Prioritising Next Steps

Pause. Think of a moment, a single moment, that changed the way you think about something. Moments are powerful, and if you look back carefully, you’ll notice they probably sink in most in times of transition.

As business owners, it’s up to us to create meaningful moments for the people on our team. They can happen at any time, but really, you should be creating moments to mark milestones, such as bringing on a new team member, signing on a new client, or hitting a big target.

Here’s a great example of what I mean. In my business, I use a company called Branded Products for everything I give out to anyone, be it clients, employees, partners, or whatever. I’ve been working with them for years. 

Now, guess what I got in the mail this morning? A thank-you card from Branded Products. Such a simple gesture, something that cost them a total of $1.10, but one that goes a long way. (Tip: You know what I would have loved even more? A personalized email.)

One Jim Rohn quote that’s always stuck with me is, “The fortune is in the follow-through.” Remember that, and apply it to every aspect of your business, especially your client communications.

So the big question is this: What is the next right thing? What’s the next moment you need to create, and who does it impact most? Is it a personalized thank-you for your clients, or something else? Here’s how to make the right next step.

Narrow down your big goals into simple next steps by starting big-picture and working your way down. In my business, we use what’s called a “capture card” which helps turn a long-term or big-impact goal into more immediate, achievable tasks to help get us there. It basically works like this:

• Step 1: Name your strategy. For example, you might want to take on 3 new clients this quarter. Maybe you call this, “Q2 Client Acquisition.” Now write it down.
• Step 2: Identity which part of your business this strategy applies most directly to. I typically categorize my business into 6 areas: Lead generation, nurturing, conversion, delivery, referrals and returns, and backstage.
• Step 3: Estimate how much money or value this strategy is going to earn you. This will help you prioritize amidst the long list of other strategies you probably have going on at the same time. (I get it.)
• Step 4: Estimate how much time and effort this strategy will require.

Realizing that everyone operates differently, it’s worth noting that these capture cards are a great way to identify which of your to-do list items will have the biggest impact and lowest effort, and therefore which one is the right next step for you, right now.

If you’re interested in using these capture cards in your own business, reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll help get you started!