Most small business owners and service professionals are doing way too many things that they could be delegating to someone else. Are you in this category? Often the excuse used is that there are not enough financial resources to justify the expense, or they feel it's just faster to complete the tasks themselves. Even if you have an assistant, chances are you are most likely massively under-utilizing them.
Usually you will find that when you invest in having an expert -- like a bookkeeper, graphic artist, or (virtual) assistant -- do what they are good at, they do it quicker and better and usually at an affordable rate allowing you to do what you do best: bring in new business and create work product you can bill for producing. Or, you "spend" the time to train your assistant to execute simple but necessary tasks, the return on that time investment is well worth it. Again, this allows you to focus on those aspects of your business that only you can do. If you've evaluated your marketing efforts and determined where you need to focus, the next logical step is to determine what you should not be doing, and who could be doing it. (If not, go here.)
Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I doing that it would be better, faster and more cost-effective for someone else to do?
- List 3 things I can delegate to others, or pay for others to do.
- What would be best for me to stop doing? In other words, what are the tasks that are simple enough to delegate, or are tasks are not in your wheel-house (such as bookkeeping, legal work, filing, faxing, copying, etc.).
This effective evaluation should reveal to you many tasks that can and should be delegated to your team. No high level professional should send faxes, make copies and appointments, or run errands. They just shouldn't! Your time is better spent marketing, planning, meeting with potential clients, and executing sweet-spot, high-revenue generating activities.
Your assistant is there to assist you! I suggest to my clients that they make a list of items that need to be completed and then meet for a.m. and p.m. meetings to delegate those items, and then check in at the next meeting for the status.
Don't have a team? You can hire a virtual or personal assistant, get an intern, or hire professional specialists to take those necessary but difficult and/or tedious tasks off your hands. These valuable assets are worth every dime, because they allow you to focus on your core competencies and provide more of your high-dollar services. This will give you a feeling of balance, which in turn lowers your stress level. Then you're able to take on more of what you want!
Your team is critical to your future success. Invest in yourself by using your time and money to set yourself up for that future success.
Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.
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