Create the process

When there’s a process execution becomes natural.

My full-time job is to sell software. I do it automatically. I know the tasks, the process. Allows me to prioritize and focus on execution.

Let’s get specific, there are two main areas. Find people willing to talk to me and once they do move them through a sales process. A few examples of my daily tasks include:

• research companies and people that may be a fit for my solution
• do product demos
• take care of inbound leads
• Send quotes
• All kinds of follow-ups (leads, deals, etc)

I understand the process and steps included in each task. I’m able to be productive because I have a complete understanding of what’s needed.

When it gets to my side projects, most of what I’m doing is guess work. Worse than that, there’s a bias to focus on what I already know how to do. If I’m creating an app I’ll spend most of my time programming. Forgetting things like distribution, content creation, SEO, social media, advertising, onboarding, landing pages, pricing or something else.

To pile on you need to learn about each topic and choose the tools for it. It’s too much.

No process? Great recipe for failure.

Create the process. Think about each area required (some are listed above). Turn it into a list of actionable items. Follow the process.