Profits Before Good Processes?
A client of mine has recently introduced memberships to his business. Great move! Depending on the industry you’re in, memberships are a great way to create an additional, steady flow of income on a larger scale for your business.
But, it has to be done correctly. Having the right processes in place will contribute towards the regular stream of income that you’re looking for.
When we first discussed the idea, he wanted to jump straight to getting the membership sales through the door. Big mistake. Sure, you might get a few sales straight off the back, but to maintain the regular income that membership creates, you must have processes in place. Simply put: the absence of processes is the absence of profits.
So, here are a few steps to put in place before signing up new members/clients:
Create your blueprint. Every potential client should know exactly what they’re getting, so that they can clearly see where the value is. Any confusion here runs the risk of losing them before they’ve even signed up. Carve out your membership package(s), listing each benefit they will gain by signing up. Would you part ways with your hard-earned cash when there’s no clear picture of what you’re investing in?
Have a clear onboarding process. You’ve signed a new member! ? Now, we need to keep them! Nobody wants to feel like they’ve paid for something and then been forgotten about. Have clear “next steps” in place, so that they know that they are valued and being looked after.
From taking payment, right up to accessing all the great benefits on offer, make sure that your new member is aware of the next steps and can access everything they need.
Send a welcome email. Have you ever purchased something, but then not received an email confirmation immediately afterwards? How did it make you feel? A little uneasy? You don’t want your new member/client to start immediately regretting the investment they’ve just made, so make sure you put a welcome email together, thanking them for their purchase (a thank you still goes a long way!).
But don’t stop there! Your welcome email is a great opportunity to let them know what they can expect going forward and provide them with the relevant links, passwords, contact information, etc. that they’ll need to access their member/client benefits, all from one place.
Schedule interim check-ins with your members/clients. Over time, circumstances around us change. When you’re running a business, it’s important to periodically check in with your clients and make sure that they’re happy with the service and offerings they’re receiving. You can send an email, giving them the opportunity to voice any concerns they may have by way of reply, which you can then follow up with a call, if necessary.
Automate your processes! Once you have all the above in place, there’s one more thing you can do to make your life easier. Put it on auto pilot! Automation tools like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), or Mailerlite and Mailchimp, allow you to automate these steps, so that you don’t have to manually do it yourself, saving you time and effort, whilst keeping your new members/clients happy and content!
Most of us are in business for profit, but processes help us to maximise and sustain profits for the long term. Remember, these tasks can be outsourced, so that you don’t have to worry about setting it all up yourself. But, whatever you do, for the love of God, make sure you have them in place! Your business (and your pocket) will thank you for it later!
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