Use Procedures To Grow Your Business

The most successful businesses around use procedures in order to grow and thrive, are you? If you aren't already, you've have a few things to work on. First things first, I want to know if your idea of procedures is like my own.

A procedure should always be written down in recorded some way or another. On paper, or in a video, as long as it exists somewhere besides in your head. It should be in a step-by-step like guide so it can be accomplished by anyone whether that be your employees or the future owner of your company.

Think creating a bunch of procedures is a waste of your time? It's not! All tasks ran in your business can quite easily be created into procedures. Whether it's writing a letter, calling a client, sending a fax, it can all be made a procedure. It won't just help others get work done, following the procedure as directed will result in work improving and work will just seem easy.

You won't accidentally miss that important step if you're following a procedure. You'll also find that with steps, some might not be so necessary. Removing waste can save hours of time otherwise being wasted.

You'll gradually learn where time is wasted. Modifying the procedures over time is just as important. Want your business to continually grow? Then changes for the better must be made. It's called continuous improvement, and if you run processes, a few modifications to your procedures does just that. One simple change can sometimes have a dramatic effect on your business.

One example is from my own business. Here's a procedure:

1. Make video recording
2. Buy domain name
3. Buy hosting
4. Add video to site
5. Make sales letter
6. configure processor for payments

I made some changes to get reduce time, and not effect sales:

1. Make video course
2. Add video course to cd-rom
3. Send cd-rom data to cd manufacturing service
4. Send order link to customers

The first procedure is for a downloadable product, the second is a cd-rom product. Even though the cd product can't be played by a customer immediately after ordering, the number of sales weren't affected, and wasted time in many areas was eliminated.

Make a few procedures for your business. Train your workers and team to follow them. Better yet, have them brainstorm ways for improving those procedures. Down the road when your business is automated with procedures, you can take a hike from your business for a while.


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