Feeling Like a Hot Mess? When to Hire an Assistant (Part 1)

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the little things…

 … book your flights…

 … send the invoices…

 … confirm the agenda…

 … get hotel confirmation…

 … schedule your tech check…

 … send your headshot, bio, and introduction…

 … schedule your pre-event call…

 … check your tech specs…

 ...reconcile the bank account...

The list goes on and on!

(And your blood pressure goes up and up!)

Sure.  All of these tasks take a lot of time… and you’ve probably found yourself wishing for someone else who could do all of it for you.

Someone like… an assistant!

Yes!  That would be perfect.

Someone who could do all the mundane stuff you don’t really want to do, so you can focus your energy on what you do best – speaking!

But when is the right time? Here, I’ve come up with five signs for when you should hire an assistant. The first one is actually pretty obvious…

Sign #1:  You Mess Up… All The Time.

I’ll never forget one time when I royally screwed up…

I was on stage at an event in Los Angeles when my phone started buzzing. It didn’t just happen once… but over and over again. Turns out, it was my wife who was waiting at the airport expecting to pick me up.

I was between assistants at the time and trying my best to manage a long list of tasks on my own.  But I had so many gigs and tasks that my attention was spread too thin.

Sure, I had remembered to send my wife my return flight confirmation. However, I had booked my flights on the completely wrong day.

Oh man!

There I was, speaking on stage while my wife waited at the airport… worried… and just a little bit annoyed.

Now, this is just one example, but if you’re constantly doing things like this, it’s time to take notice.

Think about the last six months and count the times you overlooked tasks, sent the wrong information, or got details mixed up. Then, look forward on your speaking calendar and identify more opportunities for mistakes.

If your number of mistakes (or potential mistakes) looks like the number of “Swifties” at one of Taylor Swift’s concerts, then it’s time to hire an assistant.

Otherwise, you’ll just morph into a hot mess.

(Just make sure you identify all five of these signs before you take the plunge, okay?)

#2: You Regularly Miss Out On Gigs.

Remember, YOU are your very best salesperson.  No one is going to sell your speeches better than you will personally.

So, it may be time to get an assistant when the time it takes to manage your gigs actually gets in the way of you earning more gigs.

Think of it this way…

You have a ton of inquiries to respond to. And you may have trouble getting back to every single event organizer… when you’re busy arranging flights and travel details for that gig in two weeks.

When this situation occurs, your gut instinct might be to hire a salesperson to help with all the inquiries.  But really, hiring an assistant is a much better first step.

How to Set Yourself Up for Success With a Speaking Salesperson

“Gosh, I hate all this ‘sales’ stuff…If I could just hire someone to sell for me, life would be so much easier.” Have you ever found yourself thinking along these lines? Maybe your dislike of numbers and fees is so strong, you dream longingly of the day you can

SpeakingGigs.ProAndrew Davis

Start with a part-time person but always have an eye towards the future.  Look for someone who can start part-time and move to full-time if it works out.

But before you start looking for the right person, look for this next sign…