Get Some Help

I have had at least three different conversations in the past month (2 with Realtors and one with a financial planner) who were all explaining to me their desire is to take their business to that "next level." In each case, the individual feels bogged down by the minutia of the daily routine of paperwork, emails, and general support type activities.

I asked each of them a simple question, “Have you considered hiring an assistant?” All said “yes”, but none had put a plan together to make that happen. Everyone’s concern is what happens if business slows down and then paying for the assistant becomes overbearing? That thought process seems to me to be short-sighted and goes against the whole thought process of taking business to the next level.

While visiting with several folks and listening to different presentations this week at the GNAR annual convention, it became very clear to me. If you want to be exceptional in our business, and I believe it really applies to any sales job, you have to have great help. As a salesperson, I have one overriding responsibility – bring in new clients. It should therefore be my primary focus to spend my time and attention on activities that will do just that. The more time I spend following up on paperwork and dealing with the minutia of any process, the less time I have to build relationships with clients. The best way I know of to stay focused on those activities that are profitable is to have someone or a team of people helping me deal with the grind that takes place behind the scenes.

Fortunately for me, I have someone that helps me handle the “process stuff” that I don’t have time to handle. It doesn’t mean for me, nor does it have to for you, that you lose touch with your clients. It is just a situation where you can devote your time doing the things that create new business and not spending time processing current business. When I hired my first assistant years ago, it was only a part-time job for him. So there are ways to begin the process of hiring someone to help without diving in headfirst (but diving can work too). If you want to go to that next level, getting some help is the best first step.