Why fly solo when an executive assistant can accelerate your CLNC® business?

Legal Nurse Consulting Ezine, Nov 11, 2009 by Dana Zera

Your CLNC[R] business has taken off. The attorney-client calls are steadily producing a handsome work flow.

The truth is that there is a price to pay for all this work. You can't keep flying solo. Think of your business as an airplane. You've been the pilot, co-pilot, flight attendant and mechanic. You've gotten your office running like a high-flying machine. Only sometimes machine parts break, or get rusty and need repair. You need an executive assistant to help you achieve your flight plan and guide the plane into smooth air.

There are two major parts to your "partnership" with your assistant. Think of the left wing as her role. And think of the right wing as her relationship with you. Without both wings, how can you keep the airplane in flight? You have to nurture both wings to accomplish your business goals. Let's take a look at how you can develop both areas, and apply these strategies to keep your thriving business in the air. Your final destination ... CLNC[R] Success!

Defining the Flight Plan

From the get-go, define the role. Orient your assistant to your business plan and daily operations so that she has a clear understanding of what you expect her to accomplish each day. The fact is, she'll wear many hats in your organization; especially in the beginning. She'll function not only as your administrative assistant, but as the accounting department, marketing department and customer service department to name a few. Let's start by focusing on the different "departments" of your business, and how to best use your executive assistant.

Administrative--Your assistant can:

Run the errands, do the Internet research and order the supplies. An assertive assistant will enjoy it all, from finding that preliminary information for you, to picking up the dry cleaning. Not only does it give her a change in routine, it establishes that her role is valuable to you and your company.

Draft and prepare your letters and other correspondence for you to review for final approval.

Make your travel arrangements and create a file for each upcoming trip. Have her check your rates periodically to ensure you're still getting the most "bang" for your buck for airfare, hotel and car rentals. Sometimes as a travel date nears, rates can change depending on availability.

Manage your calendar. She can schedule and confirm your appointments. Most email systems have a calendar where your assistant can note appointments for you. These systems often offer color coding, and the ability to set a reminder for each appointment.

Customer Service--Your assistant can:

Check the messages for you in the morning and return calls to your attorney-clients. She can answer basic questions or get more details allowing you to concentrate on ways to best meet your attorney-client's needs. This will free you up to fly into your work for the day without getting side tracked and re-routed in a direction that wasn't part of the day's original flight plan. Answer and screen incoming calls. While you must be careful not to create a wall between you and your attorney-clients, having someone answer your calls creates a level of importance for yourself. It sends the message that your time is valuable. Your clients are better served when you spend your time on their cases, rather than taking all the calls. Also, any in-office meetings you have will go uninterrupted with your assistant on hand to answer the phone.

Finance/Accounting--Your assistant can:

Give you the bottom line and her recommendation when outside vendors want to sell or present you with something.

Be a great resource for invoicing, collecting and paying bills. She can set up separate files for payables and receivables. Today, online access and user friendly software programs help to make payables and receivables a breeze.

Marketing--Your assistant can:

Follow up on your correspondence for you. She can keep a spreadsheet listing the status of the last communication you had with each client so the information is organized and you can easily keep track of the last contact with each client.

Attend trade shows with you to distribute your materials and get your name out. She can also follow up on the business cards you collect from prospects you meet at each show.

Act as a sounding board for you. You can get her input on projects that are outside her original job description. Maybe you have a new idea for promoting the business. Bounce your ideas off of her. Better yet, ask her for her ideas. Having a fresh perspective on your CLNC[R] business might open the door to a whole slew of ideas that will get your entrepreneurial juices flowing.

Your executive assistant will make your business and life more fun and much easier. Sure, she will make the occasional mistake as we all do. Discuss what went wrong and provide advice and direction. She'll appreciate the openness. Your relationship becomes one of learning and growing together as your business continues to expand.

While you want her to leave her personal problems at the door, life happens to all of us. The most important thing is to have an assistant who produces exemplary work product in a timely manner. If yes, life is good. Keep the lines of communication open at all times. Meet with your executive assistant at the beginning of each week to prioritize activities for the week. Ask her to report to you daily, either verbally or in writing, with what she accomplished. This is a great way to track her performance and it will benefit both of you when it's time for her performance evaluation.