Well, 2020 has been a good year for me so far, the business has boomed which I’m very happy about. I’m happy because I was given the chance to work with those I want to work with.
There are hard times though and things aren’t going so well. Way back in September, I had this client, a very nice client whom my business partner introduced to me, and whom I had a hard time dealing with because of how things turned out.
What is VSA?
With Virtual System Architects, you can take five minutes out of your day and spend it in creating a video. Your dedicated virtual system architect will document the whole video you made and then go do it.
This particular client works in the industry where the clients that he is bringing have to create documented systems and create documented processes. Often, these guys are spending weeks, months, sometimes even years creating these documents but then they become outdated and they have to do it all over again. However, that can be avoided and can be spent instead on much more important stuff.
How Does the Franchise Industry Work?
The franchise has its system that they follow. If you don’t follow it, you will potentially break not only the brand of the franchise but you can also break your stores and profitability. The reason you buy a franchise in the first place is that it is a proven system. If you are going to oppose the system, problems will arise and it will ruin the whole franchise.
Sure, there are times that a franchise can skyrocket in business if you use a different method or different marketing material but, what do you think will the franchise owner do? Of course, he is going to oppose it. If the franchisee still keeps on asking questions or keeps on doing things against the system, the franchise will flip out. So, this client of mine that was introduced way back in September is like the franchisee.
Overview & Episode Content
- When Can You Say You Want to Work With a Client – 2:15
- It is Okay to Work With Only Those You Love to Work With – 14:30
When Can You Say You Want to Work With a Client
Way back in September, we sent a draft agreement to this client. We showed him how long it takes to get a virtual systems architect and also talked about other stuff. But now and then, they had some kind of worry that had already been addressed. Eventually, they ended up going dark for a while and came back around December.
Came in December, they got back in touch with us and they said that they were ready to go. So, I sent them the exact draft agreement I sent before. However, they were asking why it takes two to four weeks to get a Virtual System Architect and told me that I should have been more upfront about it. I was taken aback because it was still the same draft agreement and we already told him about it. Anyways, we went ahead and he got his VSA.
Once a client has a VSA, they have to agree and follow our system. We send a welcome email to our clients which states the things that he is agreeing to. He can choose to move forward or not then, we can cancel and issue a refund. I do not mind issuing a refund because I do not want to work with someone who’s not going to follow the system, I do not want to tarnish my brand.
So, he agreed to the fact that we do not like one on one training. Everything is based on five minutes or ten minutes of videos. It is much more efficient this way. Training, on the other hand, is ineffective, and no one remembers it anyway.
After signing the agreement…
One of my guys did a little check on how everything was going with him and the VSA. At first, he said that everything went well and then he mentioned having a pre onboarding first so he didn’t waste his time training the VSA. I might have read it wrong and 100% mistaken but I’m so protective of what I’ve built. We have such a large queue of people who are waiting for their VSA, thus, I want to work with those people who understand our system.
During the first week, the VSA should already be doing some real work without having to go back and forth. But, he started asking more questions about our VSA like: What did they do before working for ProSulum? What is their skill set? What are their specialties? Those questions caught me off guard because we already sent him a detailed BIOS of the assigned VSA.
At that moment, I realized he didn’t get our system. We do not care about the specialties of whom we hire because we hire blank slates who literally can clone the clients. And that is a big part of our onboarding process, a big part of our philosophy, and a big part of all of that. So, I wrote back, answered all his questions and opened for a call as a refresher. I sent the email nicely and I also asked my team to check on him the following week. If the system was not being followed, I am going to cancel and refund him.
It is Okay to Work With Only Those You Love to Work With
After I sent the email about the scheduled call, he replied that those were harmless questions and there was no need to cancel and refund him. Those were indeed only questions but those questions showed that something was not being understood. They were telling questions and upon hearing it, I didn’t think that we were a good fit. But, I decided to give it a shot and told him that “No hard feelings, but you know iron sharpens iron so if it is not a good fit, it is not a good fit, we might have to part ways”.
There is a right reason for business. You work not just for a boss who constantly annoys you, you wanted to use your skillset and never put yourself in a situation where your efforts are not appreciated. Even if they understand the system but if there was no mutual respect and appreciation, it’s better to just cut it. It causes stress like when I was writing that email, it took me half an hour and my time is extremely valuable.
The same goes for relationships. Don’t be in a relationship with someone who constantly does not give value and doesn’t want to understand you. That is a recipe for a disaster. Think about some of the things whether it is with a client or a relationship where you feel that you were misunderstood and do something about it. Don’t work with people that you don’t want to work with.
What can you see at ProSulum.com?
If you want to create a course or join a video series course, you can visit prosulum.com. I shared all my secrets there when it comes to systems and also virtual systems architects.
Resources and Links from the Podcast:
ProSulum's Website: https://prosulum.com/
Freedom in Five Minutes' Website: https://www.freedominfiveminutes.com/