by Allen F. Hainge
If you're good at what you do, you'll soon reach a productivity ceiling:
you've got so much business that the "little stuff" keeps you from
generating more business.
You need a Personal Assistant if your company
(YOU, Inc.) is to grow. If you're thinking of getting one, or if you
currently have one, here are a few tips on working with a P.A.
- Make sure your assistant has today's skills: working with Windows,
ability to use a database, familiarity with e-mail (attachments,
personalized mass mailings, sending a monthly e-mail newsletter, etc.),
ability to create print and multimedia presentations, maintaining your
real estate database, etc.
- Let your P.A. learn any new software. He or she can then give you a
few quick lessons on it, thus saving you an enormous amount of
time...and taking the fear factor out of it for you!
- Your P.A. should handle all tech support calls. C.E.O.'s (that's
you!) don't spend their time on hold!
- Get a separate ISP e-mail account for your P.A. If you have a domain
name, you can have all e-mail sent to your publicized e-mail address
(YourName@ISellTheWorld.com) delivered to his or her account; you give
your personal address to only a select few. The P.A.'s job is to take
care of 80-90 percent of all e-mail, sending the rest on to you at your account.
- Your P.A. should implement a system for following up on all e-mail
leads. Every Web site lead you don't effectively followup on now equals
lost commissions.
If you currently have a P.A. who does not possess these skills, you are
losing money! Set up a 30 day "rehiring process" for him or her....now!
Remember: it's your business. Being "too nice" (i.e., not wanting to
hurt a P.A.'s feelings by telling him or her that new skills are
needed), is hurting your business!
Published: July 25, 2002
Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.
