Your business will thrive during the holiday season if you have the right systems in place. Systems are an organized way in which your business functions. Note that systems work for you (because you shouldn’t be doing all of the work in your business).
The holiday season approaches us quickly, and everyone is rushing. If you aren’t prepared, you’ll become overwhelmed and end up with upset clients. You also want to enjoy the holidays yourself. So, here are some tips to help you systemize your business for the holidays:
- Note the mistakes that you’ve made this year. You cannot afford to make those mistakes during the holiday season. For most solopreneurs, this is the time that most people will first discover your business. So, if you were slow to respond to emails, set up automatic replies. If you respond to emails within 72 hours and not within 24 hours, that needs to be communicated. If you expect production and shipping to take longer, communicate that to your clients. Although these are regular happenings in business, they become mistakes when they are not communicated.
- Update your lead forms. Lead management is one of the best ways to capture the information of prospective clients. Your lead forms should be easily accessible on your website and social media platforms. When you’re not working, your lead forms are available. As leads come in, an automatic workflow should be attached to each form to follow up with inquiries. Those follow-up messages should confirm that you got the inquiry, provide more information about your services, or offer a product discount.
- Follow-up with inquiries. The holiday season is a great time to follow up with prospective clients. Introduce them to your new services, holiday specials, or company updates. Following up with your clients should be easy and automated.
- Consider adding a team member. The holiday season is a great time for solopreneurs to add a team member to the team. Regardless of your service, help is always beneficial. Consider using this team member to help you prepare for the new year as well. Be sure to train your team member(s) so that your systems continue to operate as intended.
- Update all of your services, invoices, and service descriptions. Be prepared to send quotes and invoices in seconds (if they aren’t set to be sent automatically). Do not delay your payments.
- Create templates to help you save time and maintain consistency. Templates for your emails, quotes, invoices, and contracts should be prepared and ready to send in minutes.
- Update your calendar and booking calendar. If your holiday hours are changing, be sure to update your calendar. Are you still booking consultations throughout the holiday season? Are you taking a break? Adjust your hours accordingly and update your booking calendar so that prospects do book a consultation expecting to meet with you when you’re out of the office.
The holiday season is approaching, as it does every year, so be sure to do what you can to get organized. As a solopreneur, you do not want to be overwhelmed. With the right systems and procedures in place, your business will flow seamlessly.
