Business Success- Process over Content
Monday, March 26, 2012 at 6:00AM
I spent the other day sitting in the wonderful Alison Mark’s one day event, Your Business Makeover: 6 Figure Home Office. I went to network, see old friends, meet new friends and support Alison who is one of our authors (The Little Book of Sanctuary and The Little Book of Freedom from Clutter). I didn’t expect to come away with a huge take-away for me. This take-away really solidified a major shift I was going through on how I was looking at running a successful business. I know I must have heard this message a million times before, but it never ‘clicked’. So I am grateful to Alison and her event and for the Universe for providing what I needed, when I finally was ready to hear it and put it all together!
I had actually started this revelation process a couple of weeks ago. As I’ve done for the past few years, I recently started working a project job with a company that sells reading programs. I love the programs and always enjoyed talking to parents about their kids and how to use these great programs to get help for their kids. I was quite successful because I believed in the product.
This year however, rather than sell the programs, they asked me to interview sales people for the job that I’d been doing for the past few years. Interviewing potential enrollment coordinators, and listening to them gush about what we do, I found myself constantly having to remind them, “yes, it is a wonderful program, but the bottom line is that it is still a sales call. You have to get the credit card.” I realized that the success of this 42 year old company that has enhanced millions of kids reading abilities over the years, is not because of their wonderful programs, but because they have a business process in place to promote these wonderful programs.
So, when I heard Alison say, “To be successful, you need to be committed to the process of the business as opposed to being committed to the content of the business,” it all fell into place. You can have the most wonderful products/services in the world, but if you are not set up with processes to run your business, it really doesn’t matter how wonderful you are. Yes, you definitely can achieve some success with just good content, but to have that 6 or 7-figure success, you must get your business processes in place.
Bottom line take-away for me? To run a successful business, you need process over content.
Do you have your business processes in place? Have you experienced a recent revelation in the past few weeks?
Reader Comments (14)
We must be on similar paths - this is very much a message I started hearing in the past several weeks. There is no doubt in my mind that it is because I am finally ready for it. I love the quote from Allison - it is just a perfect summation of what needs to happen (and also a reminder that we can get a little too attached to our content).
Jennifer Peek
Find Your New Groove
Left-Brained Strategy for Right-Brained Businesses
I love this comment of Allison's, “To be successful, you need to be committed to the process of the business as opposed to being committed to the content of the business.” This is something I have been struggling with. How to incorporate content with the process. If I work on one I forget about the other and vice versa. What your comment about using the process to sharing your content. That's important. If you have something important to say it needs to get out into public land. Thank you.
Sue Bock
http://bestlifeafterbreastcancer.com
http://couragetoadventure.com
http://couragetoadventurecoaching.wordpress.com
Hmmm, this is going to take some processing for me. Maybe I am heading in that direction because I am currently looking at how to expand my art and do collaborations with my healing and my art. Thanks for sharing.
Julieanne Case
Always from the heart!
Reconnecting you to your Original Blueprint, Your Essence, Your Joy| Healing you from the Inside Out |Reconnective Healing | The Reconnection| Reconnective Art |
http://thereconnectivehighway.com
I have had a significant few weeks myself, so this message comes at a good time. Ironically, I have been perhaps too much process and not enough content, at least on my website and blog. I've been neglecting an important part of my content. But as with many things, there's meaning behind it--my own ambivalence and uncertainty were holding me back. I'm grateful to have learned a lot about process so now I can bring the two together.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
http://www.thereflectivewriter.com
Personal-Professional Balance Through Writing
GREAT reminder. Currently honing my 'processes'. It's an ever-evolving endeavour.
This is something I have been working on, I think the two compliment each other, if you have good processes, content comes easier.
It's so easy to be consumed with content when it comes to running a business. We are, after all, selling a product or service and need to make sure it's top quality. But how we go about selling, marketing, growing, aka, the process, is just as important. I'd love to hear examples of how you think you're going to focus on or change your process, Candace. Is it just a matter of paying more attention to it or is it coming up with a whole new paradigm?
-Cory Zacker
http://www.mosaictutoring.com
I am often surprised at how hearing something that I've heard before, even many times before, will sometimes ring out loud and clear when previously it sank into the clutter. I just wish that those clear messages didn't usually signal something new to work on.
I want a magic wand to wave over my desk and have my content and my processes rise from the mess. Lacking that, I guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Content one day, process another day and on the seventh day Tequila.
love this quote and helps me validate why I am spending as much time as I am working on this very issue. The ideas of what the process of running a biz entails is still a new concept for me, even tho my biz has somehow been running for 30+ years now! I so want to reinvent this for mysslef and am loving having this community to do it with
love this quote and helps me validate why I am spending as much time as I am working on this very issue. The ideas of what the process of running a biz entails is still a new concept for me, even tho my biz has somehow been running for 30+ years now! I so want to reinvent this for myself and am loving having this community to do it with
Well we are on the SAME wavelength this week! This is what I say non-stop to clients! I call it systems, because I learned that from Michael Gerber, WAY back in the 1900's when he wrote the E-Myth. Even in my Partnership Mastermind this is discussed. How do you partner without adequate systems?
Ann Evanston
Warrior-Preneur
Author, The Influence Factor
Have been looking for the right process to sell my content. Several avenues are showing up. Can I do them all? Each one needs a system. Seems to be the topic of the week... seems like I am getting a message here!
This is rather eye opening. No, I don't think I have my business processes in place. I suspect that is something. I'll be working on!
Susan Berland
http://susan-berland.com
Interesting. I agree that systems are very important, but without your content, you've got nothing to sell. I think balance, like with everything, is key.