or you’d like more people to check out your social channels. Your OOO message is a great chance for you to share with people who want to hear from you — instead of the tried-but-no-longer-true “see you when I’m back” reply you’d usually send.

Trainual tips: How to onboard your team in 1 to 2 days

Just months after adopting their business, Grove Cookie Company co-founders Marie and Grayson Hogard hired an E-Myth (of Michael Gerber fame) certified business coach to get set up for success from the get-go. The first thing they learned: A business without systems and processes can’t go very far — because it’s how you multiply yourself to fill different roles and responsibilities.

So, they turned to Google Docs to start documenting. But (spoiler alert) they quickly found two problems with this method:

1. Google Docs are bo-ring. They needed something more engaging, team-focused, and digestible. (There’s gotta be a better way!)
2. Google Docs are not organized. How are you supposed to find the information you need when it’s spread out in hundreds of separate docs?

After researching some other options, Trainual's focus on small businesses and affiliation with Michael Gerber's E-Myth philosophy made it the clear choice. With Trainual, delegation became simple because employees had an accessible knowledge base outlining exactly how to execute each process to standards.?

Not only has this helped them onboard new hires in one to two days (read that again), but it’s empowered them to consistently execute their unique business model, delight customers, and scale.

?? Want a closer look at how they do it? Take a peek inside their Trainual account.

How hating to lose pushed Michael Jordan past the competition

No matter your industry, you’ve got competitors.

AKA, those businesses who are vying for the same customers, offer similar goods or services, and are generally a pain in the behind.

Just kidding (kind of). But when dealing with the competition, there is one man who we can all look to for advice: the G.O.A.T. himself.

MJ. Air Jordan. His Airness. ??.

Whatever you call him, we can all agree that Michael Jordan is the poster boy of success in the world of basketball and beyond. And the NBA star didn’t win over his competitors because he loved to win — he just hated to lose.

But for MJ, “you have to lose to win.” Because losing means finding the opportunity to change and motivating yourself to be better.?

So, think about your competitors: What do they do well? What processes and strategies have they perfected? Then, differentiate. How can you use your business’ strengths to improve on what your competitors do well? What can you do to beat them in productivity, quality, and market share?

Because whether it’s on the court or in your industry, competition can push you to success that much faster — you just gotta hate to lose.