In this article I want to discuss the critical importance of systems in business because everything we do in our business needs to be systemised for several very good reasons:

• we need to provide a consistent customer service experience – without systems their experience and contact with our business would be chaotic and unreliable.
• we need to free ourselves from working ‘in’ the business.  Delegating work to others would be impossible without creating systems and processes for staff members to follow.
• it is difficult and risky to scale a business without systems for the same reason above.
• if the business relies too heavily on the input of the owner, it is unsaleable as an asset – in reality the business’s value largely resides in its systems
• systems bring stability and control to the business which enables us to test and make improvements based on previous experiences in operating the system.

Everything we do in internet marketing is a system.  From writing a blog post, to creating a product, to email marketing, to setting up a website, to driving traffic and so on – all are systems.

Software programmes are semi-automated systems – products like WordPress themes and plugins are ALL systems and processes.

The mix of systems and processes within our business, and the way we implement them, is what differentiates our brand, products and services.

Every system or process has a series of inputs and outputs.  We put in time or money at the front end in setting up and operating the system and get a result of one sort or another at the back end.

Ideally all these inputs and outputs need measuring and improving.

In reality 20% of our systems and processes produce 80% of the results.  If you can identify the these critical success factors then you can prioritise these systems as key performance indicators and prioritise their measurement and improvement.

This means that having a good management information system is critical to the success of all businesses because it enables management to make better, more informed business decisions.

The question I want to ask you, dear reader, is how systemised is your business?

Are you measuring your most important systems and using that information to improve our business?

If not, this is something that you really need to stop and consider NOW!  Why, because you will likely not last in business very long if you continue to operate your business by the ‘seat of your pants’.

From my previous career in banking, I can categorically report that those businesses that performed best all had good management information systems, almost without exception.  I dealt with medium sized and larger family businesses and to get through the initial start-up phase (and particularly when you want to access other peoples capital) management information was always critical.

To be successful in info marketing online you will require these systems:

• traffic systems
• blogging systems
• email marketing system
• list building systems
• sales funnel systems
• product and content creation systems
• affiliate marketing systems
• management information systems
• productivity systems
• planning systems

Each of these systems requires multiple sub-systems and processes. For example, your blogging system will or may require a theme, plugins, linking to Google and Bing webmaster tools, Google Analytics, linking to your social media accounts, ecommerce, secure members area etc and so on.

I am going to be releasing a series of products about these systems & process with check-lists and step-by-step processes to help my fellow entrepreneurs doing business online.

Sign up to my list by subscribing to one of my freebies in my sidebar if you are interested in systemising your online business and realise the critical importance of systems in business.  I will advise you as and when I release further content and products on systemisation.

In the meantime, I can recommend 3 great books to read, particularly if you need further convincing of the importance of systems:

• The Emyth Revisited by Michael Gerber
• Work The System by Sam Carpenter
• The Goal by EM Goldratt