Turn Admins Into Power Brokers
Let's say you work from home, run a small business, or are in a position where you don't have a secretary or administrative assistant to help you do your job better. Does that mean you should let Administrative Professional's Day pass without notice?
Probably not. Formerly called National Secretary's Day, April 25 serves the same purpose - just with a greater appreciation of the title and the worker. It is the one day each year formally dedicated to recognizing and honoring the nation's administrative assistants.
Even if you don't employ an admin, they probably make your life easier. They're the gatekeepers who screen your incoming call to your clients - and hopefully put those calls through. They're the powerbrokers who carve out time from an otherwise packed schedule for you to meet with your prospect or client. They're the grease that makes the business machine run more smoothly.
Here's seven ways you can improve your relationship with - and then show you appreciate - your clients' or prospects' administrative assistants.
- Know his or her name. This is Rule No. 1. When making contact the first time, get their name and write it down. Using it in future conversations will warm up the relationship and earn you points.
- Schmooze and learn. Admins are teeming with powerful information and nuggets of wisdom. They know your client or prospect's birthday, their spouse's or children's birthdays, their anniversaries or other important dates. They know their pastimes, favorite restaurants, sports teams, alma maters, or other passions. Listen closely to what admins have to say; this information often becomes available through general conversation.
Admins are people, too. Ask those same questions. But instead of asking, "What's your favorite restaurant?" or "Where did you go to school?", hold meaningful conversations. This isn't some coy attempt to weasel out information. Engage them in talk about life and business. As conversations - and relationships - develop, they'll know as much about you as you know about them. It will work wonders to warm up the relationship.
- Keep it poignant, Part I. Be genuinely courteous to the admin. When on the hunt for information, realize they are busy people - often as busy or busier than their employer. Ill-timed small talk puts them ill at ease, and could do more harm than good. Listen for cues of a harried worker: short sentences, distant utterances like "Uh-huh...," or a lack of a response to something you say.
- Keep it poignant, Part II. Keep all conversations - especially personal talks - brief. Have one of two goals in mind: Getting an assignment from an existing client, or scheduling a meeting with a prospective client. Hang-up with a new assignment on the eraser board or a new entry in the date book.
- Make it personal. Take that important personal and business information about your client - and the admin - and import it to your Rolodex or contact management software.
- Use it. If you use a contact manager software, schedule reminders for their birthdays or other significant dates - including Admin Day - and send a card, or at least an ecard. If you want to send some more significant - candy, flowers, a gift certificate - know the company's policy on gift-giving. Call the Human Resources department to inquire as to internal policy. Also, don't one-up your client: sending a nicer gift than they supply could burn a bridge. At the very least, a card will tell the admin that you simply cared enough to remember - whether it's a birthday, holiday, or Administrative Professional Day
© 2003 Jeffery D. Zbar Inc.
