The Art of Delegation Part 2 – How to Delegate

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

In my last blog, I discussed why entrepreneurs need to delegate and addressed the fears of why they don’t delegate. Today, I’ll discuss what you will want to delegate and how to do that.

How do you know what the best tasks to delegate are? Make a list of everything you spend time on during the day – no matter how small of a task it is. Now, for everything you’ve listed, pick three items that are your special talent – which no one else can do as well as you. Next, pick three tasks from the list that generate the most income for you. Any items that fall into the “special talent category” and “the generates income category” should be the items that you focus most of your time on. All the other tasks that you are not great at or that don’t generate the most income will need to be delegated.

A small business owner is a leader. Great leaders know how to build great teams. Building a strong, supportive team is instrumental to business growth. Great teams are inspired by their leader. Excellent team players are also leaders, too. They are self-motivated, resourceful and action-oriented. It’s important to have these types of people on your team. If someone on your team is negative and non-supportive, you’ll want to get rid of them fast. Attitude is contagious and you want to surround yourself with people who are supportive of you and your business. If you don’t find them at first, keep looking for the right team member.

If procrastination is an issue for you, delegating will usually put an end to that because you will delegate the tasks that you put off doing. These are usually tasks that you don’t like doing anyway and perhaps you aren’t very good at doing. Let someone else take care of them and they will get done.

Be sure to sign up for my free report on the right hand side of this page.

www.JoanneJohnsonVA.com

Posted in Delegating | Leave a comment

The Art of Delegation – Overcoming Your Fears

Posted on January 20, 2011 by

“If you don’t have an Assistant, you are one.” ~Ralph Case

In last few blogs I’ve discussed setting goals and making a conscious effort to get organized. Another step that I think is pertinent in achieving your goals is delegating. I’ll discuss why people don’t delegate and in my next blog, I’ll discuss the best ways to figure out what/how to delegate.

When we start our business, we are the ones who have to answer the phone, take orders, handle complaints, take care of the accounts receivables and accounts payables, etc. We do this because we are starting out and we may not have the resources to delegate. But as our business grows, there are more phone calls, more orders, etc., and there is only so much time in the day for one person to handle all of these jobs. If we don’t delegate, there will only be so much success that we will be able to achieve.

I know delegating can feel difficult. Raymond Aaron talks about the four reasons why we don’t delegate in his Monthly Mentor program. They are:

Fear of Losing Control – This is so paradoxical to me. We tend to think that no one can do things for our business as well as we can, so we try to do everything ourselves and tell ourselves that we are in control. In the meantime, we lose control of growing our business, we lose control of our freedom to take a vacation and we lose control of our ability to become more successful. All because we think someone else can’t contact our clients, can’t help us with their marketing, etc.

Fear of Asking Somebody – It seems prevalent in our society that we are somehow weak or less than if we need help. I don’t know why that is, but I’ve met a lot of people who don’t like asking for help. Yet, I can’t think of one successful person who got where they are by themselves, without asking for help. The irony on the other side is that most people love to help others and aren’t put out in the least by helping out when asked.

Fear of Being Thought of As Inadequate Not Just by Others, But by Yourself – This type of thinking doesn’t help anyone, isn’t supportive and needs to be stopped immediately. No one knows how to do everything! We need to stay focused on our goals. If our goal is to grow our business, we have to realize that we can’t do it alone and there is no shame in that. I really doubt that Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey or Warren Buffet think they are inadequate because they delegate.

Fear That It May Cost Too Much – I think this is a big fear for most business owners. A better question would be, how much is it costing in lost opportunities by doing it all yourself? If you can get your children or a family member to setup your Facebook Fan Page or WordPress blog for free, then by all means do so. Paying someone to do it right the first time may actually cost less than you doing it yourself and messing it up.

Let’s move forward and next time I’ll talk about knowing which tasks to delegate.

Posted in Delegating, General | Leave a comment

5 Easy Organzational Tips

Posted on January 11, 2011 by

One of the best things about January, to me, is that I get to clean out the stuff in my office from the previous year.  I enjoy shredding the old documents I don’t need any more and putting the things I need to hang onto into storage.  I like to work and live in an organized place.

I realize that many people don’t share my enthusiasm for organization.  Some people justify their lack of organizational skills by saying that if they did put things away, they’d never find anything.  Or they state that they have “organization amidst the disorganization.”  I believe these are the same people who ask me to send them the same email 5 times because they can never find it in their out-of-control inbox.

Getting and staying organized is something that can be learned.  If you are really disorganized, take baby steps.  Focus on organizing one thing first.  When that becomes a habit, tackle another area.  Some people will find it easier to hire someone to organize everything and then show them how to keep it organized.

Here are a few things that I do that really help me stay organized:

Use one calendar – This one little step saves me time and helps me avoid re-scheduling with clients. I keep both my personal and business appointments together.  I use the calendar on my Blackberry, so it’s always with me when I need it.

Keep your desk clean – I, personally, like to see a clean desk when I walk into my office in the morning.  I feel like I’m starting the day fresh.  I find that having too many things on my desk is distracting and keeps me from being focused.  I like to clean my desk off before finishing up in the evening so that way it is clean in the morning.

Plan and prioritize – I take a few minutes at the end of the day to plan for the next day.   I prioritize everything and I know what I need to work on first the next day.  It allows me to be proactive with my day instead of reactive.

Write things down – I keep a list throughout the day of things I need to remember to do.  This also helps me when planning for tomorrow.  It also takes away the stress of trying to remember everything off the top of my head.  I also keep a notepad by my phone that is specifically for phone messages.   It makes it easy to reference them at a later date if needed.

Use voicemail as a tool – Playing phone tag can be very time-consuming.  I always try to leave detailed and specific messages.  If I have questions, I leave them on the message.   When the person gets back to me, if they get my voicemail, they should be able to leave the information that I requested. 

Try these simple steps yourself to help you become more organized this year.

Posted in General, Organizing | 1 Comment

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting

Posted on January 4, 2011 by

It’s the new year and a great time to set new goals for 2011, if you haven’t already done so. 

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to set my goals is by using the SMART acronym. I think this is a great way to not make generalized statements such as “I’m going to increase the number of clients I have” or “I’m going to improve my relationships.” When goals are generalized, they are more like a resolution, and we’ve all heard that most resolutions are forgotten about around the middle of February.

SMART breaks down as follows:
S = Specific. When setting goals, be as specific as possible. Using the example above, instead of “I’m going to increase the number of clients I have,” you might say, “I’m going to increase my clients by 5 every month for the first 3 months of the year.” That’s much more specific and you will know whether or not you’ve met it at the end of the first quarter. This also helps you break down your monthly goals because you can then plan what steps you need to take on a daily basis to reach that goal.

M= Measurable. The goal must be measurable, otherwise how do you know if you’ve met it or not? If you want to lose weight, how much weight do you want to lose? Quantify the goal you are making and it will be easier to achieve.

A = Achievable. You must know that you can achieve the goal you are setting. While goals should be a stretch for you, they should also be something that you can achieve. For example, going to the moon has been done and is an achieveable goal. However, unless you’re an astronaut, it’s probably not something you’re going to achieve.

R = Realistic. The goal must also be realistic. You may have a goal to someday be the president of the company where you are employed. If you are currently working in the mailroom, the chances of you becoming the president this year are probably pretty slim. That’s not to say that it won’t ever happen, but consider what a more realistic step up would be from where you are now.

T = Timely. Your goals need to contain a time frame for accomplishing them. As in the example above of “I will increase my clients by 5 per month for the first 3 months of 2011,” gives a specific time frame.

Following this S.M.A.R.T. formula makes setting goals an easy task all year long.

Posted in Goal Setting | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How Can a VA Assist Your Business?

Posted on October 11, 2010 by

The most frequently asked question I get as a Virtual Assistant is, “How can you help me in my business?” I’m not sure that everyone knows what a virtual assistant is yet. Basically, it’s a person who helps other businesses with administrative work and the VA does it from his/her location, as a contract person. With that said, there can be a number of additions to this definition. For one, sometimes a Virtual Assistant does more of what an Executive Assistant would do in a corporate setting. I know of a VA who periodically goes into one of her client’s offices to do some work there. A VA may also specialize in a certain area, such as marketing, web design or bookkeeping.

If you’re bogged down with administrative jobs that you’d like to delegate to a VA, here are some suggestions on what to let go of:

Client Follow Up
Do you have a list of client’s from whom you are waiting on more information so that you can complete a service for them? Delegate this to a VA. They can call your client and follow up on any outstanding information. Do you need to schedule an appointment with a client? Have your VA call them to scheule that. Let your VA take care of any phone calls that don’t require your expertise.

Social Media
If you haven’t heard yet, a business needs a social media presence.  Many VAs can help in this area. This can be a huge time-sucker if you’re trying to do it all youreself, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Whether it’s getting your blogs scheduled to post at certain times, or posting to Twitter and Facebook, these are all tasks that can be delegated to a VA.

I’ll address a few more tasks that a VA can help with in my next post. If you’ve used a VA in the past, what did you delegate to them?

Posted in Delegating, General | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lifelong Learning

Posted on October 6, 2010 by

I believe learning is something to be pursued your entire life.  To me, learning is a part of growing and it’s important to me and my business to continually grow and learn. I enjoy learning new things, growing personally and learning how to make my business better.

One of my favorite teachers in both personal and business growth is T. Harv Eker. He is an author, speaker, trainer and millionaire entrepreneur. He wrote the bestselling book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. This book, as the jacket states, focuses on “mastering the inner game of wealth.” It’s a fantastic book and I encourage anyone who hasn’t yet read it to do so. It truly is an opener for many people on why they aren’t manifesting the abundance in their life that they deserve.

Besides being a great writer, Harv is a fantastic speaker and trainer. There is nothing in the world like a Peak Potentials seminar. The energy of the event is electrical and the content is phenomenal. The only thing better is one of the camps that they offer in the summer.

This fall, Peak Potentials is again putting on 3 day program called The Millionaire Mind Intensive. These are held all over the United States and Canada. If you haven’t been to a Peaks event and can commit to three full days, then I encourage you to sign up and attend. It will give you a taste of what they have to offer and possibly be the start of a wonderful journey for you and your business.

Posted in General, Inner Game of Success | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Great Team – The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit

Posted on September 8, 2010 by

“If you do not have an Assistant, you are one.”  – Ralph Case

Every successful entrepreneur that comes to mind stresses the importance of building a team to help you run your business.  Many business owner’s try to do everything themselves, but there are only so many hours in a day and if you truly want to grow your business, you need to get help.

Possible Partners

In her book, “The Millionaire Maker’s Guide to Creating a Cash Machine For Life,” Loral Langemeier suggests your first team member should be a mentor and then get help at home.  How much time would you be able to work on your business if you didn’t have to clean your house, mow the lawn, shop for groceries, etc.?  Hiring help at home also allows you to learn how to manage others- another useful business skill.  Other team members to add are an accountant, an attorney, an assistant, a scheduler, a bookkeeper, a marketer and a web designer.

Jack Canfield states in his book, “The Success Principles,” that you should list all the activities that occupy your time, no matter how small the task.  Then choose from this list, two or three things you are great at and that generate the most income for you or your company.  Focus most of your time and energy on those and delegate the rest. 

The Benefits

When you delegate the tasks you don’t like doing, or perhaps aren’t even good at  doing, you’ll be able to do more and more of what you love to do.  Your procrastination will go away because you won’t have to do things you don’t enjoy, you’ll have more free time and more energy.  The tasks others are doing for you will get done better, faster and easier by people who enjoy doing those things and your income will go up because you will be focusing your time and attention on those things that make money.

 

Posted in Delegating, General | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How A VA (Virtual Assistant) Can Help Your Business

Posted on August 12, 2010 by

In today’s world businesses can often benefit from outsourcing some of their objectives. Completing these objectives on their own would in some cases be time consuming and/or unnecessary. Therefore, it is important to hire someone that can perform the task. In doing so, you save yourselves time, stress, and usually money. This is the logic that leads many companies to hire virtual assistants or VAs. There is a lot of hype about VAs, and for good reason. These VAs can actually help your business.

Pass On Your Admin Work
One of the top uses for a VA is admin work. Typical businesses engage in a lot of admin work. Unfortunately this is usually what it requires to keep a business running. And admin work is sometimes the work that is time-consuming and exhausting. Outsourcing this work to a VA can help you keep your energy level in tact while at the same time ensuring that the work still gets done. Because the truth is, those spreadsheets are still important.

Small Tasks
Another thing that many VAs help businesses with is the small tasks. It is common for businesses to have small tasks to do that are left unfinished because the larger ones take priority. However, after time, it is important to make sure to complete these small tasks. Therefore, a VA is the perfect person to handle these tasks. You do not have to worry about whether or not it will be good enough because most of these tasks are simple. Instead, you will concentrate on whether or not they are getting done.

Saves Money
Lastly, a VA can save your business money. Outsourcing work to VA is usually a lot cheaper than hiring an employee.

Posted in Delegating, General | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Growing Your Small Business

Posted on August 3, 2010 by

Ask any entrepreneur today – they will tell you that growing a business is not an easy endeavor. However, in order for your business to succeed, growth is essential. And while you may not be striving to become the next Coca-Cola, all small businesses need to grow in order to survive today’s harsh economic climate. In order to successfully grow a business, owners need the proper planning, strategies, investments, and ideas for the future.

Existing Market
When focusing on growth, many business owners have a tendency to think outside of their existing market. However, their existing customers are the best place to start for growth. These customers have the best potential to increase sales. And it is easier and more cost effective to focus your attention on them.

Ask For Referrals
When you are servicing your current customers, consider asking for referrals. Everyone knows that the best business is generated through a referral. Therefore, service your customers so that they will want to tell their friends about your company. In time, you will reap the rewards of your efforts.

Innovate
Next, stay ahead of the trends. Those that are innovative get noticed. The more innovate your product or service is the better. In doing so, you will have an edge on the competition. This means you may need to get a little bit creative.

Cost Effective
In addition to the marketing efforts you make, focus on the bottom line. How much does everything cost? If it costs more than you are making, then it does not make sense to continue. It is probably time to regroup and figure out a better option. The best business initiatives are cost effective and they will allow you to serve your customers and make a profit at the same time. Therefore, do the math before you decide what you are going to charge someone to make sure that it is going to benefit you.

Posted in Delegating, General, Marketing | Leave a comment

Top 5 Reasons To Hire A Virtual Assistant

Posted on July 31, 2010 by

Are you strategizing for your business? If you are, then you might want to consider hiring a virtual assistant to help your company succeed. Many people are skeptical of virtual assistants but hiring a virtual assistant to help your company makes sense for several reasons. Here are five.

1. Available When Needed
One of the reasons people often like working with virtual assistants is because they are flexible. Usually they can count on these individuals to be available, virtually, when needed. In today’s fast paced, hectic business environment, it is often nice to have someone that can work with your schedule.

2. Cost Effective
Another reason that virtual assistants make sense is because they are cost effective. You only pay them for the hours that you need them. Therefore, you do not waste money paying an employee. However, at the same time, you can still deduct the money you pay them from your taxes.

3. Contracted Workers
Furthermore, these individuals are contracted workers. This means that they pay for all the typical expense that a normal employee would pay for. They pay for their taxes, their supplies, their insurance, and even their office space. Because of this, it not only cuts costs for the company, but it also eliminates risk.

4. Specialized Help
In addition, often these individuals can offer specialized help and attention in certain areas. Therefore, you can hire them to complete certain tasks. They will invest their time in energy doing something they are highly skilled at. Most likely, this task will be something that is not your first priority so it is in your best interest to let them do it.

5. Little Training Involved
Lastly, there is little training involved with virtual assistants. Usually you can assign them a project with a description and let them work on their own.

Posted in Delegating, General | Tagged , | Leave a comment