I know...why the catchy title? Well, it's kind of obvious..."systems" sounds pretty boring on it's own.
Last year I was asked to lead a round table at a Georgia Coach Association monthly meeting. My topic was "More Success with Systems". Wow. That will have them coming to my table in hoards! So, as we stood up to announce our round table topic, out came "Sexy Systems for Success"! hee...it made me smile and laugh - a definite plus in the attraction energy!
Here's what I do believe about this....you know when you feel sexy? Ok, I know you are up to your elbows in dishes from all the family visits, leftover turkey recipes and bored kids ...but somewhere in there, you know what I'm talking about...there are moments (maybe even days) where you just feel good....your energy is grounded, the ideas are flowing and everything is bumping along smoothly. You are feeling good and your walk shows it, your smile sparkles and your confidence is high!
That's where the systems come in...having systems which support your daily activities really makes things flow with little effort. It feels...well...it feels sexy! You feel confident, things flow, you have ample energy because you aren't pulled down by particle details because they are being handled.
Here are some of my top tips for Sexy Systems for More Success in Your Business!
1. Do it all Shopping Cart. I use www.1shoppingcart.com You can take orders online....which increases the easy flow of products, services and money. You can manage your subscribes and unsubscribes on autopilot. You can set up automatic email reminders called autoresponders for teleclass reminders, follow up on calls, announcements, etc... you write them, schedule them and let them go from your mind!
2. Never Forget a Birthday Again! Birthday Alarm - I like to remember my clients, collegues and friends birthdays. You can load them into the Birthday Alarm system and set reminders. They will email you two weeks or two days ahead of time...you get to set it up. You dont' have to be afraid that you missed a special occasion to celebrate!
3. Easy flow of money! PayPal - This system has a reputation for being difficult sometimes but I've seen it shift and has become much easier to use. When you want to be able to pay a vendor by credit card (because you want to manage your cashflow) or make it easy for a client to pay for your services by credit card (death to a sale will happen if they have to go get an envelope, a stamp, write a check AND go to the mailbox!). I agreed at the last minute to be a vendor for a conference and it was easy to just send my money through my PayPal account to hers. I was in and it was great in a pinch. I have several vendors who just send me an invoice and I pay through PayPal -and you can set it up to pay direct through to your bank account as well.
4. Pay Your Bills Online - What did we ever do before this? I love being able to line up the bills and appreciatively pay those bills. I have to admit my left-brain really does appreciate how organized I can be when I can transfer money, keep up with bills and paying on time, set up automatic payments. Love it! Check your bank and see if they offer this option. It's so much better than paying online at each different utility company - you can set them all up on one page! It does make the "painful" part of paying bills a bit more joyful because it's so easy! Truly!
5. Save for Taxes, Education, Fun Money! Another online banking system I love is ING. This is strictly an online banking service - no checks, no physical locations, no ATM's. You can set up as many accounts as you like. I have ones set up for my Taxes, for Education (for me) and one called "Feel Good Account". You can transfer money between your regular bank accounts and ING. It helps me save and put aside money for special reasons. The best part is that because they don't have all those expenses like a regular bank they actually pay a better return. Your Inner Financially Savvy Business Woman will appreciate that!
6. Set up your Signature in Outlook (or other address book) - It's easy to set up your signature in your email. This is one of those tips that you need to do to be professional. Set it up once to save you time. You can set up several depending on who you are emailing. I have one for friends, one as a member of a Board, one for my regular Joyful Business correspondence, and a couple more just to change it up every now and again. On your professional email you can make sure you have your phone number and website, and even a short announcement about a new product or teleclass. It's frustrating to receive an email from someone and all they have is their first name as a signature and you don't have a clue who they are! It's easy to confuse their message with a spam note if there's no identifying information.
7. Get Some Office Help! I'm a huge fan of working with virtual assistants. There are so many different types of professional and talented people who LOVE to do the things that I don't know how to do very well or can help me do the details to keep the business running smoothly while I'm out there building the business. Like billing, presentations, web design or upkeep, list management, affliate program management, etc.. I personally love Assist U for finding qualified assistants. They are trained by the Assist U company and you can input your criteria to find the right match. It's really wonderful to be a solo-entrepreneur and NOT have to do it alone! In fact it's SMART!
8. Organize & Energize Your Business Ideas - Yes, I have to admit I am in love with my own product! :) The Joyful Business Guide and the Daily Tools. It's just that I have been there...with business ideas on napkins, in files, on sticky notes and paper everywhere. It's really nice to have a central place to refer to remind me of what I'm up to - the short term and the long term. It's inspiring and energizing - and we know that those two energies are ideal for attracting more of what we really want!
These are just a few of my favorites! Please send me your favorite Sexy Systems! I'd love to share them with everyone!
Laura
