pro·duc·tiv·i·ty 
(prō’dŭk-tĭv’ĭ-tē, prŏd’ək-) noun
The quality of being productive. (sigh)
pro·duc·tive 
[pruh–duhk-tiv] adjective
having the power of producing, generative, creative: a productive effort
HAVING THE POWER . . .
That is absolutely the truth – YOU have the power to be productive. It’s your business – what do you want from it?
The Personal Side
After having observed the corporate world for over 20 years, I’ve made a few common-sense observations. For one, it seems to me that people in management positions sometimes forget how they got there and that they were once the people under them. Not the really good ones, of course, but unfortunately a fair amount. I believe productivity suffers when management forgets to utilize the talents they have sitting there in front of them. They get so hung up on the word “managing” that they mentally pass by the team aspect of their job. They start to dictate to their team and fail to recognize that their team has great ideas, too! A good Virtual Assistant is just that for their clients – a team member with great ideas! I recently met with a client at a Panera’s Bread – a halfway point for us. (Yes, I will meet with a client if it’s convenient for the both of us. If not, we can IM to chat.) He took the time to sit down with me and explain not only what he wanted from me, but why and what he was trying to accomplish in the end. What a difference that makes! Expected Research + Extra Research Ideas Because I Understood the End Result = Happy Client. THAT’s making my clients’ businesses more productive!!
The Business Side
In your own business, you have goals, aspirations – and tons of things you need to get done! Do you have the time to do everything yourself? A smart business entrepreneur knows that he or she needs an assistant to help them get their business off the ground and continue to climb. It is simply impossible to do everything it takes to start and grow a profitable business by yourself. If you take the time to develop a working relationship with a VA (just as you would with a non-virtual assistant), you are immediately giving your business the boost it needs with all the cost-effectiveness we’ve talked about before. Take the time to explain not only your expectations of the work to be done, but also the end result you’re looking for. You will then have a valuable relationship with a VA that understands your needs.
For example, you say: I want you to find me NY bankruptcy attorneys. I would get you a list of NY bankruptcy attorneys with their contact information. However, if you say: I want you to find me NY bankruptcy attorneys in the southern counties because they generally charge less who would be willing to work with me on a matter where my client has a case (summary of the case), etc., the information provided would be very different. We would discuss the matter between us and realize the best way to handle this would be for me to call the attorneys I’ve found and ask them if they would be willing to speak with you about being co-counsel in a matter, etc., etc. – and provide you a list of attorneys waiting to hear from you. What a difference THAT would make in your time management and productivity! I could go on with examples like this one that occurred between me and one of my clients, but you have work to do – and so do I!
Next Up: Email Management
Nickey Hollenbach Personal Touch Concierge Service, LLC http://www.ptconciergeservice.com
Virtual Caffeine 