So I’m a Control Freak
Yep, that?s right, I admit it ? I?m a control freak. I wonder if there?s a 12-step program for that. I wanted to bring this issue up as a benefit to all of those poor people out there (virtual assistants especially) who work for people like me. And for the benefit of all of my partners in making the misery ? my fellow control freaks.
Being a control freak isn?t as bad as it sounds. You just have to realize where your limits are and of course, it?s best if you can admit it so that you can begin to deal with it. And if you?re working with or for a control freak, you just need to know how to deal with us. Really, it is possible to overcome some of your control-freakishness and it is possible to work with us.
I?m going to wager that most control freaks are A-type personalities (or if you prefer to talk in terms of D.I.S.C. profiles – high Ds). That?s not all bad. It means we?re the ones who put ourselves out there on a daily basis, are driven, and make the world go ?round. We?re also very task oriented (e.g. get it done!). We?re usually very successful and we don?t give up until we?ve got what we want and then some.
So how did I get over my freakish side? Well, I didn?t and I don?t know if you ever really can ? it?s part of who you are. What I have done though is learn how to tame it so others can live with/around me. So how do I handle my freakish side? For one, I like lists. I make lists like you wouldn?t believe. Here a list, there a list, everywhere a list list. In fact, I?d be happy make a list for you now.
Tips to overcoming a little of the control freak in you:
1# It always makes me feel better, when giving instructions to someone, to write it all down. Every last detail of how I want whatever it is done. Then I feel that nothing is or will be missed.
2# Make your instructions clear and to the point. This should give you piece of mind that whomever you are delegating tasks to understands what you want done and how you want it done.
3# Take it one step further and have your virtual assistant repeat back those instructions. This is your assurance that s/he understands what you?re after and will help you trust him/her more.
4# Learn to trust. Okay, maybe not the first time you delegate a task to someone new. But certainly, after that person has successfully completed the tasks you delegated, and completed them to your wishes, you really CAN begin to let go and trust that they?ll do it ?correctly? each and every time.
5# Write it down. Write it ALL down! I?ve found that writing everything down helps me feel more like I?m in control so that freakish side doesn?t need to bare itself to the world quite so much. Take notes on your phone conversations, list out what you need to accomplish, write your instructions out, and so on.
6# Learn to let go. Really. Other people CAN do things as well as you can and sometimes even better ? even if they?re not an A-type, High-D, control freak!
7# Find a complimentary assistant. Find someone who is good at and enjoys the things you hate.
Working with a control freak:
1# Realize that we can?t help it.
2# Realize that we do our best to overcome.
3# Ask us for a list of what we need to have done.
4# Ask us HOW we?d like things done.
5# Write it down for us. If we give you a whole bunch of random stuff that needs to be done, write it down and email that list back to us. This way we can look it over, change our minds, add, and subtract and send it back to you.
6# Ask us questions about what we want and how we want it before we flit off on another subject. Keep asking until you have enough information from us to understand what we want.
7# Do what you say you are going to do. Nothing makes us run away faster than not doing what you say you are going to do.
8# We have to be able to trust you. You need to be honest EVERY time ? even if it means telling us what you think we don?t want to hear.
These tips should help you, the control freak, overcome that freakish side and for those of you working with us, maybe this will make it easier. We control freaks really aren?t as scary as it may seem.
| Team Double-Click?provides professional virtual office assistants and professional real estate virtual assistants for small and home-based businesses. We are a virtual staffing agency, working with thousands of the best professional virtual office assistants the world has to offer. Team Double-Click? offers its clients cost-effective solutions to inflexible bricks-and-mortar staffing by staffing virtually. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner: |
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Key #2 – Delegate!
For many clients, getting started with a virtual assistant can be difficult. Many of my clients are solopreneurs and small business owners who are used to doing everything themselves. They tend to want to maintain doing things for typically one of two reasons: either they have fears that someone else isn?t capable of doing what they do as well as they can, or they fear that the time it would take to teach someone else how to do it would take more time then them doing it themselves. Let me ask you this. Now that you have a virtual assistant, doesn?t this defeat the purpose? How can anyone expect to grow a business if they hang on to those time draining administrative tasks?
Let?s address the first hurdle of delegation. Can someone else do what I do as well as I can do it? The answer is yes. And the reason I say yes is because what we are talking about is not contract negotiations or other business building activities, but rather administrative support. Hiring a virtual assistant is all about giving you more time so you can focus on your area(s) of expertise; building your business. A virtual assistant isn?t there to take over the operation of your company. She is there to offer you an extra set of eyes, ears and hands so that you can gain more valuable time for either business or family matters.
The first step in moving forward and getting started with delegating is to start making a list of everything you do in your business. Have a notebook or mini-recorder and take notes of everything you do for a full week.
At the end of the week separate the tasks into two categories;
#1 ? those tasks that must absolutely be done by you and
#2 ? those tasks that someone else can do for you.
This seems simple and it actually is. Once you have your list sorted, take a look at the list of tasks that someone else can do for you and prioritize that list either by your sense of urgency or that which will free up the most of your time quickly. What is it that is going to help you the most? What will give you the most immediate benefit? Once you determine your starting point, call your virtual assistant and get started. Talk to your virtual assistant about your list. Discuss the individual tasks and also the big picture of how you see things down the road. Give her something to work on first. Please be careful not to give her the entire list of tasks to do all at once, as that may totally overwhelm her. Start off slow by giving her one or two tasks to work on. Once she completes those tasks, add something else. Before you know it, you?ll wonder what you ever did without her!
So, what if you are struggling with the thought of training an assistant? While initially it can take a great more time to train someone else, think of the big picture. Yes, it most likely will take more time than doing it yourself. Spend the time up front and train your virtual assistant to do it just like you do, then let her do it next time by herself! Once you experience the freedom of having someone else doing that task, it will be much easier next time. You won?t need to worry about how much training time is necessary. You?ll have real confirmation that this is of great value to you.
Speaking of training, I can?t stress enough the importance of documentation. As you start to train with your assistant, make sure that she documents the step-by-step instructions for each and every procedure. Have her email you each set of instructions. This gives you the chance to check for accuracy, ensuring all of the steps are included and in the proper order. Have your assistant compile each procedure into a single document, using a table of contents or index, essentially building you a training manual. This is such a great tool, that I can?t emphasize enough the value you will get down the road. In the future when your virtual assistant needs to take time off or is ill, someone else can fill in for her and everything is that much easier for both of you.
If you have any further questions about how to delegate to your virtual assistant, please give me a call. I?m happy to go over the steps or discuss any other aspect of working with a virtual assistant with you.
| Team Double-click?The original and still the best:? Team Double-Click?s thorough virtual assistant screening process, outstanding customer service, and innovative approach to virtual staffing has earned the company mentions and features in such esteemed media as Entrepreneur Magazine, Staff Digest, CNN Money, NBC News, and even Woman?s Day magazine.? Team Double-Click? is truly setting the standard for the virtual assistant industry.. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner: |
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Key #1: Communication
If there is one thing I can never stress enough to both my clients and my virtual assistants, is that the key to the success of their working relationship is communication. Communication is so vital to the success of the relationship that I rank it number one on my list. Every once in a while I will hear from a client that they are frustrated or that things just aren?t working out as they had hoped. When I start to talk to them and really dive into their situation it always boils down to one thing: communication ? or more accurately, the lack of communication.
This morning I received an email from a client who was frustrated and wanted to cancel his account. Why? He says that he lost his faith in having new virtual assistant . He no longer sees the value. ?And why is that,? I asked? In this particular case, the VA did nothing wrong. The client was frustrated that his previous VA had been unable to continue working with him due to her personal and family issues and Mr. Client simply didn’t want to make the change. He dug in his heels and never gave his new virtual assistant a chance.
Unfortunately, even though we have dozens of retention measures in place with our VAs sometimes they still do leave us. In fact, we recently polled our former VAs to see what they were doing. Most of those that have left us didn?t leave because they went to another staffing agency. About 75% simply decided they didn?t want to be or were unable to be a VA any longer. Things change in people?s lives that are beyond our control or even their control such as weddings, children, aging parents, and illness and so on. Just as these things happen in the bricks-and-mortar world, they happen in the virtual world as well. When that happens we all have to move on. We locate another VA for you and you can go about incorporating her into your business. It?s really nothing personal ? VAs don?t leave, generally, because they don?t like you or Team Double-Click? so don?t take it personally.
Did you know that we do more than simply match you up with a virtual assistant? We are here to guide you through the process of getting started with a virtual assistant. We are also here after you get started and just want to ask a question or brainstorm a new project. We won?t leave you in the dark and abandoned. We help with the transition, coaching, training or whatever else might come up. Around here, customer service isn?t just lip service; when we say we want happy clients, we mean it! This is something I go over in extreme detail when I talk with new clients. So what happened for this particular client? Who knows. Some habits are hard to break and sometimes in the excitement of starting something new, we forget some of the other great information we learned once upon a time. Just know that we are here for you today and tomorrow and even next year.
If you are feeling frustrated or unsure how to use your virtual assistant, please tell us. You hired us to make your life easier so that you can have more time to focus on other areas of your business or your life. We are serious about providing our clients and our virtual assistants with all of the support we can possibly offer. Hold us to our word and call me today! I look forward to talking to you.
| Team Double-Click?We don’t just tell you where you can find a virtual assistant. We assess your needs and match you with one of our highly-skilled and Team Double-Click? trained virtual assistants. Then we monitor and nurture that relationship so you get the most out of hiring virtually. Think of us as your virtual Human Resources department!. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner: |
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What Happened to Etiquette?
By Angel Farrington and Gayle Buske
We?ve had a long running debate amongst our core staff about general worker etiquette. The ongoing topic is that some of the lack of etiquette we see on a daily basis is due to the Information Age itself. We?re so plugged in and turned on but somehow simple business etiquette is lost. Other core staff members make the point that right is still right and wrong is still wrong ? the generations and the Information Age just don?t matter.
Both points are right to some degree but maybe it?s time to go over what the rest of the world views as good etiquette and compare it to the emerging etiquette lapses of late. Things have changed, we totally agree. And for the most part, we like the changes. After all, were it not for the internet and all of the changes it brought, we would not happily work for the greatest virtual staffing agency in the world.
There have been several articles printed lately about ?the new workplace etiquette?. We?d like to explore some of the things many people find disturbing and see if we can?t meet in the middle. How about it? Shall we compromise and work together as a team?
Time Off
One item says you shouldn?t ask for time off ? you should just take it. As independent contractors, virtual assistants do have the right to take off whenever they want and shouldn?t have to answer to anyone. There?s asking as if you were a child asking permission of a parent to stay up late, ?Mr. Client can I take a vacation day??, which we agree, you shouldn?t have to do. But as business owners, we need to take the need of our clients into account and think about the inconveniences we might be causing them. Our job as successful virtual assistants is to take a personal stock in the success of our client?s company. If we don?t care about inconveniencing them, they are going to go to someone who will.
Why not try, ?Mr. Client, I plan on taking next Friday off to spend with my best friend. Will that cause you any inconvenience? If so, is there anything I can do prior to or after my day off to help you get through?? This way you are being considerate of your clients needs by informing them ahead of time. You are problem solving so that they are inconvenienced as little as possible, and your client feels like you care and is still considered the best business etiquette. The client is not going to say ?no, you can?t go?. They?re going to work with you because you worked with them. And it won?t leave a sour taste in their mouth over you. Try this approach next time and see if that client maintains a much better respect for you for it.
Meaningful Work
Okay, we can agree on this one. We don?t want to do anything that we don?t like either, and it can be challenging. As a virtual staffing agency, our company works hard to make good matches and find work that our independent contractors will enjoy, find meaningful, and want to stick with. We also fully describe each position to the best of our ability to give our virtual assistants the chance to turn the work down (before starting it) if it doesn?t appeal. BUT, if someone agrees to do something, good business etiquette dictates that you follow through and complete the task.
It?s still wrong to promise to do something, decide later that you don?t like it, and simply stop doing it. This is where opponents argue that wrong is still wrong. They?re totally right on this one. How would you like it if we said we would cook dinner for you, decide we didn?t want to do that anymore, and simply didn?t do it? You?d be expecting a nice meal, be ready to relax, and find out there is no food. You?d be upset. Think twice before doing the same to someone else ? either business or personal.
Feel Good
We?ve all heard someone say ?This work just doesn?t make me feel good?. That someone is probably right. Their not going to get warm fuzzy feelings from a hard days work all of the time. We?re not surprised. Especially working from home, sometimes we have unrealistic expectations of what our day is really going to be like. If you researched the internet before applying to work at home I?m sure that you found a lot of information describing working from home as relaxing and painting the picture of you, sitting in your favorite chair, chatting on the phone on occasion and watching TV.
Maybe you just found out that working from home is just as much work as working in corporate America and you?re a little disillusioned. Sorry. It?s a tough wake up call. Maybe you wanted to work in theory, but expected it to be easier than a ?real? office?
Try taking a step back on this one. Although we can definitely agree that our work doesn?t always cause those warm feelings, and it may not be as easy as you anticipated, you are providing a service that makes it possible for your clients to be able to run their own businesses, get clients, keep clients, and make money. That should produce a great feeling. You are making it possible for people to live their dreams while you live out yours. If that isn?t enough, even though it isn?t easy, you are making it possible for your family to earn money, raise children, and still be home. You are also not in a suit and tie every day trying to climb the corporate ladder, shipping your children off to daycare, and seeing them at bedtime. A friend of Angel?s says that ?If it feels like work, you are probably doing it right.?
Do you suppose your mom thought it fun to change the sheets on your bed? Wash your stinky gym socks? Run you around to every event you could find to participate in? Guaranteed she didn?t. But it?s all stuff that needed to be done.
Yes, work does need to be overall enjoyable; but there will always be aspects of any job that aren?t fun. Work is about making money, being responsible, and putting food on the table. Fun is what comes after work. Work makes fun possible not the other way around.
I was speaking recently with a woman we met while swimming at the pool. She is a housekeeper for a local hotel and mentioned that recently a group of motocross riders had been staying there. I commented that the extra dirt must have been awful. Her comment, ?It?s been really busy and yes, a lot more dirt, but at least its work and I?m making money.? Amen sister! She?s earning a living without asking for handouts.
A Little Notice Please?
Bear with us here, we?re old school. In the old days (back when we milked the dinosaurs before we walked up hill both directions to and from school) business etiquette said giving two weeks notice when leaving a position was the absolute minimum. Somehow we?ve gone from two weeks to zero minutes in nothing flat. Come on, this really puts clients in a bind. As we try to work with you and your unique needs, we give you most of the concessions you ask for: flexibility, more pay, more likeable jobs, and so on.
Give us a chance to get our feet under us and find someone qualified to take over where you left off before you take off on to a new venture? Thanks! We really appreciate when you do that.
But I Can?t Do It
Yes, you can. Don?t give up so easy. Read the help file, search online, and find a resource that shows you how to do what you need to do. You have the resources and the ability. We know you do. If you try to find out how to do it and can?t, ask for help. Email a mentor. Call a core team member. Call the software?s help desk. We don?t bite, we promise.
LOL BRB I?m OTP
We know it is easier to abbreviate everything and forget grammar, punctuation, and everything else you learned in English class. When communicating with a client, assume they won?t understand what you are saying unless you spell it out. You?ll save yourself time, frustration, and having to redo your work if you spell it out the first time. You?ve been typing since before you could write.
Understanding
There are several things about our new Information World that we can empathize with, understand, and totally agree with.
- Face Time. We hear you: We don?t do face time either. We?re certainly not going to show up just so you can see our smiling faces unless there?s something in it for us. We realize you don?t have to be face-to-face to get work done and get things accomplished. At Team Double-Click? we?re working hard to get our clients to realize you?re not going to play that game. You?re going to get your work done and move on.
- The Speed of the Internet. We?re with you. We want our information and we want it now. We don?t want to wait for it. When we?ve made up our minds on something, it?s time to act on it ? not wait for the ink to dry. Recently, someone actually told us that ?they couldn?t move at the speed of the internet?. Our first thought was, ?what? Are you kidding? Get moving!?
- Problem Solving. Generation Y has the technological ability to solve problems in ways we haven?t thought of before. We missed the computer programming class in high school and the typewriters were the kind that didn?t even use electricity. We were learning to walk up hill both ways to school and carrying water for baths. We know that you can fix problems in ways that we haven?t thought of and we appreciate it when you make suggestions.
- Thank you, you?ve been working hard and we appreciate it. It always feels great to be noticed, acknowledged and appreciated. We like it too. You aren?t alone on that one by a long shot.
- If my way takes an hour, why waste three days? Yes. Sometimes there are faster ways to do old stuff. It drives us nuts when someone asks us to type each email address individually when there is software on my computer that will get those same addresses in 5 minutes, and format them to look pretty. We love it! Be patient with your clients who have to be reminded how to send an email. You may have to explain how your way is faster if you want to do it that way, and it may take a couple tries.
- We want to be friends. It?s great when you can work with someone that you have a friendship. It can be nice to chat about your day and network. We like it too. Just remember, not all clients are going to be your friend. We don?t want you to get your feelings hurt by expecting it.
Thank you!
We know that you work hard for clients and we appreciate it. We know you are one of the best out there, that?s why you are here. Not everyone is guilty of forgetting etiquette rules, and we know we are guilty of breaking etiquette rules on occasion too. In fact, we?ve been guilty ourselves on occasion, LOL. But, work with us, we will keep doing our very best to find the right clients, give you the hours you want, in the jobs you want. You take note if there is an area you can work on and try to do better. After all, that?s what good teams do.
| Team Double-Click?The original and still the best:? Team Double-Click?s thorough virtual assistant screening process, outstanding customer service, and innovative approach to virtual staffing has earned the company mentions and features in such esteemed media as Entrepreneur Magazine, Staff Digest, CNN Money, NBC News, and even Woman?s Day magazine.? Team Double-Click? is truly setting the standard for the virtual assistant industry.. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner: |
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