Is Automation MAKING your business or KILLING it?
Nov 18, 2021
by Coach Donna Stott
I recently got an email with the Subject Line “AUTOMATE OR DIE.”
And I wanted to write back and say… “No… it’s OVER-AUTOMATE and ABSOLUTELY KILL YOUR BUSINESS.”
I believe Automation is MOSTLY costing you a ton of business and will give just a few examples of things you CAN automate and the COST of doing it.
But before I start….
Here is another Proclamation:
"ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU CAN AUTOMATE WOULD BE DONE BETTER... IF YOU DIDN’T."
OK… so here’s a shortlist:
Social Media Posts
Yes, you can Automate 100 ways… I use Keeping Current Matters social media automation ONLY for my business FB page, Twitter and Linked In. And I change the dates, times, and lead in/signature comments frequently…HOWEVER... If I post a good KCM article on my PERSONAL page (the one people actually read), I do it myself with my own comments about it.
BUT… it would be BETTER if I did it on ALL those places without the automation.
Why use that automation? So those “Non Personal Pages” keep something going on them regularly when I know I won’t take time to do it.
YES, you can pay someone to pretend to be you and post for you.
AND… it’s recipe for disaster in your business.
It would be BETTER to do it yourself.
WHY is it a recipe for disaster? Because they are NOT you. And if your clients get a HINT of it not being Authentically You, you lose their TRUST, which is the ONLY reason they do business with you or refer to you.
Blogs
YES, you can pay someone to Automate Blog posts written by others.
BUT, it would be BETTER to do it yourself.
In fact, if there is even ONE inauthentic Blog Post that people think: Oh… Joe did NOT write this… they stop reading your blog FOREVER… costing you a TON of business.
Calling
YES, you can AUTOMATE your calling of leads, past clients, and centers of Influence to an ISA or Virtual Assitant.
BUT, it would be BETTER to do it yourself. (Seeing a theme?)
Your VIP Core Group of potential and past clients… your friends and influencers… do NOT want to hear from anyone but YOU. They will go elsewhere thinking you must be TOO BUSY to work with them.
The bottom line is this:
We think we will SCALE or LEVERAGE our business with Automation. When what we do is COST ourselves business from the best group of potential clients and referrers.
So what SHOULD you automate?
Low Conversion Ratio Business Sources like Old Leads... or a Just Listed/Just Sold/Circle Prospecting Cold Calls. That Buyer that will buy if a Miracle occurs and they win the Lottery.
You can automate a monthly mailed or emailed Newsletter…. to anyone EXCEPT your VIP clients (should be about 150 of those - max) and when someone raises their hand from that Automation, they IMMEDIATELY come off automation and go into your VIP’s.
Your VIP’s can supply you with a good 80-90% of your business IF you don’t Automate them to Death.
Do the Work.
Yourself.
