The DOO Download: Your Ops Questions Answered (#4)

Do you want your burning DOO (Director of Operations) questions answered?

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Today I am joined by my Director of Coaching Amy Lockrin for round four of The DOO Download, where you get the wisdom of two DOOs who have “been there, done that.”

DOO Download

In this series we address common questions that pop up in our community. If you have questions that you would like answered, make sure to submit them!

I am in a retainer status with multiple clients, so is it important to have an up-to-date social page for my business?

[Amy] It’s important to define “up-to-date”. Do you need multiple Tik Toks or Reels per day (or week)? No, but if you don’t have anything recent, visitors are unsure if you are still in business.
You are creating your own digital footprint right now with the clients you serve, the relationships you develop, and referrals you may get, so at some point someone will come and check you out.
Whether you are looking for a client right now, you may need one in 3 months or decide you want to do some type of project. If that footprint isn’t there, the person will show up and assume you are no longer in business and move on quickly.
Stay up to date so that people know that you are in business and what type of services you are offering at this time.
[Natalie] You’ve got to have a footprint… you need a social presence, depending on where you are in your business and you need to appropriate the right amount of time
Pick one channel, (probably Facebook) and set up your profile and business page. Make sure it reflects your brand and post a conversation starter.
- Engagement is not a goal at this point, but share something to keep yourself up to date
- Don’t overcomplicate it
[Amy] Get your handle at all the platforms and tell them where you are in a pinned post.
[Natalie] Facebook is probably the most important platform to be on, and then focus on your website
If you don’t need a whole lot of people you don’t need to put a whole lot of time into marketing; delivery is the most important part and how you keep clients

“The most important thing you can do in a retainer model is have conversations with people.” – Natalie Gingrich

I have had issues getting information from clients that I need. How can I improve on this?

[Natalie] There are times when you get inside of a relationship and you don’t feel like a strategic partner because of some dynamic in the relationship… maybe intimidation or personality differences.
- In these cases, you are intimidated, you become inferior and possibly weak; you don’t feel like a strategic partner.
- If they aren’t getting you the information you need it is because they don’t respect you.
Double check that you truly are in a role where you are valued, appreciated and respected.
Make sure you have communicated to them clearly.
[Amy] There are certain personality types who like to see how far they can push, so you need to hold that boundary.
- Be able to recognize this and take action if it happens.
- How comfortable are you to manage up and set expectation after it happens?
- What will you do when the info comes outside of your boundaries?
  - If you hold your boundary, and show them you are a strategic partner, they will not do it again if they really want to work with you.
[Natalie] You must acknowledge when they are late; if you aren’t doing that, you are not doing your job
Let them know the consequences
Get ahead of this if you can, so you can get out of a hard conversation later
If they don’t course correct, you have a decision to make

“You’re going to be more fulfilled whenever you are exercising your boundaries and values and going into partnership with people who value those too.” – Natalie Gingrich

How can a new DOO onboard herself into a business?

[Amy] With Authority! You are in charge of onboarding yourself.
It is not your leaders responsibility to do this; it is where you are taking control.
Make sure you have 30-60-90 day goals for what what is going to happen in the business from your strategic mapping.
Make sure you are giving reports every week on what is happening since a lot of the things you do in this space aren’t tactical.
- You need to show the business how you are making things run more seamlessly.
- If they have to come and ask you, you are taking to long to communicate with them.
[Natalie] When you are coming in as a leader in a business, they won’t have an employee manual for you.
You must understand the vision of the company
- Then put together a strategy and understand the team
- They will need to give you face to face time
You must report back to the leader! The value that you are bringing to the company may be one that they can’t see with their own eyes… you must show them!

“This is your first chance you have to show them what you are capable of doing and how you can make a rough process really simple.” – Amy Lockrin

If you have questions you would like answered, send them over!

For past DOO Download episodes, please see below:

Weekly Ops Activity

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