Written by “There’s got to be a better way!”
Or even better, “There’s got to be an easier way!”
Workflows – gotta love ’em.
Most service businesses follow some version of the same buyer’s journey – from inquiry to conversion.
The problem is the bumps and bruises some endure to get to that final goal.
Here’s the thing: entrepreneurs started their businesses because they wanted control, to be the decision maker, to be the alpha and omega, the beginning and end of the process. Their wins are their wins, and their failures are their failures.
Yes, quite noble, but when you pan out the camera, you realize that there are a lot of things in a business that require your attention in order for that massive goal to be successful.
So join me as we pan back in for a second and focus solely on the lead inquiry part of your business.
Now, obviously, this isn’t for those of you who have automated your workflow (gold star, by the way).
This is for those of us who are still holding on tightly to the reins and have manual processes from the beginning.
Let me know if this sounds familiar (if not, you can skip ahead!):
You receive a form submission. You open the email. You copy the person’s information. You add them to another system. You send yourself a reminder. Maybe you update a spreadsheet. Then you do the exact same thing again the next time someone fills out the form.
The Southerner in me screams, “Oh honey, no!”
At some point, we have to admit that the problem is no longer the technology.
Sometimes, we are simply in our own way.
“But It Only Takes Me Five Minutes”
Sure…now!
And I get it – this may be one of the top reasons for continuing to do something manually.
And technically, you are correct. Maybe it does only take five minutes.
But if you do it five times a week, that is 25 minutes.
If you do it every week, that is more than 20 hours over the course of a year.
And that is assuming it really takes five minutes every single time – which does not account for the three minutes you spend trying to remember where you left off, the email you answer while you are in there, or the fact that you forgot to do it yesterday and now have three of them waiting.
And this is only the beginning. The goal of a business is to grow and flourish, so this is only your baseline. What happens when that podcast goes viral, that interview is successful, or that blog becomes AEO’s favorite recommendation?
What seems manageable now can quickly become overwhelming.
Now listen, before I cause a panic attack, I am not saying you need to automate every little thing you do. It does mean it may be worth paying attention to the things you keep doing the exact same way over and over again.
Remember: small repetitive tasks have a funny way of becoming larger than they look.
This Is Where Zapier Comes In
Oh Zapier, how I love thee – let me count the ways.
I digress.
Well, better yet – let me explain.
Zapier allows different systems to talk to each other when they may not have a native integration. For example, two competing CRMs will more than likely not want to talk to each other; however, with the power of Zapier, you are able to have different software platforms pass information between each other and take actions automatically.
It really is a thing of magic.
For those of you still scratching your heads, the simplest example is something along the lines of:
Someone fills out a form → their information is added to your email marketing system.
But it can go much further than that.
A new client pays via a Stripe payment link → a DocuSign contract is sent → once signed, a welcome email is sent via your CRM.
It can be as simple as:
A particular action happens in one platform → tell another platform what to do next.
Or as complex as:
A particular action happens in one platform → a filter is applied → a search is conducted → a path is followed → and depending on the path, another platform is told what to do next.
And it beautifully runs behind the scenes while you go do literally anything else.
You Do Not Need to Automate Everything
Now, before anyone decides this means I want you building automations for every single action inside your business – no. Just no.
Please don’t. I beg you.
There is a point where automation stops making your life easier and starts becoming its own full-time job.
If something happens twice a year, takes three minutes, and requires judgment each time, you probably do not need a complicated workflow for it. It isn’t worth the headache – especially as systems update, authorizations may need to be renewed or reconnected, and the amount of time it would take to reconnect all the parts isn’t worth the couple of minutes it would have taken just to do it yourself.
Automation should remove unnecessary work and time-consuming steps. It should never create a whole new burden in your business.
You have enough on your plate!
Start With What Annoys You
Before you say, “What? I love everything about my business.” Come on – it’s just us here. No one will judge, I promise. If you truly love every aspect of your business and nothing grates on your nerves, then just humor me.
First, start with what makes you sigh, groan, roll your eyes, or what you have been putting off because you just don’t want to deal with it (but it is pertinent to your business).
- What do you repeatedly copy and paste?
- What information do you enter in more than one place?
- What do you have to remember to do every time something else happens?
- What task do you keep putting off because it is boring?
- What have you created an elaborate checklist for because there are six tiny steps that always have to happen in the same order?
- What do you constantly find yourself being the bottleneck for?
- What part of your buyer’s journey always slips through the cracks?
Funny how this last one is normally the same answer for most entrepreneurs: following up on a lead.
Those are the places I would look first.
Not because every one of them should become a Zap, but because this is usually the basket to choose from when you are looking for opportunities to automate.
And Sometimes Zapier Isn’t the Answer
Yes, I am writing an entire blog about Zapier and still telling you not to automatically use Zapier.
Whoever said I wasn’t a walking contradiction? Truth be told, I’m just honest (to a fault).
Zapier isn’t always the answer for everything. If there are two platforms that have a native integration and you don’t need any of the extra bells and whistles of formatting, filters, or paths – use the native integration.
One less thing you have to pay for!
There are also cases where Zapier may not support the software you are using. In that case, another automation or integration platform may be better suited, such as Integrately or Pabbly Connect.
And sometimes manual is just better – especially if there is a personal touch that is needed.
I had a client who had her entire process automated up to the final offboarding email. Instead of having the EMS send it, she has it create a task for her to send it because it is important for her to add a personal touch to each and every email.
The point is – your goal should not be to use more technology. It should be to make what you already have work better for you.
Stop Being the Bottleneck
I think this is what I advocate for the most when it comes to automating your business – stop being the congestion that keeps everything from moving forward.
Simply put – stop being part of the problem.
There shouldn’t ever be a point in time when you need to stand between two pieces of software in order for them to work properly, assuming there aren’t privacy, security, or compliance requirements that make that particular connection inappropriate.
Your form does not need you to walk the information to your email marketing system like it is the first day of preschool. Your scheduler does not need you acting as the coordinator.
If you are literally standing in the middle to pass the ball from one system to another in order for your process to move forward, there is a good chance an automation is waiting in the wings to make your life easier.
And at the end of the day, that is the goal of an automation – to stop making you do something a computer could have done for you.
Because your audience is waiting for you to do what you do best.
