Have you ever delegated a task to your team, forgotten to follow up, and then realized too late that it was never done?  That sinking feeling of a missed opportunity, lost client, or poor business practice is the opposite of what you wanted when you hired a team around you.  In fact, they were supposed to help grow your business by closing more clients.  If you’re ready to have a well-trained team who gets things done, we’d like to show you how SOPs will empower your team.

When you architect your business through SOPs, you can build a business that will thrive while giving you the freedom to work when and where you want.  They will alleviate your fears around leaving the office early for some much-needed thinking time.  You will find that the work goes on even when you aren’t around.  How could this be possible?  It’s because your team not only knows what needs to be done, but how you’d do it.  This empowers them to take action towards scoreboard goals that will grow your business.

This is good for your customers and clients as well.  You likely built your business through trust and rapport with them.  Now, they will get the same experience with your team that they came to know and love.  Instead of missed opportunities, hesitation when making the sale, and knowledge gaps, your clients will be served well no matter which team member is working with them.

So how do you create SOPs that truly empower your team?

a woman watching a video on her laptop

MAKE YOUR SOPs EASY TO ACCESS

Think about that one box full of paperwork that came with your appliances and electronics.  While you may have recently read through a complete book, you probably haven’t read an instruction manual cover to cover.  

Your training manuals at work are the Mr. Coffee manuals of your home.  No one really wants to read them, and they only pick them up when they have to.  A training manual with technical jargon isn’t the most engaging way to share information.  However, you may have only had time to pull reference information and compile it into a binder.  And you could argue that, when you hire someone, it’s their responsibility to take advantage of the training materials you provide.  

Unfortunately, it just isn’t that simple today.  We’ve found that team members are more likely to make use of training materials that are in video format.  A simple Zoom recording with your expertise and some screen sharing could provide much greater results than a written version of best practices.

a team learning SOPs

SIMPLE IS BETTER

While an articulate employer who shows his or her proficiency in a great number of subjects may sound ideal to you, it sounds confusing to your employees. (Read the first part of that sentence again…were all those words really necessary?)  The point here is that if you can say it in fewer words, then do.  Your employees will retain more information.  Most importantly, they’ll be able to put what they learn into practice more quickly.

PUT YOUR SOPs INTO CLEAR, POSITIVE LANGUAGE

  • Stop bugging clients.
  • Avoid misquoting services.
  • Don’t stop until you have tried every avenue.

Sure, that makes sense right?  But if that’s all you tell your team, then they may be left wondering what to do.  Instead try…

  • Follow our three step follow up process with clients.
  • Reference our list of services with prices before finalizing your quote.
  • Look on social media, at local businesses, and at networking events for new clients.

Using this list, your team will know what to do when contacting clients.  They will have a plan to provide accurate quotes.  And, they’ll know what avenues you mean when you say “every.”  Studies like this one with golfers have shown that people who aren’t confident in their skills respond poorly to avoidant instructions.

The bottom line here is that “what to avoid” doesn’t provide clear training.  It also tends to create hesitation with executing a task.  Instead, telling your team what they should do, and how to do it, will empower them on the job.

simple instructions

HOW TO CREATE SOPs TO EMPOWER YOUR TEAM

This all sounds good in theory, but you may not be sure how to put it into practice.  It takes time and planning to create effective SOPs that empower your team.  That’s ok, because we’re holding a webinar all about SOPs on January 20, 2022.  You’ll learn the six reasons why they’re so powerful, and how to architect your own business through SOPs.

You can learn more and registered here for the free webinar.  (If you’re finding this after the webinar date, it’s ok!  We offer a unique training webinar every month.  Follow that link to see what’s up next.)

If you’re getting prepped for the webinar, here are a few places to start:

Take some time this week to pay attention to daily tasks.  Then, over the next four weeks, note your monthly rhythms and processes.  This can be a great way to recognize what needs to be done, how you do it, and ways that your team could also get those tasks done.

Make a list of the things you’d like your team to accomplish that aren’t being done.  Or, make note of the things being done that could be done better.  

If you’ve already established a rhythm of weekly team meetings, it can be easy to find other areas of improvement.  Simply ask your team where they feel uncertain about their skills or tasks.  When you have good rapport with the people working for you, they can more easily communicate where they need professional development.

This is one of those “work on your business” tasks that pays off exponentially.  A well-trained team is one that you can rely on.  If you’re feeling uncertain about your business functioning when you’re out of the office, it’s one of the best time investments you can make.

LEARN MORE:

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