Attorney Outsourcing Series: What Should You Outsource? – Part 1
Attorney Outsourcing: How To Get Started
The first step you should take when looking to outsource is to really determine what you are spending your time doing. I suggest keeping a list of everything you do for a week and how much time you spend doing it. At the end of the week, make three columns:
Things Only “I” Can Do
Things I Do NOT Enjoy
Things I LOVE
Next, Put a checkmark next to each item in the applicable category. Be very careful selecting the “Things Only “I” Can Do” category! Is that really true?
Next evaluate your list, the only things you REALLY have to be doing are those things only you can do. Of course, I usually recommend continuing to do the things you LOVE to do, IF it is not a huge time zapper.
Once you have the list of things you can let go of, it’s time to start determining the type of vendor you need to outsource to.
Here is a short list of some items that I see attorneys (and other small businesses) commonly outsource:
- Marketing – Creating Direct Mail Pieces, Creating Display Ads, Creating Monthly Newsletters, Setting Up Seminars, Handling Distribution of Weekly Ezines or Email
- Admin Support: Keeper of the Gate, Email Management, Calendaring, Client Intake, Travel Arrangements, CLE Management, negotiation with Vendors.
- Paralegal Support: Drafting Documents, Research, Transcription
- Bookkeeping
- Website Development & Maintenance
- Graphic Design
- Social Media Management
- Blog Management
In Part II, we’ll talk about each of these categories and how to find the best vendor to outsource to.
Hint – it’s NOT finding a Virtual Assistant who can do it all!
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.