LEADERSHIP
Jumpstart Your Team
By Katrina Sawa
3 simple steps to start your delegation process I hope by choosing to read this you are considering what it would be like to delegate more and start building a team. I have been delegating to assistants of many kinds since 2003 and wouldn’t be where I am today without my team. It probably is one of the most important things that helps me run my business and earn a multiple six figure income. But it was not as easy as it is now to find someone, or know what to delegate or “how.” I made a ton of mistakes, including: › Not asking for referrals › Not checking references or past clients, and the work they had done › Hiring people for what they “say” they can and will do › Not having a clear checklist of what needs to get done › Not having a clear plan on “how to interview or hire someone” (I had no clue, they don’t teach this stuff in business school, college, or anywhere.) › Not having good documentation to onboard people or letting them go › Not knowing all the legalities of hiring an independent contractor versus an employee (I’ve done it both ways—with payroll too, what a pain) Don’t do what I did and try to figure it all out on your own. Trust me, it is painful and can be costly if you do the wrong things. I like to walk my clients through how to hire, delegate, train and manage their team members, even if they just want to hire one assistant for a few hours a month. There is a lot to know, understand and implement to make it legal for both of you and an effective use of your resources. I’d like to share the basic stuff—things you implement if you’d like. I would recommend at least having one conversation with me (or someone who is really knowledgeable to make sure you are crossing your “T’s” and dotting your “I’s.” It will save you a lot of trouble in the backend. You don’t want to hire the wrong person and waste money paying them. That’s what I see happens often. After that, you hire them and never delegate
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Lead Up for Women
because you don’t have a delegation list or plan. And, more than likely, they are not good at helping you find what needs to be delegated or know what to take off your plate. So, let’s get started. Build a “list” of things you want to delegate. Add the things you know you “should” delegated, as well as the things that are not getting done—areas like additional marketing, lead generation and sales type tasks, all of which are critical. Here’s the list I started with, most of which I am delegating now, or have systematized in some way online, using a specific technology.
Step 1: Put together One Huge List. Start with this and add/delete. Tasks to possibly delegate to a Virtual Assistant or some other contractor: › Respond to customer emails and phone calls as needed › Schedule business and personal interviews or appointments › Find places to get publicity in person or online or watch HARO for opportunities › Bookkeeping, i.e., tracking expenses and tax records, working with accountant › Internet research, etc. › Plan travel for seminars, workshops, personal › Book speaking gigs or research speaking opportunities › Content development, marketing and repurposing seek out places to post them or people to run them › Maintain customer mailing lists on an easy to use database › Manage the development of/and distribution of your ezine › Manage or communicate with your affiliates and update affiliate program › Handle registrations for webinars/ workshops and any facilitation of them, i.e., set up the technology, opt in pages, follow up emails or reminder emails, etc. › Manage shopping cart and merchant account as needed and create sales reports
› Create extra pages on website, or more products and autoresponders in cart › Handle recordings of webinars, edits, etc., and make them into courses, e-books, transcripts, etc. › Handle bounced emails, i.e., fix them, resend stuff, etc. › Troubleshoot computer issues and problems, and help organize email inbox or folders › Arrange shipping for customer orders and products › Place ads in publications and on websites › Format ebooks and print books, and organize printing › Get new cover designs done up for each new product, or new headers or online images designed as needed › Design PowerPoint presentations › Send out e-birthday greetings or actual cards to your list monthly › Purchase gifts and occasionally send clients thank you, welcome gifts, etc. › Write and mail “thank you” notes after attending networking functions › Data entry of all new contacts › Coordinate direct mail campaigns and mailings, facilitate through mail houses, etc. › Transcribe webinars and online courses/audios › Create Google Alerts for specific keywords and keyword phrases, and then set up processes to post comments › Proofread articles, press releases and website copy › Post blog posts on your blog, either with your content or repurposing transcriptions or guest content › Research media outlets that want your story ideas › Regularly read blogs of journalists who you want to get in front of › Submit your press releases to press release distribution services › Update your media contact lists to stay up to date
September-October 2021
