As we make our way up the hierarchy from sales to profit and now to order we are building more than a pyramid. You are building a business asset which is replicable and potentially saleable in the marketplace. When a business owner arrives at the point of exit or perpetuation the business MUST be an asset and not an anchor. Much like not having wind in your sails, having a business which is an anchor does not let you get out of the business what you put into it over the life of the business. When your sales and profit aspects have been addressed, the Fix This next item will be order. Here is where you need to scale your business for operational effectiveness and efficiency. Here is where business systems, process, procedures, checklist, and other various approaches allow for repeatable, consistent methods to create sales, extract profits and replicate relationship expectations so the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats.
You might be scratching your head and thinking you can wait until all the other stuff in your business is fixed to eventually get around to putting order and systems in place. I cannot agree more. There are some basic systems which need to be in place as you build sales and manage your business for greatest profitability. The challenge for some business owners is they spend so much time refining their processes they never get around to the real business at hand which is – sales is air and we need air to breathe and run the business. Have you ever heard the statement of planning to plan? The key thing about using systems, processes, checklist etc. is to have a defined way to replicate a consistent deliverable while creating a sale of delivering goods and services. If there is no standard, then you are not leveraging the best practices of your collective team. One person does something this way and the next a different way. One customer is elated and the other is highly discouraged. By having best practices, you minimize waste by not having to do it over again – recalls on poor workmanship. This can cost your organization from 4 to 15 times the original cost to deliver the goods or services. Think about how many more sales you need to generate to cover those expenses through lost profits.
Part of business order, “efficiency,” your process and structure are not just limited to the methods by which work is accomplished. It also includes the people doing the transactions. Putting a square peg in a round hole never works. This is why your organization needs very clear and concise role definition for the various roles in the organization and then understand what each role demands. By understanding which roles require what capabilities then you can have better alignment of talent to roles. No different than using the wrong tool such as a hammer to open a glass jar. Putting the wrong person in the wrong role is not productive for either the company or the person. Both lose in this scenario. When you have the right resources in the best roles to complement their talents the energy goes up and the results have greater personal ownership. Ownership or pride in oneself is like pure adrenaline. It motivates people to do things they never believed possible. When this culture exists then you can have greater success in delegation of responsibilities and accountabilities. You place the outcomes in the hands of the best people to affect a contributing outcome. This leads to members on the team growing personally and collectively to a place where they have mastery of their skills and future destinations.
This week look at your organization’s people, systems. Processes and the ability to use them collectively to have great contributions to the overall success of the business. If you identify gaps, then take steps to work on those defects. Not because they are bad but because by investing into the people and systems the overall culture runs like a finely tuned machine.
Wondering how to go about evaluating your organization’s best use of resources? Give JKL Associates a call at (313) 527-7945 in Michigan or (407) 984-7246 in Florida or go onto our calendar below and schedule an initial meeting which works best on your busy schedule. JKL Associates looks forward to continuing to build relationships rooted in “Purpose.”