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partnering with a virtual assistant

Loyal To the Bone as Only a VA Can Be

Have you ever heard the expression – “loyal to the bone”? A quick search on Wikipedia says “loyal to the bone” means: steadfast in allegiance or duty.

So why do I preface this post with that phrase, because it signifies an experience I just had that, to me, personifies what partnering with a Virtual Assistant means. Let me expand.

In my world as a Virtual Assistant, last week was “one of those weeks” where you question the decision you made (in my case 3 years ago) to enter the world of the self employed. A situation happened that could have either helped solidify the client/VA relationship I had OR it could have severed the ties.

Looking for a Virtual Assistant? You will need a RFP!

You have finally come to the conclusion you can’t do everything yourself and the answer is to outsource the work to a Virtual Assistant. Contracting with a VA is the best solution in helping you take care of many administrative duties and maybe look after that special project you haven’t had time for.

It can be daunting trying to hire someone who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away and there are no guarantees they will meet your needs or are able to fulfill their commitment to you and your business. Don’t give up before you even start. There are many good, reliable and super qualified VA’s who would be very happy to take care of your administrative needs.

How can a Virtual Assistant help my business?

Virtual AssistantDuring the past few years the term “Virtual Assistant” has become more widespread and people are somewhat aware of what a Virtual Assistant is. However, they don’t always understand how a Virtual Assistant or VA can help them in their own business.

First of all, it must be clear that a VA is not an employee. They are self employed business owners providing various types of services that usually relate to helping other business owners run their businesses smoothly.

Types of Services

Don’t pull your hair out!

Starting a new business?

Starting a new business has many challenges and the new business owner can easily become overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done. A very simple solution is to partner with a Virtual Assistant who can take care of so many of the little details and keep the confusion down to a minimum.

It can be stressful to hire someone before you even have your “doors” open for business but it’s not like hiring an employee. By hiring a VA you only pay for actual work done so your money is not wasted on things like benefits, equipment, coffee breaks, time off, etc.

Seven Sure-Fire Ways to Make your Partnership with a Virtual Assistant a Success

So you have taken a step towards truly growing your thriving business and hired a Virtual Assistant, here are seven ways to ensure your partnership will be a success:

  1. Good Communication
    Since your Virtual Assistant will not have a physical presence in your office, it will be important to establish and follow a good communication plan. Determine whether you would like your Virtual Assistant to contact you with updates daily, weekly, monthly or as needed. When providing your Virtual Assistant with instructions ensure they are always direct, precise and understandable. Also ensure your VA is aware of your preferred method of communication (telephone, e-mail, facsimile, etc.).

5 Really Good Excuses for NOT Hiring a Virtual Assistant This Year

Hiring a virtual assistant can help your business succeed in so many ways it’s hard to imagine why anyone would not at least give outsourcing careful consideration. Then again, why take bold and strategic steps forward with your business when you’ve got things like status quo and been-there-done-that to keep you warm and comfy? Just in case you’re running out of excuses though, I’ve come up with a handy little list of trite excuses for not hiring your own VA today.

Print this list off and tape it to your desk. You just never know when you might have to turn down another opportunity to grow:

How Outsourcing Can Make You More Accountable

It should be a given that hiring a Virtual Assistant will make you and your business more productive, right? But what about being more accountable for the tasks necessary to achieve your long range business goals? An incredible spin off benefit of hiring a VA is that you suddenly have someone who is “checking in” regularly to see if you’ve crossed any of those pesky to-dos off your list. Because let’s face it, a Virtual Assistant can do a lot but she can’t do everything for you!

What’s The Worst Question You Can Ask a Virtual Assistant?

Easy…

“Can you send me a resume?”

Even though people ask this question to VAs all the time, as a general group, we don’t like it.

I think it’s because it means we’re being thought of as employees. Remember, administrative assistants don’t get paid very well and often have to take a lot of orders and abuse from bosses. When we leave that world to start our own businesses we want to leave that world far far away! Being asked for a resume is something that happens when you apply for a job, not when someone approaches you looking to hire a contractor.