One of the things I absolutely love about my business is helping entrepreneurs get paid online.
The feeling they get when they make their first sale is just about as exhilarating for me as it is for them. It’s not that I know some magic formula, it’s more about understanding my skills and who they are a perfect fit for.
The skills that my audience has found most valuable is learning how to setup systems that work. Notice I didn’t say “systems that get you paid online“. That’s because if all you do is focus on getting paid, then you won’t be focused on what really matters – adding value.
The power in creating systems in your business that work to achieve a certain outcome is that once they are setup correctly they will work indefinitely. So if that desired outcome is money, a properly implemented system will pay you over and over again with minimal effort.
So in today’s post I’d like to show you the exact power I’m speaking of. I want to show you a system I created that pays me (repeatedly) without requiring much, if any, of my time.
Meet Johnny
Johnny is an entrepreneur that provides marketing services for local business owners. Although Johnny understands technology, there are a few technical tasks that are out of his scope of business.
When I met Johnny he was immediately excited. Me…not so much.
You see I knew I had the expertise to help Johnny, but I also knew I would have to charge him an arm and a leg if I did it myself. If I could somehow get the work complete at a lesser price without exhausting much, or any, of my time I could create a true win-win.
Knowing that Johnny had quite a few clients that needed this service I knew this could become a pretty lucrative relationship. Was just gonna take some creativity…
Systems to the rescue!
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed to build a system for Johnny that I would use myself to fulfill the services requested. This system would need to be fully automated and require little to now maintenance. Once it’s built, it should run flawlessly unless some catastrophic event occurs.
Here are the steps I mapped out for the system and the tools I used to execute each one:
- Receive payment (Paypal)
- Gather information (Gravity Forms)
- Upload project to task management enviromment (Zapier)
- Assign project to team member (Trello)
- Provide documentation to complete project (Evernote)
- Team member completes project
- Email Johnny (Gmail)
Below you will find the flow chart representation of the steps listed above.
Each step in the process would have to be automated. The entire process is to be able to run without my overseeing or physical presence. That way I could provide Johnny with a url to my web form and whenever he gets a new client he fills out the form, makes the payment, and the project gets completed by my team.
Still following along? Lets break the system down…
Breaking Down the System
Allow me to describe exactly how this system is working to get me paid without requiring me to lift a finger.
Receiving Payments
I used the WordPress web form building plugin called Gravity Forms to build an in-take form that would gather all the information necessary to complete the project. Since I have a developer’s license, I was able to integrate payments via Paypal minimizing the steps required for Johnny.
Remember to try to make the payment process as easy as possible whenever you can.
So right after Johnny completes the in-take form he is automatically forwarded to Paypal to make the payment.
Bonus: You could even set it up in Paypal where after the payment is made the customer is redirected to a webpage of your choice.
Integration
Next I needed a way to pass the information from Gravity Forms to my task management environment Trello. This was done using a web based integration tool called Zapier. This tool provides various integrations of online tools that don’t offer integrations natively in their platform. The screenshot below shows a basic configuration of how I integrated Gravity Forms with Trello.
I’ve streamlined the process to require the same information and the same steps no matter who the incoming business owner maybe. This allows me to be more descriptive when creating a Trello card. For instance, below you will find a screen shot of how I can create a checklist for every card created.
You will also see in the highlighted area above how I have attached my step-by-step documentation from Evernote to every card as well. This ensures that whomever I assign this card to will have everything they need in one place.
Fulfillment
Once a team member has been assigned this task they are to complete it within 24 hours. Since Trello has both an iPhone and Android app they will get a notification that a card has been assigned to them. The important part here is that they are automatically notified whenever a new card is created.
As I mentioned previously, I include a link to documentation that walks them through the steps to complete the task. This document resides in Evernote so I can ensure that it is easily available and I can make updates to this document in one place without having to resend or upload it again.
Below is a screenshot of one of my processes to give you an idea of how it looks
Once my team member has followed the steps and completed the list in Trello I get an email notification. I then email the business owner and let them know the project is complete. So there is a little bit of work involved for me but I can handle that.
Why This Works So Well
This system is a prime example of how I am automating sales and fulfillment in my business. Allowing me to get paid online without doing too much of anything.
But here’s the catch…
To benefit from this form of “passive income” I had to take the time upfront and create the system. That’s where most business owners fail. They simply do not want to take the time upfront and create a system that will pay them repeatedly over time.
Creating the documentation for this system alone took me 3 hours. However, everytime a project is completed I make money. I am not pulled away from my other projects to do so either.
The system allows me to receive money and fulfill the tasks necessary in an automated fashion even though I’m still leveraging human beings to do so.
Pretty nice right?!
As far as Johnny is concerned, he couldn’t be happier. He has even created marketing material in his business to promote this system I have built for him. Johnny is able to charge his clients a little more than I am charging him for executing the system. I get to pay my team members a lower rate than my hourly while still profiting off the difference. Now that’s a win-win-win if I’ve ever seen one.
This is the power of automation when implemented correctly.
It will allow you to provide a greater level of service to the marketplace without exhausting yourself.
If you’d like to build an email follow up sequence to compliment this strategy download my free funnel blueprint here.
There’s no telling how much money you could currently be leaving on the table. With the right system in place you could start increasing your revenue without increasing your workload.
If you like hearing about systems like these and how they can benefit you in your business I’d love for you to let me know in the comments area below.
