Utilizing the TASK Method to Streamline Prospects into Clients with Dolly DeLong
Episode 495: Show Notes
Today on the podcast we have Dolly DeLong. She is a photographer and she has been in business since 2006. In 2020 she started educating small business owners on how to go from scattered to streamlined using powerful tools like Dubsado.
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This episode is jam-packed with her exact framework, the TASK method, that is going to walk you through how she utilizes it in her business to really streamline her interactions with potential clients and actually turn those prospects into clients. Abagail had a ton of fun interviewing her! If you haven’t been introduced to the wonders of Dubsado yet, after this episode you most definitely will want to. If you haven’t signed up for a free trial yet, visit this link, and upgrade when you are ready! You can get 30% off your first month or year with the code BOSSPROJECT at checkout!
Introducing Dolly, Her Photography and Coaching Work, and the TASK Method
Abagail starts by sharing a memory of how she did not have the best systems in place when she started out in her journey of serving clients. She is excited to chat with Dolly about her methods for streamlining work and getting things done for clients in a format that makes sense. Before diving straight into what the TASK method is all about, we first hear a little bit about Dolly’s background. She tells us about how she is a family and branding photographer who is focusing on using her TASK systems to teach business owners how to streamline their workflows in 2020. TASK stands for Thinking, Actions and Automations, Systems and Social Media, and Knowledge. Abagail mentions that when creative people start businesses, they are often shocked at how much more admin they end up doing than creative work, and how helpful it is to have systems that make the business side of being a creative worker as painless as possible. Dolly uses her TASK framework as a filter for all sides of her business, to set up workflows, create her online courses on automation and training in business, and even while writing blog posts.
Defining the Customer Journey and Reducing Stress By Thinking
Setting up a workflow can be overwhelming. It is important when you are at this stage of streamlining your business to take a step back and think! Thinking is the first part of the TASK framework and what this means to Dolly is taking a moment to get clear on the journey your clients will take when they begin utilizing your services. There are many steps in the customer journey so thinking clearly through all of these will take time. You have to be strategic. It can be really helpful to sit down and write your thoughts down. Once you have written down a clearly defined customer journey that applies to the different services you offer and what a client will experience by engaging in each of them, the next step is to use that as a reference as you start to serve clients. Dolly shares that when she first started her photography business 10 years ago she felt like she was flying by the seat of her pants, but after getting clearer on how she would structure her customers’ journeys, things became much less stressful for her.
Separating Out Your Workflow into Actions Versus Automations
Once you have done the work of clearly writing down all the steps in your workflow for the services you offer clients, the next piece of the puzzle is to identify which of these steps you have to do yourself and which ones can be automated. This is the action versus automation piece of the TASK method. For Dolly, this process is as simple as taking a look at each step you have written down and simply writing ‘A’ next to the ones you can automate. A major area where automation comes in handy is emails, and Dolly loves to use Dubsado for this task. People often shy away from automating tasks in their business because of the work and thinking it requires on the front end, but the fact is if you can put some automation systems in place, you’ll end up saving so much time in the long run. When it comes to email, a lot of people might also be afraid to automate responses to a class of inquiries because a one size fits all response might seem to put off a client once they receive it. Dubsado has a solution to this in the form of an approve button, which asks you to approve an automated email before it sends, allowing you to make minor tweaks if necessary. This is like a training wheels function of the application which helps you get your feet wet in the waters of automating emails. Another good point in this conversation is the value of writing your automated emails using language that is personal to you, in your voice per se, so your automated email responses seem less ‘canned’.
Making It Easier for Clients to Work With You Through Systems and Social Media
It’s time to get down to the systems and social media side of the TASK method, and what Dolly means by these two terms is having systems for how your workflow is tied to your use of social media. Dolly encourages that if you have a contact or intake form that will attach to a particular workflow, you should make it so that if prospects visit your social media platforms, they can be redirected to it. In other words, use your social media platforms as part of your lead generation method by making it easy for people to find out how to work with you after they have visited them. In the previous steps of the TASK method discussed, the aim was centered around envisioning forward, i.e., how will you handle clients after you get them? Whereas, now, we are working backward; how will we make it easier for ourselves to actually land the clients in the first place? Dolly talks about how she attaches her Pinterest pins and Instagram bio to different forms and how easy it is for people to work with her because of this. Abagail mentions that creative people love hiding the ways potential clients can work with them and they should stop doing this by streamlining their lead generation system in this way. As creative one-woman shows, it is so important for us to find unique ways of marketing ourselves, and attaching our forms to our social media in this way is one of them. In this segment, we also have a great conversation about the value of reducing the number of services you offer. If you have just a few clearly defined services instead of millions, it will be much easier for you to optimize this lead generation side of your business. You won’t be overwhelmed by the network of pipelines you are creating, and you won't suffer from decision fatigue about how best to link them all. When Dolly first started, she had over ten different offerings and now she has just four.
Causing A Memorable First Impression By Giving A Client The Right Knowledge
The final piece of the TASK process is all about knowledge, and what Dolly means by this is what kind of impression you make on your prospects online. Whether it is your contact form or a landing page, anything relating to your website or business branding, what knowledge are you leaving potential clients with after their first impression? We all know the average person only spends 7-10 seconds on a website and that you have to make eight impressions on a person before they will remember what service you offer. This means in your first impression you have to leave the visitor with some nugget that will get them to remember you and visit your site again. Abagail talks about whether you are applying for a job or trying to land new clients, the most important thing to remember is to make an impression on your prospects by giving more than taking. An employer or client will have questions during an interview or while on your website, and you have to make sure the information you are providing answers them in the short space of time they give you! This can seem overwhelming but Dolly stresses the importance of just stepping back and taking a breath. You don't have to get it perfect the first time. This is an iterative process that ebbs and flows and as long as you are trying to get better, that’s all that matters.
How To Build A Dubsado Lead Capture Form Using the TASK Method
Now that we know exactly what the TASK method involves, it’s time to ask Dolly about a real-life example of how she implements it in her business using Dubsado! Dolly explains how she uses Dubsado to automate a customer’s journey and lead them down a welcome funnel using a contact form. This is what Dubsado calls a lead capture form and you can have your website display this form to a visitor to make it easy for them to take the first steps in working with you. Dolly has a course called “How to Create a Contact Form That Wows Using the TASK Method,” and what she explains here is part of what you’ll get in that course. The most basic requirements in a lead capture form are fields where the client fills in their first and last name as well as their email address. Dolly has these fields in her form, and along with these, she includes functionality for a dropdown menu that offers her different services. Depending on what a visitor chooses from this menu, they will be taken down a different funnel after filling in the form. After that Dolly includes a project sources tab that asks a visitor how they heard about her because this helps her with her marketing going forward. Next up Dolly includes a field where a visitor can type in a personalized message. In total Dolly only has six parts in her form because this keeps the process a visitor has to undergo to work with her as painlessly as possible. It is a good idea not to make this form too long because if a visitor is on their phone or in a rush they might give up before completing it. After filling in the form, a visitor will get an immediate email from Dolly with a video where she introduces herself and some text that describes all the information the potential client might need before working with her. Dolly talks about how much her bookings have gone up since implementing these systems because people see her as efficient and friendly. This is not because she is good at replying fast but because she implemented good systems! Clients are far more likely to choose you instead of your competition if you can cause a great impression of yourself and make it easier for them to work with you than everybody else, so if you implement a system like this you will go so much further!
Quote This
You need to have at least eight impressions for someone to remember you, so that first impression they get on your website should leave them with some little nugget of value.
—Dolly DeLong
Highlights
Introducing Dolly, Her Photography and Coaching Work, and the TASK Method. [0:05:55.1]
Defining the Customer Journey and Reducing Stress By Thinking. [0:09:28.1]
Separating Out Your Workflow into Actions Versus Automations. [0:12:10.1]
Making It Easier for Clients to Work With You Through Systems and Social Media. [0:19:37.1]
Causing A Memorable First Impression By Giving A Client The Right Knowledge. [0:28:46.1]
How To Build A Dubsado Lead Capture Form Using the TASK Method. [0:33:23.1]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:46:00.1]
Write out the workflows that pertain to your different services
Create a video where you talk about that service
Upload the video using Vimeo or YouTube
Link that video to the automated email you send clients
Write out your automated email response and store it in Dubsado
Get started with personalizing your contact form
Check out Boss Project’s templates and use them in your layouts
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Dolly DeLong
Website | Instagram | Facebook
I’m a Nashville-based family and personal branding photographer. After learning the ins and outs of running my own successful business, I’ve also started sharing my knowledge with other entrepreneurs as a business educator and encourager.
My greatest joy is capturing radiant, timeless images of families that I know they will pass down for generations. My bright, colorful, cheerful style is inspired by the Fuji400h vibe. I also have the privilege of taking branding photos for small business owners, and I love that my photography style showcases their personality and skills.
When I’m not taking heartfelt family images or stand-out personal branding photos, you’ll find me teaching other business owners about automating and streamlining. I teach others how to grow their business with Pinterest, automate with Dubsado, and navigate the waters of social media with several different tools.
KEY TOPICS
Automation, TASK method, Dubsado, Systems, Contact forms, Lead generation, Email
