Who is a business systems strategist, and how can they help you as a small business owner? It is one of the right questions to ask as a small business owner right now. As Brian Stelter once said, "One way to solve a mystery is by asking the right questions until answers emerge."
Some small business owners may not think they need a business analyst. They don’t know who is a systems strategist, and their greatest fear is survival.
Yet a systems strategist will help your business to survive and thrive. That’s why you need to understand what a systems strategist does and how they will help your business.
Who is a Business Systems Strategist?
Business systems strategists use their analytical skills to assess business operations and develop strategies for improving efficiency and productivity. They design, implement and maintain your business systems as they seek to streamline your operations.
A business systems strategist is responsible for building links between all the moving parts of your business to develop a complex streamlined process. They focus on creating harmony between your business systems until they achieve peak efficiency.
For example, a systems strategist understands the need for link-building between your marketing, sales, finance, and customer service departments. Thanks to such links, you can develop a successful sales funnel for your business.
A unique attribute that differentiates a business systems analyst from other business consultants is they are natural problem solvers. They don't just focus on the desired outcome. They look at each puzzle piece and help you develop solutions for your business components.
What to Look for in a Business Systems Strategist
When hiring a strategist for your business, you need specific goals. What do you expect from the strategist? How do you want them to contribute to your return on investment?
Once you answer these questions, the next step is to look for a strategist who will fulfil your expectations. Here are a few attributes to look for in a systems strategist.
Problem-Solving Skills
When looking for a business systems strategist, you mainly want someone to help you solve specific business challenges. For example, you want someone to help you figure out why you still aren't catching up with your competitors even after automating most of your systems.
An excellent business systems strategist should be able to analyze your business costs, the technology in use, and the efficiency of your business workflows and protocols. Based on this assessment, they will create a strategy for improvement and the plans you will use to implement that change.
It would help to find someone with deep knowledge of business and technological systems. The expertise of this strategist shouldn't be on paper alone. You want someone who is action-oriented. Therefore, you will rely on customer reviews, recommendations, or referrals for an expert who has helped other business owners resolve their unique challenges.
Organization Skills
The work of your systems strategist begins with a thorough examination of your business procedures, frameworks, and workflows. That calls for excellent organizational skills on their part.
Your business systems strategist should understand the success of any business system they implement is dependent on the environment it will function in. That includes even simple automation systems like email marketing automation. You can't expect to enjoy similar ROI for your email marketing if you don't have a lead generation system or sales funnel.
The primary objective of a systems strategist is to ensure your business systems run like a well-oiled machine. Therefore, they need to be experts in organizing systems and eliminating components that clog your workflows.
Simplification
An excellent business systems strategist is like a football or soccer match defender. The defender shields the team from conceding while others focus on attacking.
Similarly, your strategist will study and assess what is wrong with your complex business systems. Then they recommend the best-fit strategies for your business.
For example, the strategist should quickly identify repetitive tasks you perform manually. They should simplify the processes by eliminating unnecessary repetition and streamline the systems to achieve maximum efficiency. Then they should recommend affordable systems depending on your budget.
Benefits of Working with a Business Systems Strategist
Unlike your normal management consultants, strategists love to get their 'hands dirty.'
A systems strategist is action-oriented.
Rarely will you find a strategist comfortable only recommending solutions for their clients. Instead, they want to be at the center of implementing the strategies or systems they deem fit for your business.
The working process of a systems strategist begins with what they know. And for that reason, they trust the information they can gather about your business processes, protocols, and workflows.
They conduct a thorough analysis of your current systems
The assessment helps the strategist understand what systems need to be improved and whether your systems need streamlining.
They rarely use shortcuts
A strategist is methodical and rarely employs shortcuts to achieving the agreed goals. Their problem-solving skills enable them to use the information they gather to design and implement the most efficient system for your business.
They have superior teamwork and communication skills
They will actively involve your team in implementing the system solutions they have developed for your business.
Are You Looking to Hire a Business Systems Strategist?
Marie is a reliable business systems strategist who works well with small business owners. Get in touch to speak to her now.