If you know me, you know how epic my hairstyle is. View Exhibit A below:

But you may not know how many steps it takes for my stylist each time she cuts it. She knows, and every other Sport Clips stylist that accesses my account in their database knows, too. (Sport Clips? Oh yeah. You can look this awesome on a budget!).

For a while, whenever I came in for a cut, I’d spend a few minutes describing in minute detail how I wanted my hair styled. I’d share some pictures, explain the clipper guard size for each area of my head, where to cut length, where to leave length, where to thin, where not to thin, and where to shave a hard part. I never minded spending those extra steps (and minutes) to help my stylist ensure we got it just right. 

Recently, Sport Clips removed those extra steps. They now have detailed notes on my exact style specifications in their client database. Now, each time I come in for a cut, my stylist simply prints off the list of specifications, and she’s off. Oh, and if, for some reason, my normal stylist isn’t there that day, another stylist easily completes the cut without me coaching them through it. Sport Clips has saved me (and themselves) time. They’ve simplified the experience by pruning it back.

The world we’re in today is complex, and it’s growing more complex every day. The winning brands are the ones who’ve found a way to make things simpler for their customers. The highest-achieving individuals are the ones who’ve found a way to make things simpler for the people they interact with. 

Simplicity wins. And one of the best ways to ensure simple experiences is to prune it back.

I didn’t learn the value of pruning plants until a few years ago. I always thought that if you want your plants to grow you just sit back and watch them grow. It didn’t make sense to me to help plants grow by pruning. But that’s exactly what expert gardeners do. They know that the best way to yield maximum results is to regularly prune it back.

And that’s exactly what you have to do with your business and your personal brand. The best way to yield maximum results from the experience you provide others is to regularly prune it back.

Instead of throwing out more to your customers, figure out what you can prune back from their experience. If their experience involves six steps, consider pruning it back to 3, or 2, or even 1 step. If your customers have to fill out a form that asks for multiple pieces of information, ask yourself if all of that information is absolutely necessary and consider pruning it back to 1 or 2 pieces of information. If each of your team members has to review and edit a document, consider pruning that process back by placing it in a central location for each of them to access and edit. If your supervisor sends you questions on the status of your current project, consider pruning their experience back by proactively, and regularly, sending them a status report.

The act of pruning it back is a behavior that anyone can take, no matter if you’re a Fortune 100 company, a small business, or even an individual. I met a closing attorney recently who shared that, instead of having clients come to his office to sign real estate closing documents, he meets them at their office or their home. If you’ve ever bought or sold a home, you know that experience right there removes a few steps from what can be a fairly stressful experience.

While everyone else continues to make experiences more complex, you can stand out from the crowd by making experiences simpler. 

This next week take a look at the experience you provide to your customers, your team members, your peers. How many steps do they have to take when they interact with you? How many of those steps can you remove to make it a simpler experience for all? Reply back and let me know what you come up with. I’d love to hear how you made it simpler. Or, if you need help, I’d love to coach you through it.