The first flow is, of course, cash flow. This comes in two varieties, money coming into organization, revenue, and money going out, expenses. Understanding cash flow is not as easy as it appears. Throughput accounting and Lean accounting are two methods some companies are using to try and get a better understanding of how cash flows through a business.

The second flow is product or service flow. This starts with how product or service is designed. The next step is how product is built or service delivered. How is product or service used? Finally, what happens when customer is done is product discarded, recycled, or consumed.

How does information flow through organization? How does it come into company and how does it leave? How is it used in organization, does it follow work or pull work forward? What types of feedback is received?

One of great challenges for independent professionals and small businesses, especially when starting out, is generating visibility to ultimately lead to generating sales.

One of specific challenges, I have found, is knowing what to say about yourself and your operations and services when asked “so what do you do?”

•Have you ever stumbled over your words when asked what you do?

•Have you ever received response, “Oh, I see”, followed by silence?

•Do you ever feel as though you do not know what to say about yourself?

I am reminded of ‘elevator speech theory’ (I do not know to whom to attribute its invention), which simply poses “if you were in a lift that opens on tenth floor and in walks Bill Gates who asks what you do – what would you say, and you have only until elevator gets to bottom?”

I have personally struggled with this at times, and equally have found that when I get it right, results flow – which initially could be as simple yet important of getting more time to converse with person asking question of you.

A great resource I have used to achieve greater results, is Marketing Plan Workbook from Action Plan Marketing, authored by Robert Middleton.