Are Bottlenecks Holding You Back?

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Copyright © 2009-2010 Scott Bywater


Over the last couple of months I've been reading a book called "The Goal" after having it referred to me by my friend and colleague, Aaron Parsons.

Now "The Goal" is actually a book about the manufacturing industry which is written like a novel.

But it has had a huge impact on my thinking around business.

Why?

Because it talks about bottlenecks.

Bottlenecks are those things which hold you up in business... and they stop you from moving forward because unless you shift the bottlenecks nothing else can move forward.

For instance, in the manufacturing process a bottleneck might be that you need to have one piece before you can add another piece on top of the first piece.

And until you do that, you cannot move any further down the path. So if that piece hasn't arrived yet, you are dead in the water.

In a nutshell, when one part of the process gets overloaded, it holds every other part of the process off.

In my business, I am usually the bottleneck.

I am the overloaded part.

And if I cannot get one thing finished, then my suppliers cannot move onto the next part.

For instance, if I cannot get an hour to complete the sales copy for a new web site I am creating for myself, my web designer cannot get onto creating it - sometimes FOR WEEKS.

So what's the answer?

Take the load off yourself and start outsourcing. Outsource everything that doesn't need to be done by you and can be done more effectively by someone else.

And think of everything that's eating into your daily routine which is causing you to become the bottleneck.

And then get someone else to do it.

However sometimes my suppliers can be the overloaded part. And they can stop things moving forward. For instance, if your web designer takes months to do a job which could have been done in a few days, then that stops you from moving forward.

Start thinking of your processes like a manufacturing firm would. Look at where you breakdown, where you bottleneck, at what holds you back from going to the next level.

And then do everything in your power to get rid of the bottlenecks.

For most business owners I know, the bottleneck lies in getting more customers.

They don't have enough customers which stops them from expanding their business... living a better lifestyle... taking more holidays... employing more staff so they can take the load off themselves and spend more time with their kids, etc.


About the Author:
As a direct response copywriter, Scott Bywater strives to educate business owners on how to generate more leads, get more of the "right type" of customers, differentiate themselves from their competition, and convert their leads into sales via his underground and "outside of the box" strategies. You can get his copywriting and marketing tips delivered to your inbox via his eye opening "Copywriting Selling Secrets" newsletter available at http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/


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