Running a service business isn’t always a walk in the park.
In fact, owners of small service-based businesses often share similar struggles. It looks like this:
- You work really hard but you just can’t seem to get your profits where you want them because to make more money, you have to put in more work. And you eventually hit a cap of available hours.
- You could hire more people but as your revenue grows, so do your onboarding challenges and business expenses.
- You could cut some corners, but you don’t want to compromise the quality of the service your clients expect from you.
And so you feel stuck.
I’ve lived that reality myself. And so I’ve produced a whiteboard video to share a few of my non-obvious tips for scaling your small service business the right way.
Check out the video below, or scroll past the video to read the transcript or download the companion cheat sheet.
1
Sell packages
First, if you sell your service on an hourly basis, consider selling clearly defined packages, instead, charging a set price for promised results
That way, if you find creative ways to do the same work in less time and at a lower cost, you won’t reduce your income.
And that’s better for your new clients too, because they don’t feel like they’re signing a blank check. They know exactly what they’ll get, and at what cost.
2
Help prospects self-educate
And speaking of new clients… helping your prospects self-educate keeps sales coming in, even when your client work is keeping you busy.
A few ideas:
- Create and SEO content that attracts prospects and answers their questions on their path to purchase.
- Produce downloadable resources to entice visitors to sign up for your email list.
- Create an automated email sequence to help you nurture your relationships with subscribers until they’re ready to become clients.
- Make sure your landing pages are effective and optimized for conversion.
3
Systematize onboarding
When your prospects do become clients, it’s critical that you onboard them the right way.
Systematizing your onboarding doesn’t just save you time. It gets your client relationships started on the right foot, by
- Celebrating new clients
- Letting them know what they can expect from working with you
- Streamlining your discovery process so you get all the information you need from clients as efficiently as possible
4
Map out the optimal process
Figure out the best, most efficient way to deliver each service, instead of reinventing the wheel every time.
And remember that standardizing your process doesn’t mean you offer everyone the same result. A web developer, for example, can create a unique website for each client…. using the same process every time.
5
Automate repetitive tasks
List all the tasks that are part of each process, and see which ones you can automate, especially the ones that have to be done again and again.
Before you start automating tasks, eliminate those that don’t contribute to your long-term growth.
And pay special attention to the transition tasks where we often waste a lot of time feeding the output of one step in the process into the next.
Download our FREE cheat sheet!
If you liked the video, you might want to download our free companion cheat sheet, for reference. It outlines our top 10 tips for scaling your small service business without working yourself into the ground or compromising the quality of the service you offer your clients.
6
Communicate systematically
When you run a service business, strong communication matters. Unfortunately, it’s also often the first thing to suffer as you grow.
Systematizing your communication gets the right information to the right people at the right time.
For example:
- For every time you hit a standard milestone, you can create email templates to share your accomplishment and to let your clients know what comes next.
- Between milestones, f there are long stretches of time when you’re head down and working, your silence could unnerve your clients. Instead, you can build trust by creating a tool they can consult at any time and that gives them a window on your progress.
7
Capture choices efficiently
There are probably steps in your process where you give your clients options to choose from.
Watching them make these types of decisions during a meeting can be painful for everyone.
Instead, create simple tools to capture your client’s choices, giving them the chance to confer with colleagues and make their decisions in their own time.
8
Create SOPs and checklists
Standard operating procedures are step-by-step instructions and checklists ensure they’re followed. Use them both to ensure your team carries out repetitive tasks efficiently and delivers consistent, quality results.
9
Organize your documents
It sounds so basic, but we waste a crazy amount of time looking for information and documents.
Take the time to organize your folders thoughtfully in a way that mirrors your workflow, so that you know exactly where to find what you’re looking for at a moment’s notice.
10
Delegate strategically
If you’ve completed all the other steps and you’re still stretched to the limit, it might be time to delegate.
But if you need help only sporadically, instead of committing to long-term employees, consider outsourcing to an experienced freelancer or agency, instead.
And ideally, distribute the work so that everyone is in their sweet spot, doing the work that they do best.
Monitor and improve
Scaling your service business is an iterative process that you fine-tune over time. Here are a few tips to help you continually improve:
- Identify and address bottlenecks and single points of failure in your operations.
- Keep a close eye on your financials. Remember that your goal is to increase revenues at the same or greater profitability. Keep tweaking your processes until that happens.
- At the end of each mandate, survey each client to see what you could have done better. (This also an opportunity to ask satisfied clients for testimonials and referrals to help you secure more business. )
Over to you
I hope these tips were helpful to you and that, by taking one small step at time, you’ll experience more growth and freedom in your business. If you have tips of your own to share, or questions about any of my suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
And if you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll sign up to my email list, so that you can receive the next one in your Inbox! And please be sure to check out more of the whiteboard animation examples in our portfolio
