The Experts

Time thieves

Q: Everyone who calls seems to want to speak to me. They are coming to my business because of me or because they are a personal contact. I feel trapped. How do I change this without offending them?

A: This one also falls into the time-thief bag of questions.

First of all, make someone else the first point of contact and have them ask what the call is in relation to, and if you are not available, can someone else help? When you take a call and hear the request, even if it’s from your best mate, say, “You know, I’d like to have Bill look after this for you. He’s our expert on leasing. Let me put you through to him.” Mate happy. Bill happy. It’s not brain surgery.

Your bigger issue is to decide whether you are a sales person first or a business owner first. If it’s the latter, you may have to let go of a bit of ego. However, if it’s the former and you want the business to continue to depend on you then you should be prepared to sacrifice growth. If you want growth, sacrifice some ego and acknowledge that you have good people who can handle the enquiries and transactions without you. They and your clients will respect you for it.

Published: Monday, May 23, 2011