I have been focusing a lot on process lately and it hurts my head. I have always been of the mindset to jump in, roll up the sleeves and get to work.
I realize now (after several headaches) that if you outline the desired results, and then map out the steps to achieve this result…your chances of success will skyrocket.
Are you wondering what I mean by process? Well I can tell you that it was necessary for me to sit down and look at my processes, or lack of, surrounding client relations, business development, 834 services, proposal development and communication.
To improve or develop my processes, I needed to understand how things influence each other within the whole system. Sounds complex huh?
To start I looked at what needed a process. What are my steps? For example, let’s look at how we tackle proposal development. By mapping out the steps, I was able to identify areas that I could save time and improve efficiency.
The process:
Step 1: Proposal Development
- Review & research
- Identify Need
- Outline Solution
- Define Solution
- Pricing
Step 2: Proposal Acceptance
- Agreement
- Consulting Terms
- Contractor Agreement
Step 3: Tracking
- Quickbooks
- Salesforce
You obviously get the idea, you continue to drill down on each item with step by step instructions. Why is this helpful? For one, I realized by looking at this process that there were certain areas I could save a significant amount of time. If I developed a proposal library, where each service that 834 provides is defined, I could plug these into each proposal and customize certain aspects of the proposal. By doing this, I spend my time on the important parts of the proposal and cut down the development time by hours. Make sense? I also realized that I needed to be able to track the process. By utilizing tools such as Quickbooks and Salesforce, I keep myself organized as well as the process.
I leave you with this gem by Seth Godin – “If process makes you nervous, it’s probably because it threatens your reliance on intuition. Get over it. The best processes leverage your intuition and give it room to thrive.”
Need help, let me recommend – www.mysdss.com
They were the company that got me thinking in this way, and for that, I thank them.
