There’s always an issue in one area or another that needs dealing with; internal departments might disagree, everyone is busy, growth is happening but feels unpredictable, reporting feels vague.
Often issues that show up in sales, in marketing, in operations, in software, are actually just symptoms of deeper system issues. And they won’t be resolved by dealing with them in isolation, only by looking at the system underneath.
Without getting too deep into systems theory, even a small to medium company is a complex system – there are multiple moving parts; people, products, software. Information, leads, work flows between these parts, and feedback flows back. There are always competing incentives and motivations.
When we talk about systems, we don’t just mean your document Standard Operating Procedures. These are important, but a series of process documents on their own don’t come close to mapping the actual working system of a company. These usually miss the “know-how”, the key staff, the knowledge in an offline spreadsheet, a desktop drawer, or in a sales rep’s memory.
A problem in marketing can’t be understood properly unless you can see the connections from your market perception, to your lead generation, to how you handle leads, right through to the sale and delivery. A problem in sales may need to be traced back to earlier interactions prospects are having with your business.
Unfortunately, without visibility of the system, often the solution companies take is to add more; more procedures, more staff, more software. Marketing activity and spend is increased, bills go up, and so do some stats, but are you getting more results?
Software tools – CRM, automations, and AI solutions – should not be introduced without a proper understanding of how they will fit into, enhance, or change your system. Too many projects start at the wrong end, with a specific tool or software solution, and then trying to fit your company to the tool rather than the other way around. This usually ends up in frustration, and the tools not being used as expected.
The worst marketing campaigns start with tactics and platforms; “We need to do Google Ads”, “We need to do social media”, “We need to do AI search”. Better campaigns start with strategy; “What are our goals, our key messages, our target audience?” But the best of all takes things a further step upstream. “How does our marketing strategy fit into our revenue system?” and “What happens to the leads we generate?”
Or looking at the process from the other end; “What journey did our best customers take to get here and how can we replicate that?” “What are the most meaningful metrics that we can actually judge success by, and how will we ensure feedback is effective and timely, and the system learns?”
When you’ve got a revenue machine that works like this; the strategy becomes a lot clearer and you know exactly where to invest and how to measure success.
When you understand your real world system, decisions about software become much easier, and often the best approach is to take away more than it is to add. Duplicate capabilities, overlapping platforms stacked on top of each other. These can be replaced with automation solutions that fit the way the business works and amplifies success.
Instead of applying local fixes, and potentially increasing complexity, the first step is to take a step back and map your system.
