This is where a lot of client-VA relationships go sour. Yet a lot of good things can come out of those hours if used the right way. Some tips for helping you leverage a limited virtual assistance budget:

1. Communicate expectations regularly. “Set it and forget it” doesn’t often work with a virtual assistant. Instead, treat your VA like a key player in your business, even if she’s only billing you for a few hours a month. Ideally, you should be telling your VA what you want to achieve each month, ahead of time. Then ask your VA for an honest assessment of what can and cannot be accomplished with the time and budget allotted. This doesn’t have to be a state-of-the-union discussion; an email exchange can work just fine.

2. Keep the momentum. When time and money are limited, it can be a challenge to sustain progress and in turn see real results. However, this can be overcome to some degree. Retaining your VA on a consistent, monthly basis, rather than booking her time willy-nilly with no real plan, makes a world of difference. Your virtual assistant needs to be in the loop and stay in the loop in order to feel and be invested in your business success.

3. Pick your battles. A virtual assistant can get a lot done if you delegate projects that are of manageable scope. That means they have a clear beginning, middle, and end. For example, my VA is organizing a blog book tour for me. This is very achievable with minimal input from me, while not eating up a ton of budget.

As I always say, I can’t change the world for five hundred bucks, but I can change your world enough to make it worth the money.

                          

This might seem like an obvious way to lighten your budgetary load, but what of those prosperous times you’re planning for? If you permit the fundamentals to deteriorate (marketing, operations, customer care, etc.), what will be left when opportunity comes knocking (and it will come knocking again)? Will you be ready? Will you be sane?

Keeping yourself surrounded with good talent is critical. However, to afford it during a cash crunch, small business entrepreneurs must start to think outside the box when it comes to managing their people. Here are 5 ways to get more bang for your outsourcing buck:

1. Barter for services. Chances are you’ve got a product or service up your sleeve that you could provide to a virtual assistant, web developer, writer, consultant or coach who has a skill you want access to. Give some of what you have in exchange for an equal dollar value in hours. Be clear upfront about what is to be exchanged as well as time lines for product delivery or service completion. This will protect the working relationship from going sour due to misunderstandings or false expectations.
2. Move from an a la carte arrangement to a retainer. While the upfront cash outlay might be intimidating, there are many advantages to using retainers. Most virtual assistants will discount your hourly rate in exchange for the security of being paid in advance. Moreover, you can rest easy knowing that your VA has slotted those hours for you exclusively.
3. Stop thinking on a monthly schedule. Most retainers for administrative services, including virtual assistance, are committed to on a monthly basis. While this can work well for staying on top of recurring tasks, some activities happen in fits and spurts throughout the year. For example, purchasing a specialist’s expertise in 5- or 10-hour blocks of time upfront without the obligation to use that time by month end could help you get that pet project off the ground even before you’ve fully defined its scope.
4. Only hire proven talent. This might seem obvious, but if you’re going to invest cash, time and energy into a new team member–even if that team member will only be with you for a the short term–do your homework. Get referrals from others in your industry, check out portfolios and past clients, and always make sure to get the final agreement in writing. A contractor or VA who doesn’t make you feel comfortable with your decision might end up costing your business rather than helping it succeed through tough times.
5. Be able to articulate your needs upfront. Ask yourself why you’re looking for outside help in the first place. Yes, outsourcing is often more affordable–and profitable–versus hiring more staff. But what do you want exactly for your money? You must be able to explain this to whomever you bring into the fold. Otherwise, you’ll both be flying blind and things will end badly. Not to mention how wasted time, effort and dollars will impact your bottom line, leaving you in an even weaker position to go shopping for help again.

In a recession it’s tempting to focus only on cost cutting. After all, no cash means no business to run. But a cautionary outlook must be balanced by a proactive view to the future. Think strategically about the talent you pay for and know that you will reap dividends long after this recession ends.

                          

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:

1. I’m really not a planner. If I hire a virtual assistant I will have to think about why I have a business and what I want to achieve this year and even 5 five years from now. Otherwise I’m just wasting her time and my money. And that just wouldn’t be fair to either of us.
2. How can I trust a VA with my business? I mean, I’m over here and she’s over there, way over there. How these VAs get any work done without someone looking over their shoulder is beyond me. It’s just not good management. Besides, if I can’t micromanage the details what will I do all day?
3. No one could possibly do it as well as I can. (And the way I do it is quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen.) I started this business because I have something unique and special to offer my adoring public. To think a virtual assistant could step in and competently assist with anything related to marketing or administration is, well, it’s crazy talk.
4. I don’t have time to explain everything to a VA. I’m too mired in paperwork and marketing and answering emails and God-knows-what-else to actually waste an hour or two a month with something as tedious as delegating. And like I said, what I do is complicated. Mysterious in fact.
5. I can’t afford to hire a virtual assistant. Nope, not a single dollar left in my budget for getting the right things done at the right time. Heck, this computer system alone cost me thousands. I’d be nuts to spend another three hundred bucks this month on administration when I could just do it myself for nothing. I mean, the sales aren’t exactly pouring in right now. (Though I’m not sure why.)
6. Bonus Excuse: Maybe next year I’ll think about hiring a VA and getting ahead with my business. Right now I’ve just got too much to do.

There you have it. Six of the most widely used and abused excuses for not outsourcing all the crap that’s getting in your way. Why choose silly things like productivity and purpose when you can defer to much easier choices like chasing your tail and working yourself to the bone?

Don’t let a VA stop you from getting what you really want out of your business. It’s just not worth it.

                          

Recession is no longer “looming.” It’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind pretty much all of the time now. The uncertainty is manifesting itself all over the place and the Internet is not immune. Ask anyone working online right now and they’ll tell you the fear is palpable. Prospective clients are taking two steps backward for every one step forward. It’s both frustrating and understandable. Hey, we all have budgets to mind, and knowing you can Google just about any thing or service you want for your business is an ever present temptation. Now it feels downright necessary. As if you’re somehow being irresponsible if you don’t shop a quote around before settling on one virtual assistant or consultant.

I’ve said it so often it’s become a mantra I’m known for by my colleagues. When I say “it’s never about price” I’m saying that you cannot evaluate how much is too much without first looking beyond the piece of paper the quote is written on (okay, or the email it’s typed in). Some services are worth more than others for sure. The point is, think about not only what you’re paying but what you’re getting in exchange for your money. Is it time, peace of mind, a sense of organization and focus, or a very straightforward task finished and delivered, no strings attached?

Then ask yourself how much you charge per hour and decide if the exchange is a profitable one. If it’s not, maybe there’s wiggle room on either the rate (some VAs do not negotiate and that’s completely acceptable by the way), or how many hours a month you want to begin with (most VAs are reasonable and don’t want to commit long term any more than you do until you’ve had a chance to test each other out).

If you already know the exchange could be a profitable one, then take action and hire the VA you’ve got your sites on. I’m not trying to spend your money by saying this either. I’m saying this is not the time to wind down your marketing effort or let administration slide. This is the time to be proactive, whichever side of the VA-Client equation you’re on. We all want to make money and as such, we’re in this together.

So go take a look at the strategies I ask you to consider at Search Engine Guide, even if you don’t sell widgets, you probably have a service you deeply want to sell and profit from. But chances are you’ve been a wee bit too hung up on the price.