Are You Losing Sight of The Horizon?

Entrepreneurs often lose focus on winning over new prospects due to the overwhelming day to day tasks of managing their current flow of business. When I start a new relationship with a business owner, I often discover that the individual has difficulty delegating work.

“I’m new to working virtually,” they tell me. “I’m not certain what method to use to hand over my agenda, emails, and accounting. I’ve been doing it so long on my own that I don’t know where to begin instructing you”.
They’ve been so busy working in their business that they’ve lost touch with quarterly growth cycles and marketing strategies. Now, that they realize they need to relinquish some of the responsibilities onto a manager they’re grasping for ideas on how to re-organize.

The good news is that I do know how to bring them back in-line with their vision and it starts by asking, “Why have you been doing it all yourself?”

To be honest, I too have been there! I started off freelancing and thought it was great setting my own schedule. It wasn’t long before I started building a client base and deadlines had to be met more often. I lost sight of my goals – to work when, where, and how I wanted so I could have more free time to enjoy my life – and found myself overwhelmed.

Lessoned learned, I am now prepared to aid my clients better because I understand what they are facing when they’re thinking about contracting a professional assistant.

Insecurities

“How can I make sure that a virtual assistant won’t steal my ideas?”

I cannot speak for others, but in my practice, I make it a point to sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and other contracts that ensure my client is confident handing over sensitive material. There are no guarantees, but there are steps we can both take as business owners to protect ourselves providing you’re doing business with someone who resides in the United States.

“I have a very solid clientele base and if they catch wind that I am outsourcing work I could tarnish my reputation”.

Working for you means that I represent you in every aspect of business. I am not Diane Hess the owner of Hess Business Professionals & Associates; I am Diane Hess XYZ’s project manager or assistant or marketing specialist. I take your business seriously.

The Solution

The solution is releasing all administrative or management responsibilities to someone who provides quality secretarial services in business management and development. This simply means it is time for today’s entrepreneur and small business owner to look at non-traditional methods to saving time and money so they can actively pursue more business.

I enjoy helping others find what they need. I haven’t turned down too many new prospects in my career, but I have redirected a few to other sources when I realized their expectations and demands superseded my capabilities. Not that I can’t do it all, but today I know within the first five minutes of a conversation if I am the right fit for a potential client. If I don’t feel confident moving forward in the relationship, I ensure the prospect I have their best interest in mind and lead them to someone who would be the right fit.