Yes, You Can Get Out Of This Mess.
Is there a knot in your business that seems impossible to untangle?
Are you facing an issue that you don’t know how to solve?
As business owners, when we are stuck in a dysfunctional cycle it’s all too easy to start feeling crazy ourselves!
But in reality, there is a part of the system that is just not working and it’s causing you to fall into the same problem again and again.
Today, let's take a step back and recognize that when we change our systems and policies we can avoid repeating unhealthy patterns.
You can stop trying to fix the issue by controlling external circumstances. You don’t have to change the people around you. You don’t have to become an expert at untangling knots.
Yes, it’s possible to dissolve the chaos that you are living with and it may be easier than you thought....
Here is an example of how I did this my own business:
The first step of my Clarity Coaching Package is for my clients to fill out an in-depth personalized questionnaire. In the past I would schedule the first coaching session with my clients based on when I estimated that they would have completed their questionnaires.
I ran into trouble when a client was delayed, couldn’t complete her questionnaire on time, and at the very last minute had to postpone her session. It wasn’t easy for me to take the loss, but I knew that she wasn’t to blame. The was no way for me to ‘fix’ the problem. The system wasn’t working and it was time for me to change my policy.
At this point in my business I only share the link to my online calendar after I receive the questionnaire filled out. This simple change relieved a ton of pressure from my clients and also greatly freed me up. No longer do I have to wonder if my client will be ready on time. I don’t get stuck in the same old cycle again and again. I know that whenever my client is ready, it will be right on time!
Here are a few more examples of how you can cut the crazy from your own business:
If you are having a difficult time getting clients to fill out your intake forms, you don’t have to accept anyone as a new client until the forms are filled out.
People are submitting forms without them being complete? Why don’t you take it all online and have all the fields be “required” so they can’t hit submit without answering the question?
Maybe you have files that are getting lost and mixed up all the time. Can you avoid the problem by making the switch to a digital system to help you keep track of it all?
Are you living in a mess of client emails? You can provide a form for people to fill out in order to contact you.
Do you hate wondering if your clients will remember their appointments and actually show up? Automating reminder email and texts and be a life-saver for an appointment based business.
Is there one stage of your process that is especially annoying? Maybe you can change the way you deliver to make things easier to prep. Written notes to audio recordings. CDs to USBs. Custom emails to prepared templates.