As a CEO, it’s vital that you find, create and maintain great relationships with the right service providers to support various aspects of your business. Remember, these ARE the people that help your business flowing when you’re absent, expanding to new heights and thriving during the most challenging economic times.
Keep the primary focus of your business at the forefront of your mind as you consider these relationships. You may have the skills to handle lots of activities in your business. Is this the best use of your time and skills? More importantly, are these activities helping you to leverage your strengths? Are you truly the best person to handle the activity? These are tough questions you’ve gotta ask yourself. The answers are equally tough and lead you to the best place for your business. The bottomline is: if the activity takes you away from your primary focus, it’s not in the best interest of your business.
Here are a few considerations:
What do you want the service provider to do for you?
List all of the things you do everyday to keep your business going. Outsource ALL activities out of alignment with your primary focus. Remember, if it’s not a good use of your expertise then you MUST let it go, delegate it, or outsource it so you can focus on doing that for which you’re best suited.
Do they have the skills to provide the services at the level you want?
Unfortunately, someone telling you they know how to do something doesn’t mean they actually know how to do it. If you’re like me, you have a certain way you like things handled and it’s all part of your brand and reputation. Ask detailed questions and get referrals so you know the exact capabilities of the provider. It pays HUGE dividends in the long and short run.
How will the service provider support your overall business goals/objectives?
Managing your service provider involves sharing your vision and goals with them. You want the service provider to know the big picture and how things work together so they have a greater sense of what’s important. It’s also a great opportunity to determine if your business values and work ethic are closely aligned.
These considerations are just the beginning of creating a great relationship with service providers. The relationships with the service provider you choose will be an integral part of the success of your business. In my next post, I’ll share details about specific “soft skills” that are VERY important to the selection process. These skills are equally important to keep your business moving and shaking.
Share your comments about how you select your service providers.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
As a service provider, I agree with every point you covered Wendy. I would also like to point out the service providers to be sure that you are a good fit for what the person seeking your assistance needs. Don’t take assignments that you cannot handle or to not have the space for on your schedule. Be realistic about the number of hours you can give to each client in order to determine what you can do for them.
To the business owner seeking a service provider, be sure that you communicate what you are seeking from the service provider.
This truly makes it a win-win situation for all involved.
Great posts Wendy!
March 20th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I agree, Wendy, that sharing the big vision is important so that service providers know where they fit in the grand scheme of things. For really good service providers, it also gives them the opportunity to see leaks or gaps that they themselves can fill - thus providing additional value.
I would also suggest that when trying out new service providers, whether a virtual assistant, a web designer, etc., that you first bring them on a specific project. Try them out for that project alone. It will give you a chance to see not only their skills, but also how you work and communicate together.
If the results are good, great! Go for another project… and then another project. Before long, they’ll be part of the family. And if it doesn’t work out, when the project ends, so does your engagement - and no hard feelings.
Great post, WendyY - keep them coming!
March 21st, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I totally agree about the sharing the vision. I have run across a number of wonderful service providers that I would recommend to others but for me, personally, they would have to share my vision and clearly understand what that really means. It’s one thing to share it but can you also see how to get there.
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March 24th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
After working as a meeting planner for so many years, I can totally agree with your post, Wendy. Not only is it important for you to know what you want your provider to do and to know how they will support your overall goal - it is crucial that you keep communicating. Sometimes just touching base to be sure everyone is still on the same page is the difference between a great working relationship with your provider and a failure.
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