It's been another
12 hour day of planning weddings. Your other half is upset
that you
missed dinner - again. Your kids can't remember
what you look like. You're exhausted
and after the
umpteenth time of your friends telling you to hire some help,
you are finally ready.
But now what? How do you even begin trying to figure out
what someone should do? Don't
worry, it's not as hard as
you think. Below are 4 steps with specific actions to take to
ensure
you find the right person and get the most bang for
your buck.
#1 Create a job description:
The biggest mistake I see over and over again is
business
owners simply hiring someone and throwing them at
the problem without any rhyme or
reason. If you are not
clear about what you want this person to do for you, how are
they
supposed to know? Your great new assistant anxiously
wants to help out, but can't because
you have no clue what
to ask them to do. With a little planning, you can be prepared
to
answer the magic question, "what should I do now?"
Your actions: Start by creating your own
job description. Make a list of everything you
are
currently handling. Things like writing proposals,
making phone calls, sending out invoices.
Once you have
your list, put an "x" next to the things you want to keep. The
rest are all
potential items to add to your assistant's job
description.
#2 Show me the skills: Now that you have
this great list of tasks and responsibilities,
break it
down into the skills needed to perform those tasks. For
example, if you need
someone who will be making lots of
phone calls, you will be looking for someone with a
good
phone voice. Maybe someone who has telemarketing
experience.
Your actions: Define what skill sets you
are looking for, not just skills such as typing
and
budgeting, but ways of thinking, and personality traits
such as honesty, integrity and being
a self-starter. Write
a list of open ended interview questions that will help
identify those skills.
This will help you to see if the
person has the skills and traits you are looking for.
#3 Write the perfect
ad: Turn your wants and needs into an ad. You are
more likely to get
the kind of candidates you want if you
specify what you are really looking for.
An ad that reads, "Admin Assistant" is liable to get a
range of results from someone looking to work full
time for
$50K per year to someone looking for $8 an hour part-time gig.
If you are looking for someone to work 5 hours a week for $10
an hour, make sure you state that.
If you don't specify these details, I guarantee that the
perfect candidate will be in your pile. But, she will want a
whole lot more time and money than you can afford.
Your actions: Create a clear ad that
includes what the job is, how many hours, the
approximate
pay, where the position is and what you are looking for. Place
the ad on low
costs sites such as
www.craigslist.com. Or
try some local charity and religious
organizations. Many
have job placement programs. Call to see if they offer free
listings.
#4 Create an atmosphere of
success: Now you've got the right person. Set them up
for success. Create the behind the scenes processes you want
them to follow so that you know they are completing things the
way you want it done. And remember, document, document,
document, (did I say document?) what they are doing.
You never know when an emergency is going to come up.
Save yourself time, energy and frustration by capturing all
that they do so that it is easily passed on to a replacement.
You will have turn over - count on it. But it won't be a big
deal if you set yourself up for success by having documented
processes and systems. This results in not having to recreate
the wheel every time you bring a new person in.
Your actions: Create systemized,
documented processes and procedures that can be followed and
passed on should your new person not fit the bill or choose to
leave.
Before you actually start paying someone, check with your
attorney or accountant to make
sure you are paying the
person correctly. There are specific regulations regarding
the
difference between independent contractors and
employees. You don't want to end up with
a bunch of
fines.
If you need more
help on how to create your marketing message, or any other
business management or mindset strategies for starting your
planning company, maybe I can help. The Before
the Bride system may be the answer for
you. I now offer private consulting services to
help you get set up so that you're ready when that first bride
calls. Let's talk for 15 minutes and figure out together where
the gaps are in your business.
Visit the
Services page at AspiretoPlan.com for options on how to setup
your session today! While you're there, get my f'ree
report, "Seven Critical Mistakes
Aspiring Planners Make BEFORE They Book Their First
Bride". You DO want to be ready BEFORE
that first bride calls, don't
you? 
Wedding season in Phoenix will
be here in about six weeks and final plans and timeline
meetings are taking over my calendar. It's so much
fun to finally see all the prettiness I've
helped my brides create start to come to
life. I hear purple (one of my faves) is one of
the hottest colors this year!
Wendy is the founder of Sacred Moment
Weddings, a planning business that concentrates on giving her
clients delightful food choices, music that delights and moves
a crowd and wedding décor with a dazzling and inviting
atmosphere. These are the three foundational elements
she uses for planning her clients wedding day.