Manual ≠ More Personal

TRUTH BOMB: You’re not “different” or “more dedicated” to your business because you insist on doing everything manually or refuse to use a system with automation.

I’ve written many social media posts and comments about this topic, but it’s important enough for some dedicated blog space. Most of the time, when clients are first inquiring with me, one of the things they want to make sure that I know is that they don’t want to SOUND automatic and robotic (which is usually followed up with “so I’m okay with doing some things manually.”). It’s something that puts me up on my soapbox every single time, because it’s just SUCH a fallacy. AUTOMATION ≠ ROBOTIC and MANUAL ≠ MORE PERSONAL!

The truth is that automation is the KEY to a personalized, five-star experience for your clients.

When you’re out doing your thang with a client and a lead comes in and you can’t respond to them that day, and then the next day you’re swamped in emails, and then you finally respond to them 48 hours later… IT’S TOO LATE. YOU’VE ALREADY LOST THEM. In today’s world of millennials and 2 day prime shipping, your responsiveness to potential clients HAS to be ON POINT.

BUT that does NOT mean that you should be working every hour of the day. That’s IMPOSSIBLE and you’ll never keep up with that standard, so why even try?

The solution is pretty simple:

GET SOME AUTOMATIONS GOING!

I’m not talking about those Google out-of-office replies that go to EVERY email you receive in your inbox (those are kind of obnoxious). I’m talking about setting up a system where clients can inquire about SPECIFIC services on your website and can get SPECIFIC and ACTIONABLE next steps on how they can learn more, WITHOUT you being in your inbox giving them the information manually.

Potential clients (and booked clients for that matter), desire to be EASILY led through the experience that you have to offer. They don’t want to wonder what’s next, or to have to ask, or to do a bunch of work to work with you. Make it EASY for them.

Myth: Manual is more personal and my process is incredibly custom for every client and it just can’t be automated.

I hear this all the time, and it’s just not true. I think this statement usually comes from a fear of giving up control in the process. And while it’s true in that you’re not proofing and approving every single email that goes out, a system done RIGHT actually gives you MORE CONTROL over your client experience.

There’s not a single business owner I’ve met who can’t benefit from some automation and most are surprised at how their manual emails are no more personal than these new automated ones. Honestly, if every single step of your process CHANGES for every client, then YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG! If the structure that you’re working with is the same for every client but the actual content or product you’re creating for them changes and is customized… THEN YOU CAN AUTOMATE!

Every single one of my clients is different. No 2 workflows are the same. I create a completely custom product for EVERY. SINGLE. CLIENT. And guess what, there is still PLENTY of space for automation in my process. Can it really not be automated? Or do you just not want to take the time to figure out your SYSTEM and what you want to be CONSISTENT for every client?

FACT:

A genuinely boutique client experience requires

• LOTS of thought,
• the RIGHT number of touchpoints,
• and a process that makes your client feel pampered and SURE of every single step in the process.

If you’re delivering that, it means you now your process inside and out (and if you don’t, then you’re not delivering a boutique experience anyway. SO if you have solid timing, you know your process, and you want your clients to feel pampered even when you’re a reuglar human and don’t have eneergy… THEN IT’S TIME FOR AUTOMATION.

When I write emails and create processes for my clients, I do it from a place of ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT. I make sure that the tone and atmosphere you are creating in your business is PERSONAL, AUTHENTIC, and OVERDELIVERS. And it does it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. for EVERY. SINGLE. CLIENT. Do you?

Little Ivy Paper Goods is a bespoke stationery studio with a high-touch client experience, and 87 of its 101 workflow steps are automated.

So how do I start?

Start by automating your booking process and then take it from there! Your booking process could include:

1. An initial inquiry response email letting them know what happens next and giving them information to look over,
2. A scheduler link to schedule a consultation or discovery call,
3. A booking proposal with contract and invoice attached that makes it easy for them to pick their package and actually get booked,
4. A follow up sequence if they haven’t filled out that proposal within a few days,
5. Payment confirmation and other initial onboarding tasks to happen automatically when they do book!

How Cait Can Help

I started automating in 2018 when I realized that if I didn’t, then I just wasn’t going to get shit done. My clients deserved more than that. I deserved a business bigger than that.

What I found when I started automating and systematizing is that it was FORCING me to think through every single step of my process, ensuring that it wasn’t frustrating, repetitive, or low-end for my clients.

When I got more intentional about thinking about the service I was providing from inquiry alllll the way through to checking in on clients event after work was done… my clients got HAPPIER. *I* got happier.

Automating and systematizing allows me to 

1. Provide a faster and more certain turn around time, 
2. Book more clients because I’m not worried about overbooking myself or falling behind (and mo’ clients = mo’ money!) 
3. Spend LESS time and energy on my biz and MORE on doing things that fill my cup, without dropping any balls.

If you’re not automating and systematizing yet, it’s way past time to start. I can help you in 3 ways: Done FOR you, Done WITH you, and DIY tools & options.

TLDR: Manual ≠ More Personal and AUTOMATION ≠ ROBOTIC. Start using a system, you won’t regret it.

Not sure where to start? A Systems Blueprint Intensive maps your process and shows you exactly what to fix first.