There will finally come a time when you’re ready and able to train an assistant – whether permanent or temporary, virtual or in your office – to complete general tasks so that you can concentrate on developing projects that make money.
To ensure that the transfer of information goes smoothly, it’s wise to begin documenting the methods you complete on a daily or weekly basis, such as administrative and marketing tasks that you’ll assign to the assistant.
The thought of this project can be a drag, but think again.
Would you rather keep doing the mundane work that doesn’t generate cash, or is it more effective to write down how to enter names into your database and other necessary jobs for someone else to finish?
The latter is the answer and definitely worth the effort.
I’ve decided to start this process and have documented three of my office procedures. One is administrative, one focuses on sales, and one centers on marketing.
None of these blueprints are final. I thought about every step, from beginning to end. Then I typed the process and printed the first draft.
The next time I perform each process will be when I review what I’ve typed so that edits are made and updates are documented.
You don’t realize how many steps are required for each process until you start thinking it. For example, a sale starts with retrieving a pre-made order sheet and ends with adding the client’s name to the database management system.
The lists are not fancy. I’m typing the step-by-step details in Word. Plain language on plain paper communicates your message exactly as needed for easy transfer from you to the helper.
Reviewing each procedure is not only beneficial to get it off your plate, it also helps you to streamline the process, seeing if any procedures can be streamlined.
Documentation will save your assistant time, and it will save you money, two motivators that make this project critically important.
Have you written down your procedures, or do you plan to continue exhausting yourself? Here’s the answer: It’s okay to be a solo marketer and have virtual or in-office help to move your business forward.
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