Development

The Magic Behind Templates

The Magic Behind Templates

(Templates, Checklist, Scripts – Oh My)

Career Management Series

By Laura Lee Rose

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of TimePeace: Making peace with time – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff. I have a knack for taking big ideas and converting them into smart, sound, and actionable ideas.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

Today’s topic is centered on the magic of templates. Templates come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be as simple as a checklist, or as complicated as a manual, report or contract. Regardless of the focus, the goal of a template is the same: to provide an easy, reproducible, and successful outcome.

Checklists

A checklist is a repeatable To-Do list that assures the same outcome each and every time – regardless of the person that is executing the list.

I recommend that anytime you are repeating a series of steps (over and over again) – you document it in a checklist. This allows you to hand-off this task to other people when you are going on vacation or wanting to delegate to others. Being able to hand-off to someone else frees you to do other, more exciting tasks that will actually advance your career.

Meeting checklists

One of the most effective tools to keep a meeting on track is the Meeting Checklist – or Agenda. Your agenda should include the purpose of the meeting, and only topics that are aligned with that single goal. If the group starts discussion something off-topic, you simply place that aside for a different meeting. For sample meeting checklist, send me an email at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Scripts

I recently called a company for some information regarding a competitor of theirs. Their response was “No, we don’t know anything about that company. Sorry we could not be of more help.” Although very friendly, they never asked my name or why I was interested in a competitor of theirs. They also missed an opportunity to show me that their company was a better fit for my needs. If they had a well-crafted phone script for in-coming calls, they would have made a sell.

Phone scripts

Phone scripts are critical in any organization for consistency of branding message. Your incoming and Voice Messages are often your clients first impression of your company. Therefore, having all your staff using the same phone script not only provides your company with a consistent and professional message but allows every employee to answer your phone with confidence. It would assure that they collect the valuable name, number and “how you found out about us” questions. It would provide a natural sales-lead opportunity.

For sample in-coming call phone script, send me an email at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Sales scripts

Sales scripts are crucial to a strong sales force. They not only provide the valuable sales information to the target client, but your sales force is providing the same message. Including branding and informational videos and presentation provide even more consistency and cohesion.

For a sample sales script, setup a chat session with me using this link: Appointment Calendar

Video and Presentation templates

Creating a company presentation and video template allows every department the same look and style, as well as assuring all the critical information is included. This allows a junior sales or technical staff to be seen as a seasoned professional.

There are some critical points that need to be covered in a presentation. Having a presentation template assures that all those points and perspectives are considered.

For a sample presentation template, setup a chat session with me using this link: Appointment Calendar

Email Templates and Signatures

Email is not dead. It is still how most businesses handle day to day activities. What has changed is the mechanism in which email travels. Email is not limited to a computer, but is now on mobile devices. It has also taken different forms such as Facebook postings, LinkedIn postings, and texting. Take a few moments to create a professional signature or even a professional “canned” response, to make sure your customer interfacing materials are consistent and client-attractive. Consider adding your photo to your signage as well.

Administrative Templates

Administrative templates help you create all the materials you need for running and organizing your business or organization. Create certificates that validate achievements or training, fax covers, organizational charts so that everyone can see who’s who on the team and much more.

For additional information on this topic, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

I am a business coach and this is what I do professionally. It’s easy to sign up for a complementary one-on-one coaching call, just use this link https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ