We all start our new years with ambitious visions of huge… revenues. This is the year I am going to hit 7-figures. This is the year I weigh in at my target profitability. THIS is the year I really flex my KPIs.

And you know what, we’ve actually been pretty good so far.

We bought all the equipment, we watched all the videos, we hired a private agency to get our funnels into shape.

We put in the work!

But it’s May and we’re not exactly feeling confident showing off our P’s and our L’s if you know what I mean.

Don’t worry. The team here at Good Operator has the Six Week Spring Sprint to firm up those assets.

You’ve tried all kinds of new channels - cold email, warm affiliates, hot lead magnets - and while there has been a lot of activity, you aren’t lifting those sales numbers like you thought.

Let’s look at the quality of those reps rather than the volume.

Your top of funnel is busy, but your efficiency to close deals means you’re not getting all the benefit of that work.

For the next six weeks dig into your sales process starting with once you have a lead.

Write out the process as a flow chart exactly how it happens. Not how it should be - how it IS.

Now look at where it could be better, more efficient, and an overall better experience.

Tackle one section of the process at a time and get it super smooth. Be intentional with each repetition but experiment to see what works and what gets positive reactions.

Some things to try:

Set a target response time based on your best historical times and make this the new standard. Show you are organized and on top of things. Set an expectation that you’ll be responsive and quick working (make sure you’re prepared to deliver on it, too)

Block extra time before sales calls to do a deeper dive on the prospect and come to the call with detailed notes and a clear (but flexible) plan for the call.

Example: see what content they’re putting out for a sense of their values, read their reviews to get a sense for what they’re trying to solve currently, and go through their LinkedIn work history to build a picture of their experience and view point.

Don’t overwhelm at the very start with everything there is that is great about you. Your first goal isn’t to close at that moment, it’s to get to the next stage - a call, a proposal, etc.

Example: Follow up with a proposal and ask for questions. Follow up again, and share an example of the work. Follow up again with profiles on the team you’ll staff. And follow up again with a case study. If they say yes before you get to the end, great, it wasn’t needed. But the follow ups go further when they bring something new.

We love building the campaigns, writing the copy, A/B testing the visuals but if you’re not getting the results you want, take a look at the boring stuff underneath and make sure you’re not losing ground there. Better form can be the missing unlock for all that activity.

Good intentions are great, and critical at the start, but results come from consistency and consistency comes from routine. And while you might have finally dialed in that perfect morning routine, the consistency you need extends across your entire company.

You need to be building habits not just for yourself, but your entire team.

That’s right. It’s time to build those playbooks you’ve had on your to-do list since reading The E-Myth or Built to Sell.

You need a place to put them that isn’t scattered across the personal Google Drives of your team or worse, inside your head.

Create a framework - like a Table of Contents - that outlines WHAT you need to create with shared folders and drives. Then start collecting the raw, unedited pieces in these buckets.

Tackle sections one at a time and flesh them out.

When writing SOPs the results can very WILDLY so make sure you’ve created a standard to keep yourself and your team on track and consistent.

I recommend some form of the following:

I know you think you know how it’s best done and so you think you should write all the SOPs. But be real. It’s going to take ages. Enlist help.

Use AI tools, Virtual Assistance, or your team members. Maybe all three.

Point is, get 80% done as quickly and easily as possible and then provide your own edits to the final draft.

Many industries, not all, but MANY, see things slow down in the summer. People go on vacation, work shorter days or shorter weeks because their bosses are on vacation, or see productivity stall dreaming of vacations. Maybe there’s a deeper reason, doesn’t matter, it’s just true.

So if growth is likely going to slow, it’s time to get lean, tone those margins, and tighten up the balance sheet.

Find that cash hiding under the excess weight of your business.

Let’s start with WHO you’re spending money on. Pull reports on your expenses by vendor to see if any stand out.

Look at software, agencies, contractors, subscriptions, memberships, all of it.

Remember, consider the RETURN, not just the actual cost. I know some of those numbers are big, but make sure they’re not justifying it before you cleave it off.

Some of these things might feel like easy calories to cut but it’s not big enough to move the scale and there’s the potential it might be muscle you end up cutting.

But do the exercise all the same so you know what’s going into that P&L is productive.

I know you’ve heard it’s the most important part of your financials but… the income statement still gets all the attention.

How about we clean up that Balance Sheet, though.

You checked in on your AR? Any chance we can get more of that collected?

How about deferred revenue or retainers - did we complete that work? Can we recognize it and move it to income yet?

And of course, we can’t forget about those liabilities.

What’s the debt situation? Some debt might be fine, it’s a productive source of fuel. But too much really adds up around the waste… interest costs that is.

Clean up those assets and liabilities and head into summer confident you’ll look great even in the most revealing of audits.

You just finished tax season and you probably had a few resolutions for next time. Use this spring to get your business into shape for a productive and profitable summer.

And if you want help, let us know. We’re standing by ready for a spot, just say the word.

Have a great summer.

Chase “really tried to use ROIds in this article” Spenst

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