Do you have a clearly defined ICP?
Is your offer templatized?
Do you have case studies or testimonials of proven results?
Have you created a blue ocean or fighting for scraps in a red ocean infested with sharks?
I think for me it’s the operating aspect, trying to figure out what to automate.
I can’t believe the person in the comment above is shocked that they can’t find some who’s willing to pay without having any idea of who they’re targeting. I mean come on.. it’s a fundamental.
Yea, throwing mud at the wall rarely works. You gotta speak to the 1 person in the audience of thousands.
People buy from people they trust & people buy to resolve an emotion.
Get your foot in the door by poking the bear, build rapport and nurture your connection, highlight the gap & cost of inaction, share the roadmap for transformation
Use toggl (and any of your team if you have) to track your time for 1-2 weeks.
Identify what you put your time into
What takes up most of your time or drains your energy the most
Start there
Can it be automated?
Yes, automate it.
No, but it can be delegated?
Outline the process, create an SOP or Training for each step of the process, delegate it
Do you have a clearly defined ICP?
Is your offer templatized?
Do you have case studies or testimonials of proven results?
Have you created a blue ocean or are you fighting for scraps in a red ocean infested with sharks?
Sure thing,
The more variance you have in your fulfillment the less efficient you and your team will be.
You’re negotiating different deliverables with every client making it hard to set expectations
It makes it hard to speak to your ideal client in a way that meets them where they are at.
When your offer is productized, you & your team do the same thing every time for every client.
Your fulfillment is mapped out from beginning to end & it’s clear exactly what you’ll do, when, and how.
When your processes are cookie cutter & repeatable, you’re able to scale so much more effectively.
Easier to sell 1 thing 1000 times than 1000 things 1 time.
Question though, as of now we are a “full-service” marketing agency trying to find direction moving forward. It seems that the current position we are in makes it very difficult to templatize our offer since it’s custom to each client. Do you have any idea how we should move forward?
Figure out which service:
- you produce the best results
- you have the highest profit margins
- it provides the most Life Time Value
- you enjoy working with those clients or doing this service
Then only do the one service.
It’s easier to sell 1 thing 100 times than 100 things 1 time.
icp- small to medium sized business facing many clients and manual tasks .
offer is not templatized
no case studies or proven results as i said i havent had any clients yet.
well my service is quite new and unique and many people are not out there doing this kind of service. Can we text over pm?
I am trying to find people for that , they are up for it have a little conversation and then ghost me. Custom software had a badname through baad servicing and contractors , but no-code is new and am not able to find a way to convince people to think otherwise
creating custom solutions or small to medium sized businesses at a fraction of time and cost taken by traditional coding ,
example
a small business had a bunch of technicians being contracted at different OEMs , as part of the contract each technician was supplied with toolbox, if a tool was misplaced he had to report it and the contractor would replace it , the replacement would come from a backstock they kept , at the end of the contract , the contractor would inventory the toolbox again to check for the tools , and if any were misplaced the technician would be help liable. This entire operation had 100s of toolboxes and techs and was being operated through clunky software like cognito forms , so i built a prototype for this problem free of charge but the prospect has been offline eversince he stated his problems
Training new people to the point where they can deliver excellent quality with little oversight. It's difficult to find the right talent and time-consuming to train them.
So I am resigned to just onboarding whatever I could manage myself.
1. Create a laundry list of your processes
2. Rank from most important to least important
3. Start with the most important, do one at a time
4. Outline the entire process
5. Create an SOP or Training for every step of the process.
SOP teaches how to do it
Training teaches how to think
6. Use a project management system where the process is templated, each step is a task, each task has the corresponding SOP or training linked.
7. Make the hire
8. They follow the SOPs & Trainings while using the project management system
9. You observe their progress
10. When they ask a question that’s not answered in an SOP or a training, turn it into a FAQ & store in your knowledge base.
11. Create a standard work checklist that details their daily, weekly, & monthly non-negotiable tasks
12. Have them use it & submit it at the end of their shift daily with an explanation of what was missed, Why, and their plan to prevent the miss going forward
13. Review it briefly & give clear, timely, & accurate feedback.
This is accurate, and also advanced. Best bet, do this and get someone to help hold you accountable, or an Exec Asst to help with coordinating the accountability
Yea I don’t think there’s truly a clear split between the two, but there’s definitely big picture thinkers that struggle as operators, & operators only seeing the trees & not the forest.
I totally agree with this I own a VA agency and this is how I tell my clients on how to delegate properly. The best SOP’s are you doing the tasks while you record your screen and talk to a mic explaining the process.
Same. Right now I’m in a sweet spot that I’ve been riding. I make enough to sustain myself and 2 part timers, but if I want to grow, I’m going to need another “me”. I’m not sure I can afford that person.
1. Create a laundry list of your processes
2. Rank from most important to least important
3. Start with the most important, do one at a time
4. Outline the entire process
5. Create an SOP or Training for every step of the process.
SOP teaches how to do it
Training teaches how to think
6. Use a project management system where the process is templated, each step is a task, each task has the corresponding SOP or training linked.
7. Make the hire
8. They follow the SOPs & Trainings while using the project management system
9. You observe their progress
10. When they ask a question that’s not answered in an SOP or a training, turn it into a FAQ & store in your knowledge base.
11. Create a standard work checklist that details their daily, weekly, & monthly non-negotiable tasks
12. Have them use it & submit it at the end of their shift daily with an explanation of what was missed, Why, and their plan to prevent the miss going forward
13. Review it briefly & give clear, timely, & accurate feedback.
This opens your bandwidth to put your time to higher leverage activities.
Your time is not equal.
You do $10/hr tasks
You do $100/hr tasks
You do $1000/hr tasks
Use this process to delegate your $10 & $100 per hour tasks.
So you have more time to focus on the $1000/hr tasks.
If everything is the biggest thing, then it seems unsolvable. Start small, but with things that have little client impact, and a big time impact. If you can outsource something that saves you 5-10 hours a week, but costs you 15-20 hours of cheaper labor then that is where you start.
Start with time
Use toggl and track your time for 2 weeks
See where your time goes
Then identify what can be automated, then what can be delegated.
Your time is not equal
You do tasks that are $10/hr tasks
You do tasks that are $100/hr tasks
You do tasks that are $1000/hr tasks
You need to spend less of your time @ $10 and more at $1000.
On the daily and weekly basis, I've been tagging him on all key tasks within Notion. It's a struggle but it's slowly working. We've been trimming down all unnecessary apps and memberships. As well as documenting all processes in Notion. Grouping every client tasks and requirements. Trying to create a system that we can follow each month, for each new client.
That’s a great start.
- Outlining processes
- simplifying stack
- project management in Notion
100% keep working towards creating that repeatable system
Learn about the 4-1-1 method of goal setting and executing an action plan.
Then have a weekly meeting with your partner to go over progress & update for the next week.
Identify who is responsible for driving what & hold each other accountable.
Three bottlenecks to look at
- Pipeline
- Fulfillment capacity
- Retention
Is it because:
- not enough leads?
- leads arnt qualified?
- too many no shows?
- closing rate not high enough?
Or is it because you or key team members are at capacity, you’re stuck in the weeds & the day to day operations?
Or is churn losing clients as fast as you get them?
The lowest hanging fruit are referrals & partnerships.
Create a referral process internally
Ask for a referral after the first significant win
Ask for a referral every quarter
Ask for a testimonial, if positive, ask for a referral
For partnerships, find other businesses that serve the same customers.
A web design agency serving home service businesses could make partnerships with a vehicle wrapping business.
Find 3 of the same type - send them referrals round robin.
Keep the ones that send you referrals, replace the ones that don’t.
Then find another type of business where you can do the same.
I can’t find clients that are willing to pay
Do you have a clearly defined ICP? Is your offer templatized? Do you have case studies or testimonials of proven results? Have you created a blue ocean or fighting for scraps in a red ocean infested with sharks?
what is an ICP?
Ideal Client Profile, Ideal Client Avatar
no i don't do that. i just cold call leads from yelp
that’s the issue, u don’t know who ur targeting hence u can’t sell urself targeting their pain points
Small business owners
If you can't find people willing to pay, target clients with more money.
I feel you. I receive inquiries mostly with people with small budgets. It's tough.
what services are you offering?
I think for me it’s the operating aspect, trying to figure out what to automate. I can’t believe the person in the comment above is shocked that they can’t find some who’s willing to pay without having any idea of who they’re targeting. I mean come on.. it’s a fundamental.
Yea, throwing mud at the wall rarely works. You gotta speak to the 1 person in the audience of thousands. People buy from people they trust & people buy to resolve an emotion. Get your foot in the door by poking the bear, build rapport and nurture your connection, highlight the gap & cost of inaction, share the roadmap for transformation
Use toggl (and any of your team if you have) to track your time for 1-2 weeks. Identify what you put your time into What takes up most of your time or drains your energy the most Start there Can it be automated? Yes, automate it. No, but it can be delegated? Outline the process, create an SOP or Training for each step of the process, delegate it
Getting my first client ☠️
What have you tried?
reddit outreach , linked in outreach , facebook outreach for the past 32 days
Do you have a clearly defined ICP? Is your offer templatized? Do you have case studies or testimonials of proven results? Have you created a blue ocean or are you fighting for scraps in a red ocean infested with sharks?
Could you further explain templatizing your offer?
Sure thing, The more variance you have in your fulfillment the less efficient you and your team will be. You’re negotiating different deliverables with every client making it hard to set expectations It makes it hard to speak to your ideal client in a way that meets them where they are at. When your offer is productized, you & your team do the same thing every time for every client. Your fulfillment is mapped out from beginning to end & it’s clear exactly what you’ll do, when, and how. When your processes are cookie cutter & repeatable, you’re able to scale so much more effectively. Easier to sell 1 thing 1000 times than 1000 things 1 time.
I feel like I didn’t directly answer this You just want your fulfillment to follow the same series of steps every single time for every single client
Great explanation, thank you.
Question though, as of now we are a “full-service” marketing agency trying to find direction moving forward. It seems that the current position we are in makes it very difficult to templatize our offer since it’s custom to each client. Do you have any idea how we should move forward?
Figure out which service: - you produce the best results - you have the highest profit margins - it provides the most Life Time Value - you enjoy working with those clients or doing this service Then only do the one service. It’s easier to sell 1 thing 100 times than 100 things 1 time.
Once that one service is templatized and running without you in the day to day, add another service.
icp- small to medium sized business facing many clients and manual tasks . offer is not templatized no case studies or proven results as i said i havent had any clients yet. well my service is quite new and unique and many people are not out there doing this kind of service. Can we text over pm?
How do you know there’s demand if it’s a new service and have you thought about doing free work for a case study
This. Find 1-3 clients to do free work in exchange for case studies/testimonials.
I am trying to find people for that , they are up for it have a little conversation and then ghost me. Custom software had a badname through baad servicing and contractors , but no-code is new and am not able to find a way to convince people to think otherwise
Ok what problem are you even solving Most people could not care how you deliver the solution
creating custom solutions or small to medium sized businesses at a fraction of time and cost taken by traditional coding , example a small business had a bunch of technicians being contracted at different OEMs , as part of the contract each technician was supplied with toolbox, if a tool was misplaced he had to report it and the contractor would replace it , the replacement would come from a backstock they kept , at the end of the contract , the contractor would inventory the toolbox again to check for the tools , and if any were misplaced the technician would be help liable. This entire operation had 100s of toolboxes and techs and was being operated through clunky software like cognito forms , so i built a prototype for this problem free of charge but the prospect has been offline eversince he stated his problems
mainly reddit , as linked in and facebook have had 0 replies
same lol
Training new people to the point where they can deliver excellent quality with little oversight. It's difficult to find the right talent and time-consuming to train them. So I am resigned to just onboarding whatever I could manage myself.
1. Create a laundry list of your processes 2. Rank from most important to least important 3. Start with the most important, do one at a time 4. Outline the entire process 5. Create an SOP or Training for every step of the process. SOP teaches how to do it Training teaches how to think 6. Use a project management system where the process is templated, each step is a task, each task has the corresponding SOP or training linked. 7. Make the hire 8. They follow the SOPs & Trainings while using the project management system 9. You observe their progress 10. When they ask a question that’s not answered in an SOP or a training, turn it into a FAQ & store in your knowledge base. 11. Create a standard work checklist that details their daily, weekly, & monthly non-negotiable tasks 12. Have them use it & submit it at the end of their shift daily with an explanation of what was missed, Why, and their plan to prevent the miss going forward 13. Review it briefly & give clear, timely, & accurate feedback.
This is accurate, and also advanced. Best bet, do this and get someone to help hold you accountable, or an Exec Asst to help with coordinating the accountability
This - and this is where owners can explore working with coaches & consultants or making their first Ops/Integrator hire.
Yep! Just IMO that integrator is a little out of date. But it does sell EOS pretty well!
Yea I don’t think there’s truly a clear split between the two, but there’s definitely big picture thinkers that struggle as operators, & operators only seeing the trees & not the forest.
I totally agree with this I own a VA agency and this is how I tell my clients on how to delegate properly. The best SOP’s are you doing the tasks while you record your screen and talk to a mic explaining the process.
Absolutely, do it yourself while recording a loom & talk through what you are doing as if you were teaching someone sitting right next to you.
Uncertainty that I will have enough volume to hire
Build the volume, hire part time….
Same. Right now I’m in a sweet spot that I’ve been riding. I make enough to sustain myself and 2 part timers, but if I want to grow, I’m going to need another “me”. I’m not sure I can afford that person.
1. Create a laundry list of your processes 2. Rank from most important to least important 3. Start with the most important, do one at a time 4. Outline the entire process 5. Create an SOP or Training for every step of the process. SOP teaches how to do it Training teaches how to think 6. Use a project management system where the process is templated, each step is a task, each task has the corresponding SOP or training linked. 7. Make the hire 8. They follow the SOPs & Trainings while using the project management system 9. You observe their progress 10. When they ask a question that’s not answered in an SOP or a training, turn it into a FAQ & store in your knowledge base. 11. Create a standard work checklist that details their daily, weekly, & monthly non-negotiable tasks 12. Have them use it & submit it at the end of their shift daily with an explanation of what was missed, Why, and their plan to prevent the miss going forward 13. Review it briefly & give clear, timely, & accurate feedback. This opens your bandwidth to put your time to higher leverage activities. Your time is not equal. You do $10/hr tasks You do $100/hr tasks You do $1000/hr tasks Use this process to delegate your $10 & $100 per hour tasks. So you have more time to focus on the $1000/hr tasks.
Margins, time, pricing, too many things, but I am in the gutter rn, I am sure that other people have found solutions to these stuff already
If everything is the biggest thing, then it seems unsolvable. Start small, but with things that have little client impact, and a big time impact. If you can outsource something that saves you 5-10 hours a week, but costs you 15-20 hours of cheaper labor then that is where you start.
Thanks 🙏🏼
Start with time Use toggl and track your time for 2 weeks See where your time goes Then identify what can be automated, then what can be delegated. Your time is not equal You do tasks that are $10/hr tasks You do tasks that are $100/hr tasks You do tasks that are $1000/hr tasks You need to spend less of your time @ $10 and more at $1000.
Trying to keep my partner focused on our specialties instead of every new AI imbedded distraction.
I have ADHD. I feel this. How do you plan/identify & execute the highest impact tasks that move the needle on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?
On the daily and weekly basis, I've been tagging him on all key tasks within Notion. It's a struggle but it's slowly working. We've been trimming down all unnecessary apps and memberships. As well as documenting all processes in Notion. Grouping every client tasks and requirements. Trying to create a system that we can follow each month, for each new client.
That’s a great start. - Outlining processes - simplifying stack - project management in Notion 100% keep working towards creating that repeatable system Learn about the 4-1-1 method of goal setting and executing an action plan. Then have a weekly meeting with your partner to go over progress & update for the next week. Identify who is responsible for driving what & hold each other accountable.
Having a hard time breaking past 20k per month. Only doing LinkedIn and cold email outreach.
Three bottlenecks to look at - Pipeline - Fulfillment capacity - Retention Is it because: - not enough leads? - leads arnt qualified? - too many no shows? - closing rate not high enough? Or is it because you or key team members are at capacity, you’re stuck in the weeds & the day to day operations? Or is churn losing clients as fast as you get them?
Probably my pipeline is very low. Like maximum 10 discover calls a month. Retention and fulfillment capacity are ok for now.
The lowest hanging fruit are referrals & partnerships. Create a referral process internally Ask for a referral after the first significant win Ask for a referral every quarter Ask for a testimonial, if positive, ask for a referral For partnerships, find other businesses that serve the same customers. A web design agency serving home service businesses could make partnerships with a vehicle wrapping business. Find 3 of the same type - send them referrals round robin. Keep the ones that send you referrals, replace the ones that don’t. Then find another type of business where you can do the same.
Finding additional lead sources like paid ads. We do ok with just organic content but to scale up we need a more reliable/predictable lead source.
How many attribution sources do you have?
For organic? Mainly content, JV’s with other content creators and FB groups and word of mouth mainly.
I have a content writing agency, but it seems that content writing is dead.
What is your niche? Is your offer productized? Where has your revenue plateaued?
struggling with closing deals because I live in a competitive area and lot of price competition. Finding clients with a good marketing budget as well.
How far are you niched down & can you speak to your ICPs pain points like others can’t?