Episode 1
Issue #1: The Truth about Broken Systems
Broken systems are the silent killers of digital service businesses. In this issue of Mechanix Memo, The Marketing Mechanic breaks down how to diagnose friction, fix your flow, and finally stop being the “human API” in your own company.
Transcript
Most business owners don't realize their systems
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:are broken until something smokes
a client slips through the cracks,
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:an invoice never sends or worse.
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:You finally get the big opportunity and
your backend buckles under the pressure.
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:Sound familiar?
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:That's not failure.
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:What we call it is friction, and friction
is what this whole series is about fixing.
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:Here's what you'll walk
away knowing today.
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:Tarletta Williams: How to spot
when your system is costing
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:you money instead of saving it.
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:And my five point checklist to
get it running smoothly again.
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:. Tarletta Williams: Most digital service
businesses think they have a tech problem.
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:I just need a better CRM.
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:I need to learn automation.
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:I need ai.
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:Nah.
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:Nine times outta 10.
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:The problem isn't the tool, it's
that your systems don't talk to each
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:other or worse, they rely too much
on you to be the brain behind them.
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:You've become the human.
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:API copy pasting, following up,
remembering who's where, and what's next.
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:That's not a system that is survival.
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:A system should buy back
your energy, not borrow it.
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:So let's pop the hood.
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:Your business engine has four main parts.
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:Attract, nurture, convert, deliver.
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:When one of those pieces breaks,
you start overcompensating.
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:You post more, you chase more,
you patch more, you do more.
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:You see a lot less because all
that effort, it hides the leak
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:instead of actually fixing it.
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:A broken system doesn't
usually make noise at first.
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:It might show up as.
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:Missed follow ups.
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:Almost done projects, long sales cycles.
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:Clients who goes after signing.
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:That's not bad luck, unfortunately.
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:It is bad alignment a while back.
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:I was working with a client who
was brilliant at what she did.
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:Strategy, content, everything.
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:I mean, five stars all the way
around, but every new client,
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:was like a brand new fire drill.
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:There was no intake form.
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:She had no onboarding sequence,
and more importantly to me, she
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:had absolutely zero automation.
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:The word manual came up way
more times than I would like
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:during that conversation.
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:She was personally emailing every
client their welcome packet, and
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:when she finally admitted she was
exhausted, we mapped her flow.
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:Turns out she was spending 12 hours
a week redoing the same tasks.
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:Things like sending welcome emails,
making sure the contract got paid, sending
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:out that contract and granting access
to her online course and community.
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:Tarletta Williams: That was stuff her
CRM could have handled blindfolded so
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:once we automated her onboarding and
connected her scheduler to her email, she
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:saved those 12 hours every single week.
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:Her delivery didn't just improve.
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:We could actually see that she was
starting to enjoy her business again.
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:And to me, that is what
is the most important.
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:Living in alignment is so much
better than working out of it.
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:So here's how to start your own tune up
without overhauling everything at once.
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:One, follow the friction.
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:Where do things get stuck or slow?
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:That's where to look first.
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:If you don't know where to look, or
you're having trouble figuring out
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:where to start, consider your marketing,
sales, your admin, or your retention.
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:Next, you wanna map your flow.
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:Grab pen and paper, Miro, Clickup,
whatever your favorite whiteboard
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:is, and write out every step from
first contact to the actual payment.
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:If your brain hurts, it's too complicated.
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:Three, automate the obvious things.
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:So scheduling reminders.
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:Most systems will encourage you
to do this anyway, so let the
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:tech handle what is repetitive.
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:Do not try to do it yourself.
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:Four.
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:Simplify your stack
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:One tool that talks to everything
beats five that barely say high.
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:And then five, measure
one metric that matters.
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:Do not chase vanity numbers.
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:Track the system that makes
or saves you the most money.
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:because more than likely
you don't need more tools.
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:You just need fewer leaks.
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:when your systems are clean,
your energy changes, you stop
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:reacting and you start leading.
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:more than that, your clients move
through your business like it's designed
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:to, because it finally is designed.
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:I mean, and that quiet hum.
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:That's peace.
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:If this hits home, here's your next move.
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:I want you to share this episode with
one business owner who's ready to stop
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:running on fumes and finally transition
into something that runs clean.
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:Let's build engines that convert and
businesses that don't break under growth.
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:Until next time, I'm Tarletta,
your Marketing Mechanic.
