Todd Jensen sat down with Tricia Drake, a professional EOS implementer from EOS Worldwide, in a recent episode of the Snoball Effect podcast. They discussed her extensive experience and insights on business operations, vision alignment, and the importance of authenticity. Tricia's journey, from writing a babysitting manual as a child to becoming a renowned EOS implementer, offers invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Key Takeaways
- Systems: Tricia’s career has been focused on operations and efficiency, highlighting that good systems make businesses more profitable and scalable, while poor systems lead to extra work and inefficiency
- Vision: Tricia emphasizes the significance of aligning a company's vision with its marketing strategy. Ensuring everyone in the organization understands and works towards the same vision is crucial for achieving business goals.
- Connection: Authenticity and vulnerability are valuable in business; sharing personal stories helps build deeper connections. Tricia suggests reaching out to customers without any agenda, just to check in and maintain relationships.
The Power of Systems in Business
Tricia's entrepreneurial spirit emerged early. "I began my entrepreneurial journey when I was 12 years old... I wrote a babysitting manual and sold it to the girls in my neighborhood," she recalled. This early experience laid the foundation for her passion for systems and processes. She realized that what she loved was not the babysitting itself but the system behind it. This fascination drove her career towards helping business owners transform their companies through efficient systems.
"Throughout my career, I've seen business owners and entrepreneurs really implement systems well, not because they're totally brilliant, but because when you get consistent and when you have systems, it makes things easier," she explained. Good systems lead to increased profitability and scalability, while poor systems only make work harder. Tricia's role as an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) implementer is to ensure businesses have the right systems in place to achieve their goals efficiently.
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Schedule DemoVision and Alignment
One of the crucial elements Tricia emphasized is the alignment of a company's vision with its marketing strategy. She introduced the Vision Traction Organizer (VTO), a tool used in EOS to ensure everyone in the organization is on the same page. "A lot of entrepreneurs and business owners, they have a vision in their head... How often do they say that out loud? And share that on a consistent basis with the rest of their company, or even just their leadership team?" she asked.
The VTO involves answering critical questions about the business, including the marketing strategy. Some questions she asks to help her clients get to the heart of their marketing strategy are, "Who's your target market? What are your three uniques?" The company should also be able to answer questions about how they treat their customers through the entire process.
Pro Tip:
Use a Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) to ensure the entire organization is aligned on the same vision.
Other important aspects of a company’s vision include competitive advantage and core values. She prompted, “There’s a lot of people that do what you do. How do you do it better? Also with our core values…who are we at our core, right? What do we focus on?”
These elements help in creating a concise framework that aligns the entire organization, ensuring everyone understands the target audience, unique selling points, and the company's core values. Then, each employee is talking about the company in the same way, whether it be to vendors, clients, leads, or other employees.
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Authenticity and Personal Connections
Tricia's personal story of battling cancer profoundly influenced her approach to life and work. "When I got cancer... it definitely makes you take stock of what you want out of your life," she shared. This experience taught her the importance of authenticity and vulnerability, both personally and professionally. She believes that sharing personal stories helps build deeper connections with clients and customers.
"People are okay with seeing vulnerability in business and business owners... How we got here, what's the struggle, how can you connect more on a personal level with your clients and your customers so they really understand your story as well?" Tricia advised. This approach not only humanizes the business but also fosters trust and loyalty among customers.
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Tricia Drake
EOS Implementer @ EOS Worldwide
"People are okay with seeing vulnerability in business and business owners."
Tricia also stressed the importance of maintaining relationships by reaching out to customers without an agenda. "One thing hat I think goes by the wayside is contacting your customer when nothing is wrong. And you don't need anything from them…to say, Hey, we're just reaching out. How are you? What can we help with?" she said. This proactive approach strengthens relationships and ensures long-term customer loyalty.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
In her final remarks, Tricia expressed her hope that all entrepreneurs and business leaders know it’s okay to reach out and ask for help. She explained, “I learned too late in life to ask for help and I often think, gosh, could things have been a little bit easier for me if I would have just asked for help and listened and then actually accepted the help that someone wanted to give me?”
By implementing Tricia’s advice regarding asking for help, effective systems, aligning the company's vision with its marketing strategy, and fostering genuine connections with customers, business leaders can create thriving and resilient organizations. As her journey illustrates, embracing these principles can lead to transformative success in the ever-evolving business landscape.