How to INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

How to Increase productivity is every business's age-old issue: more productivity, more profit. Increase the bottom line. At every board meeting, it is on the agenda. It might be disguised as something like contract issues, updating machinery, staffing issues or a number of other things but what it means is, increased productivity. How can we increase the output?

In the early days, productivity was the act of increasing output by manual labor or automation. At the turn of the 19th Century, the industrial revolution was getting going. Steel mills, woollen mills, foundries, transport, manufacturing, etc. You think of it and you can probably trace its roots back to this particular time.

There starts the search - how to increase productivity.

Really since time immemorial the search to increase productivity and more productivity and better productivity has been on every business’s agenda.

It all starts with a plan and a process. Get this right and it's all systems go!

3 business ideas on how to increase productivity 

1. Have a process. Simple? Well yes and no. A process needs to be planned around the end result. Der! That’s stating the bleeding obvious. But it is astounding the number of businesses that start on a trial and error basis. Sure they need to make mistakes, this is a given, but they need to test the process. Test every step with the end result clearly visualized. This way is a total needless waste of money and resources. 

The primary number one item is to have a detailed plan to go back to your record keeping. You will remember I have said time and time again, “ nothing happens till a sale is made”. Please understand this. 

 NOTHING HAPPENS TILL A SALE IS MADE. 

This goes back hundreds of years. Noting has changed. Still the same issue today. So, having said that, doesn’t it make sense to start here?

Back to the record keeping. Not keeping records? Shame on you. Get out of my website now and come back when you have done it.

Do you get it?  From day dot keep records. Keep records of everything. There are no excuses. Are we clear? Given you have done this basic business action, now analyse these major components. 

1. Number of leads per sale.
2. Number of presentations per sale
3. Number of closes to get a sale
4. Cost per sale
5. Cost per presentation
6. Cost per lead.

When you see the results you will have the answer to how to increase productivity. 

Do not glaze over this exercise. In fact, it is a good idea to track this process and document it and publish it in the company action guide. ‘How to evaluate the records’.

2. Training your people. In the early day's the ‘people’ might be you and your wife but it doesn’t matter if this is the situation or if you do have 1 or 2 or more staff. Train them on how the process and systems work. Report and record every twist and turn. The results change with the environment. The economic climate. The seasonal shifts. Tweek it and present the findings to the production committee. 

What no production committee? Well, establish one ASAP with a clear set of guidelines for reporting. Be answerable to the committee chairman or head of Production. In the early days, this might be you and your partner and your mentor. No mentor? Get one ASAP.

Eh, it’s great to have you read this far. 

I’d like to send more information about this and other topics in my monthly newsletter.

MentorausMinutes

It will arrive in your inbox on the first day of every month. 

What to expect in the MentorMinutes Newsletter.

• Personal thoughts that cause you to think outside the box. 
• Something I’ve read I think you’d be interested in.
• Someone who made an interesting comment to discuss.
• ...and some fun stories.

I’m conscious of your time, which is why, it is rarely more than a 3-minute read.

Now, as a reward for joining my tribe, please accept my gift to you:

Ink Your Future

In it, you’ll discover…

• how to turn your dreams into a step-by-step path to  well-thought-out goals.  
• the power of the pen
  
• how to keep motivated
• a system that is tried and tested
• a process to never forget your goals
• how to set realistic timeframes

How will it help you?

• The book offers timeless, proven strategies updated for the 21st century. 
• It explains why goals often fade over time and how using technology, like your smartphone, can keep your goals front and center, pushing you to achieve them. 
• Following the content of this book will have a beneficial effect on your attitude. 
• These systems and processes bring your goals to life and introduce a profoundly effective approach: writing them down in longhand.

“Ink Your Future” turns your dreams into reality. It starts with something as simple as putting pen to paper. 

Imagine a life where your dreams become real. Your goals are achieved through a proven process, and modern technology helps track your success.

So, whether you’re wanting material possessions, yearning for a promotion, changing jobs or building a startup, this book will help you create a path forward.

Are you in?

If so, fill in the simple subscribe form and you're done.

(If you are viewing this on a cell phone you may have to go into landscape view)

This Form cannot be submitted until the missing fields (labelled below in red) have been filled in
Join my subscriber community now and receive your free “Ink Your Future” eBook.
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
	Subscribe
*First Name*
*Last Name*
*E-Mail Address*
*City*
*Country*	CountryUnited StatesCanadaUK----------------AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntiguaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribadiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoFederated States of MicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMontenegroMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaS. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls.Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamUS Virgin IslandsWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenYugoslavia (former)ZaireZambiaZimbabwe
GDPR*
I am at least 16 years of age. I have read and accepted the privacy policy. I understand that you will use my information to contact me or send me the information I requested.
Please enter the word that you see below.

Call center outsourcing might be a good place to start. Maybe a virtual PA.

3. Be willing to outsource. This is a major benefit to most companies. The sooner you discuss this and get on board the sooner your productivity will increase. Yes, it does take training but it is so beneficial to the health of your business. Starting your business with these components makes it a more efficient cost structure and a lean profitable machine. 

Again keep records of the training schedule quality control. 

A few more inclusions can also help in your quest to increase productivity.

Communication

As a bonus let me tell you a story about a team of tunnel builders digging a tunnel through a mountain. They formed two teams. The foreman instructed the first team to start digging, then he instructed the second team to go to the other side of the mountain and start digging. When you meet in the middle you would have dug the tunnel. If you don’t meet in the middle you would have dug two tunnels. Well, it’s obvious a key element of how to increase productivity is COMMUNICATION.

I think this little story goes a long way to understanding communications.

There you go my friends, increase productivity. 3 business ideas to take on board.

Take them. Modify them and use them. You will be amazed by the results. Great communications is part of the big picture of how to increase productivity.

Time Management

I  cannot talk about increasing productivity without mentioning time management. I will only touch on it here because it deserves a page of its own. 

Sit down and document the issues occurring with production and discuss how to improve them. This is vital and should be done at least monthly.

Nevertheless, let me make some important points to be included in your understanding of how to increase productivity.

The first point I’d like to make is probably obvious. The more efficient your business can be in managing time the more productive it will be.

So it is incumbent on you as the business owner to make a time management system for each component of your business. From the time the business opens to the inventory stock take, to the hour's staff work, to the time allocated set down to achieve a task. Time manage everything in the business. Doesn't matter how tiny you think it is. Set a time to complete it. Remember the devil is in the detail. You have to be specific to be terrific.

As I have been banging on about throughout this page and others. KEEP RECORDS. Always be searching for how to make it better. Searching for how to streamline the task. Maybe it is purchasing a machine a robot whatever it takes to keep on top of time management issues. When you get this right well, you have increased your chance of survival and making your business great. 

If you love what you do

Again if you love what you do this will be something that gets you jumping out of bed every morning, sing in the shower and making it a pleasure to start work every day. As a byproduct, this attitude permeates throughout the business. Staff are happier, suppliers love to do business with you and most of all your customers will feel it. Guaranteed.

So there you have it. How to increase productivity, and who doesn’t want this? Everything I write here is to help you get the odds stacked in your favour. Use it abuse it. Get it done from the the moment you start your business.

“Experience is not the best teacher it's the only teacher.” “Who said this?” I don’t know. I wish I had said it, but I’m using it. In fact, it is my mentoring slogan.

Experience isn't the best teacher, experience is the only teacher.

Confidence comes from experience

Recent Articles

• 
• 

1. Systems and Processes 101 The primary factor to build a business

   Nov 21, 24 12:30 AM

   
   Discover the surprising similarities between building good habits and effective business systems and processes 101.

   Read More

2. Overcoming Workplace Toxicity

   Nov 04, 24 09:07 PM

   
   Overcoming workplace toxicity when it feels like every day is a battle against stress, anxiety, low morale, and constant conflict.

   Read More

3. Working a job you hate

   Oct 23, 24 08:25 PM

   
   I slammed my fist on the alarm clock for the third time, wishing I could stop time altogether. Another day of working a job you hate.

   Read More

Hello, I'm Daryl Pratt creator of MENTORaUS

I have been mentoring folk like you since 2005. 

I built this site so I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of hours of listening and mentoring folk to make a change. 

Life is short my friend so the sooner you control your destiny the better.

It will not be easy but it will be fulfilling, I can guarantee.

There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come!

Contact me