Cash Flow, Because of Systems

 Cash Flow, Because of Systems

You and I strive to achieve a profitable return on our marketing investments. We both seek higher and consistent sales from new and existing customers. 

The industrial revolution proved to the world the power of business processes and assembly lines. Just like any assembly line, our marketing and sales routines, processes, and systems should increase sales and profits. 

The Mental Leap

Recognizing sales and marketing - in terms of repeatable systems - requires a mental leap. From my experience, most business owners do not possess repeatable actions listed within training manuals or even simple checklists. 

Marketing and sales systems are a major Blind Spot; an area in which one fails to exercise understanding and good judgment.

 

What is a System? 

 

A business system is designed to connect all of an organization’s intricate parts and interrelated steps to work together for the achievement of the business strategy.

 

Strategy - the way the organization thinks and plans

Systems - the way the organization operates

People - the way the organization leads

Technology - the way the organization becomes efficient

 

What is a Sales and Marketing System?

 

In simple terms, your marketing system is your repeatable process for initiating and developing client relationships to maximize lifetime value. 

The purpose of a marketing system is to develop long-term client relationships, maximize lifetime value, and drive earnings growth.

Let’s Break Marketing Systems Down

 

You can break a marketing system down into a series of macro stages or cycles to set up and optimize. These stages include:

• Reaching out or helping people discover you. (i.e. advertising, SEO, social media, PR, etc.)

• Engaging prospects in relevant conversations. (i.e. CRM, outbound calls, customer service, etc.)

• Enrolling people and helping them take action results in sales. (i.e. closing the deals)

• Serving and retaining people as repeat customers. 

• Developing long-term client relationships.

This is an oversimplification, but you get the idea. 

There are several customer-facing macro stages in the process that fit together as a system. Each stage may involve several activities, recurring campaigns, and support technologies. 

Each of which can perform well or poorly. They either create value, or they cost you money.

Think about all the activities and sub-systems necessary to initiate and nurture client relationships over several years. This is the system business owners need to set up and manage. 

Why? Because it’s how you grow your business and achieve financial goals.

The Big Shift

When you shift your focus from spending money on random marketing activities to investing in optimizing your customer’s journey through your business, you can shift your strategies and activities. 

There is nothing preventing small business owners from taking a systems view of their sales and marketing function. There’s no calculus involved. 

The system requirements are all accessible to small businesses. The only barrier is you changing how you think about sales and marketing.