If you have not done so already, there will come a time in your career when you need to hire an assistant. This is an important step and you want to do it right.
Hiring an assistant allows you to concentrate on your primary areas of expertise that move your business forward such as prospecting, building relationships, and listing and selling property.
A difficult aspect of deciding to hire an assistant is knowing that you are personally adept at certain aspects of your business, such as writing emails or sending invoices. One thing to consider is whether you should actually be doing any aspect of your work that involves sitting at a computer. Your focus should center on the tasks you alone have the expertise to do – primarily face to face interactions with clients. This is what employing an assistant allows you to do.
Make sure you have sensible, understandable systems and processes in place. Checklists make a tremendous difference in the efficiency of your operations. For example, creating a checklist of 20 tasks to prepare for open for inspections can drastically improve your success rate for these events.
Don’t necessarily hire the first assistant who accepts your offer. Make certain you are hiring reliable people, and be willing to pay a little more for a candidate with demonstrated skills and reliability. Look for people who are actually better than you are at core tasks. Talented, accountable people make it possible for you to do the work you need to handle yourself.
Make sure you set the new assistant up well enough to perform the tasks you require them to do. They need a computer, an email address, and some specified training.
Some recommended reading suggested by professionals in the field includes:
– Cut to the Chase by Stuart R. Levine
– The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz
– Mastering The Rockefeller Habits by Vern Hannish
Consider requiring job applicants to read one or two of these books before you hire them. Then test them, not only on what they have read, but also on how well they fare in actual working conditions such as an open for inspection. Hire them for a day and see how you work together. Remember, you may well spend more time with your assistant than with your family. Make sure the relationship is a good one before you commit to it.
Also be prepared to lose assistants from time to time. It is a high-turnover position; most assistants do not intend to be with you for many years. Accept this reality and make sure you have built in scalability, and documentation that helps new assistants get up to speed quickly.
The fact is, you cannot build your business without hiring at least one assistant. Once you are making $30,000 per month in fees you have to think seriously about hiring someone to help you or you cannot grow. Don’t let fears or misgivings stand in your way – do your due diligence and hire the right person to help you.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Coaching Tip. I look forward to seeing you here again next week.