If you went around and ask studio owners one of the worst feelings they can experience, many would probably give the same answer:
Missed opportunities.
Studio owners share this pain point with other businesses, and it’s particularly pronounced with new studios.
But that doesn’t mean more experienced studios don’t miss out on an opportunity every now and then. In fact, you’d struggle to find a studio immune to the issue.
However, new studios have a more challenging time when they can’t seize opportunities promptly. This is because missed opportunities hinder growth, which is the primary goal of every new studio.
Luckily, there’s a way to resolve the issue. And it comes down to executing key tasks every month.
This article will break down two vital components to make that happen. These components will help you run a successful studio and never miss an opportunity again.
The Captain’s Checklist
This checklist serves to keep your crew, i.e., your team organised and functional.
The captain’s checklist is entirely focused on what happens within your business weekly. And this person-oriented aspect sorts out the crucial tasks your team members have every week.
Essentially, this checklist serves to avoid the constant “Did you remember to do that?” questions. That’s because forgotten tasks can pile up quickly if you don’t have a system to organise them.
That said, coming up with a functional checklist will require some careful consideration on your part.
First, you’ll need to break down everything that has to happen during the week. Then, you’ll need to split all of the crucial tasks into different days. Finally, you’ll have to outline which team member is responsible for which task.
Clearly, the captain’s checklist is an excellent organisational tool. But it provides another great benefit:
At the end of each week, you can take the checklist and check for any problematic entries. And once the month is over, you can compare all checklists to spot potential issues with specific tasks.
Essentially, the captain’s checklist doesn’t only tell your team who should do what and when. It also tells you how well your team is handling particular aspects of your business. As a result, you can tweak certain processes and establish better work habits that the team can stick to consistently.
You can make your checklist even more effective by marking key performance indicators or KPIs. Finally, if you want to get into the details, you could create multiple checklists to handle the finer aspects of complex tasks.
At the end of the day, the captain’s checklist will be your best friend when it comes to organising your studio for maximum efficiency.
Start Harvesting Correctly
When we talk about harvest, we’re referring to the last three days of the month. These three days are a critical part of your calendar when specific actions will be necessary.
In particular, you’ll need to do three things during these days:
First, you’ll send out a new offer to all of your lead lists.
When sending offers to your newest leads and people who haven’t bought anything from you yet, you’ll give them the exact same offer that they received the last time. The purpose of this is to freshen up these leads with the same message but with a new wrapper around it.
For example, if you had a Valentine’s Day or spring head-start offer, you’ll send out the same content. The only difference will be that you’ll rephrase the offer to make it fresh.
The reason behind this approach is to take away the monthly operational drag that can happen when you need to come up with new service promotions every time.
Doing this regularly will create an atmosphere in which people will automatically raise their hands when the end of the month comes. Then, you’ll have an easier time bringing those people out and making sales.
In essence, this task will set your studio up for the upcoming month while closing the current one.
Second, you’ll do blitz rollovers.
In other words, you’ll dedicate a day to focusing on anyone who hasn’t rolled over so far during the month. This even includes people who have just arrived.
The vital point here is to gather everything that worked previously and go all out to try and get everyone on board using it. After all, there’s no point in keeping things in the drawer at the end of the month.
So, don’t hesitate to offer every incentive you can to get people to roll over. Take note of all the freebies, giveaways, vouchers, and every other resource at your disposal and use them to your advantage.
Finally, the third thing you’ll need to do at the end of the month is to take care of the bulk stuff.
This mainly refers to nurturing your important business relationships. For example, you should reach out to your joint ventures, schools, sports teams, businesses, physios, and anyone else that you talk with.
Ideally, you’ll already have a tally of what you’ve done on that front during the month. This will make it easier to share relevant stories with them and let them know that everything’s working correctly.
Now, this task will be made more straightforward by getting it done in a single day. This way, you won’t have to take note of every contact you’ve talked to.
Remember, these three things are essential to wrap up your month. But there’s one bonus thing you should do come the end of the month:
Put the time aside to plan out the next month.
Once you get all of this done, the harvest period will be over, and your studio will be ready to take on the period ahead in full strength.
Learn to Organise and Wrap Up Every Month
The captain’s checklist can help you bring a high level of organisation into your business, with precise tasks for every team member.
In addition to that organisation, if you make sure not to miss harvesting on the last three days of the month, you’ll enter every period as prepared as you can be. With these aspects covered, you’ll give your studio the boost it needs to become as effective as possible.
Careful organisation will be your best friend on the road to success.