If you want to learn how to scale your business, this blog aims to answer how we approach it here at Think RAPT.
Growing your businesses beyond yourself and/or your small team?
Does it feel like there are too many moving parts, offerings etc.?
It sounds like you might be interested in scaling.
What is Scaling?
Score.org defines scaling as: “Scaling a business means setting the stage to enable and support growth in your company. It means having the ability to grow without being hampered.”
In a service-based business, scaling is often about:
But is there a way to streamline all of this and make it easier to achieve in your business?
Absolutely!
If you take your way of working with clients and distil it into key visual models, it will have the following effects:
What are Visual Models?
Visual Models are just simple pictures/diagrams that represent your ideas. In our Think RAPT System, we have identified 4 key Visual Models:
- The Results Model
- The Answers Model
- The Process Model
- The Target Model
The Results Model shows your audience where they are now and where they’d like to get to. This could be a journey, a matrix or even a spectrum. The purpose of this model is to show your potential clients that there is a way out of the pain they are currently experiencing.
The Answers Model shows your audience the things they need to have to close the gap between where they are now and where they would like to be. This isn’t a process, it’s about the different elements or skills they will need.
The Process Model is showing them how you help them to close the gap. It’s a step-by-step outline of the way you take them from the pain they’re experiencing to the results that they’re seeking.
The Target Model shows your clients the benefits of working with you – so the kinds of benefits they’re aiming for.
How to Scale with Visual Models
What kinds of businesses can benefit from this process?
If you have a coaching, consultancy or similar business that relies on you delivering some kind of service based on intellectual property. This how to scale post is designed with you in mind.
Some businesses that we’ve worked with include: accountants, psychologists, business coaches, industry groups and more.
For each business, we take them through this 5 stage process:
We will cover each step in more detail below.
The 5 Stages to Creating Visual Models
Stage 1 – Clarify
This is where you get clarity on a number of elements in your business including:
It’s essential to get the foundations for your visual models clear. Without this clarity, your visual models will not resonate with your ideal clients, and will need to be changed and updated as you realise they are not fit for purpose.
In order for your visual models to help you to scale, they need to be based on solid foundations and reflect your business services accurately.
Stage 2 – Extract
Extraction is where the magic really starts to happen. This is where you pull your intellectual property out of your brain and transfer it into simple visual models.
Extracting each model follows roughly this process (although the questions differ for each type).
- Ask questions
- Brainstorm without judgement
- Chunk the ideas into between 3-7 chunks.
- Label each chunk
- Find a shape that suits the metaphor.
- Draft it.
The models are all going to be different from one another. For example, for your Results Model, you want to know where your clients are before they come to you and where they want to get to.
For the Answers Model, you’re asking what your clients need to achieve the goals they want.
For the Process Model, it’s about how you work with your clients to take them from A-Z.
And finally, for the Target Model, it’s about those sweet benefits your clients are looking for.
Stage 3 – Present
The Present stage is something a lot of people feel like they can just skip over, but honestly, this is where you work out whether or not the Visual Models you just extracted make sense, flow well, or need to be tweaked.
We have the clients present their models to us, we often also present the same models, so that the clients can make any adjustments, see how it all fits together and so on.
We ideally recommend presenting it to someone who is skilled at understanding Visual Models so you can get the highest quality feedback.
In fact, it’s a major part of the reason why we included feedback sessions in our course – IP Mastery. So if you’ve made Visual Models and you want feedback on them from us, the IP Mastery course is the place to go.
Stage 4 – Package
Next is packaging. This is all about streamlining your services using your visual models and creating multiple income streams at different levels in your funnel.
A large part of scaling is simplification. If all your products are based on the same set of Visual Models, it’s incredibly easy to deliver and to train other people to deliver the content/services.
Some of the types of products we help our clients to package up are:
This stage is about just outlining these products and fitting them into neat packages. The creation step comes next.
Stage 5 – Create
Finally, it’s creation time. This is where you get a graphic designer to create your visual models.
We do this in house for VIP clients as well as create sales brochures and a PDF opt-in.
In this step, you can also create the products you outlined in your package stage.
How to Scale Using Visual Models – The Benefits
Streamline
By streamlining all of your Intellectual Property into visual models and packaging your products based on those same visual models, you streamline everything in your business.
This reduces the amount of time you need to spend developing and delivering products.
Stand Out
Having clear, simple Visual Models will help you to stand out from the crowd, meaning you’ll attract more new clients and convert prospects more easily.
This helps you to grow.
Scale
Finally, all this leads to being able to grow your business.
Whether you need to train staff, decrease the amount of time you spend delivering services and much more, the 4 simple visual models will help you achieve that.
