You know that feeling when you just have so much work to do, but you also have to have a team meeting, track down a couple documents that were supposed to be submitted to your clients days ago, and figure out where your one customer’s products are because they haven’t made it there yet? Or that horrible feeling you get when you realize you completely forgot a deadline that was yesterday, and you have no idea where your team is at with the project because you haven’t had time to sit down with them in weeks?
If you do, you’re not alone. Business owners and entrepreneurs everywhere have this feeling on a daily basis. Regardless of whether your company sells goods, services, or a little of both, you have customers, deadlines, and sometimes even a whole team to manage. You have things that need to be double checked and proofed, and there’s just not enough time in the day. Oh, you have a family, too? Yeah, you’re probably going to miss that deadline.
It doesn’t have to be like that, though! If you hire a project manager and effectively use them to fully maximize their potential to help your business, you will find that running a business is a lot easier than you could have ever imagined.
We’ve put together a list of 5 ways to help you effectively utilize a Project Manager to make your life a little easier, your clients a little happier, and to help you regain some of that sanity (no, it’s not COMPLETELY gone yet!).
- Budgeting and Planning – Sometimes the hardest thing about setting up a project, a business process (such as
daily things that have to be done like posting on social media, marketing plans, the process of submitting proposals, etc.) is figuring out just how much is in budget and exactly what the plan is. A project manager can work directly with marketing managers or work by themselves to set up a plan for the process and make sure it’s seen through. They’ll get you involved for final approval if you prefer to be kept in the loop, or you can give them free-rein to make decisions for you so you can focus more on what you WANT to be doing. - Keeping Track of Deadlines and Schedules – Did you follow up with the client? Did the marketing plan go out to everyone? Has the final draft been proofed and submitted? Does anyone know where we’re at in this process? As a business owner, you don’t have the time to deal with these issues, and chances are, you will miss deadlines and mistakes will be made because of it. Sure, your team is ON IT, but they wait for final proofs and approvals from you. Instead of doing that, have a qualified Project Manager do the proofing for you. They will also keep track of deadlines and schedules, figure out where everything and everyone are at in the process, and move things along as needed.
- They Can Be the Customer’s Point of Contact – Customers have questions. Sometimes a lot of questions. They’ll want to know exactly when things can be expected, how to work something, where everyone is at with any given project…it’s a lot to have to answer. Instead of answering them directly, have them touch base with your Project Manager. Your PM will already know where the project is at, what needs to be done, and what is causing any delays, so they can efficiently explain everything right to the customer and put their minds at ease that you’re right on schedule!
- Managing Your Team – Marketers, graphic and web designers, and other various employees can all be managed, kept on track, and communicated with by a Project Manager. Since your PM will know exactly how your process goes, she can create a Standard Operating Procedure for everyone to easily follow, and she will be consistently communicating with your whole team through team meetings and various Project Management apps to make sure everyone’s on track, nobody has questions, and everything will get done by its deadline. This avoids constantly calling around to see what stage of the project people are in, and it also avoids the last-minute hustle to get everything done the day before the deadline because nobody realized just how behind the whole thing really was. This even includes making sure dog walkers have their schedules straight, groomers have all the supplies they need regularly, and that everyone has a system that works well so there aren’t mistakes that could cost you clients!
- Giving You a System – Keeping track of customers and employees’ schedules can be a mess, especially when you add in having to keep track of a marketing plan, what pet needs certain care or medications, and exact details of every booking. Without a strong system in place, it’s very easy to make mistakes, which can cost you not only time and money, but also clients and sometimes even the health of an animal. When mistakes are made because there’s no system in place detailing everything, keeping track of EVERY detail, and managing customers, employees, schedules, etc., your business could go downhill really quickly. Apps can be a great help to keep things in order, but you still have to manage the apps! Instead, have a Project Manager do that all for you (did you know we also do scheduling?), and take all that time you spend in chaos or managing an app, and put that into other, more valuable things!
Opportunity cost means that the cost of any given product, service, etc. is not only valued by its dollar amount but also by the TIME it takes. For example, you could save a lot of money choosing to paint your house on your own, but you really don’t know where to start, it would take you a lot longer than it would take a professional, and you could be doing more valuable things like making money with your business or spending time with your family. Therefore, you’re really not saving anything at all if you have the money to spend but not the time. When you evaluate how much time and sanity a Project Manager could save you and how much it could be costing you NOT to have one, the decision is really an easy one!
Does it sound like any of these things could help you and your business? Contact us at Pro-Assist, LLC, where we offer full-service Project and Online Business Management!