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.

The Situation:

Client is a WordPress Developer ( I’ll call him Jim)

Virtual Assistant (that’s me) but to Jim my role is  ”Development and Client Care” which essentially means I help format and develop the WordPress site for the client and communicate directly with them to move the project forward.

The Story:

I received a phone call from the Jim’s client (let’s call him Bob) as I needed some clarification on some content to the wordpress site. Since I am somewhat new to Bob’s industry I had some questions that seemed very reasonable on my end but, as I found out, were not to Bob. The conversation became very one-sided with Bob literally becoming somewhat rude and insulting. His voice was raised and I could hear and feel the frustration but also felt very belittled as his tone was very condescending. I couldn’t get off the phone fast enough. I immediately had to explain to Jim what had happened with a lot of apprehension I might add – could it have just been me, could I have been more clearer etc. etc.

So, three scenarios could have resulted from that conversation I then had with Jim.

A. Jim could have taken Bob’s side in the matter.

B. Jim could have just ignored the situation.

C. Jim could have supported me.

Essentially, the whole direction of how our VA/Client relationship would move forward was held in the balance awaiting a response. My goal was never to “rock-the-boat” but

So what was the outcome???

My respect and admiration for Jim was solid to begin with but now I am convinced our VA/client relationship could last for a very long time.

So why did I tell you this story, definitely not to show you my weaknesses or cry over spilt milk, I was trying to demonstrate that:

1. Virtual Assistants: be open and honest with your clients

And

2. VA Clients: Support your team whole-heartedly and stand up for them.

If you do this, they will be “loyal to the bone” day in and day out.

Do you have a story like this to share, add your comments below so we can hear from you.

                          

Pro’s:

• More free time as a whole
• More free time to focus on work, sales, etc.
• Feeling much less overwhelmed
• Less stress to get things done, because now one has help
• More time to plan, or execute a stratedgy one is working on
• Not having to do mundane tasks
• Not having to do tasks which one does not like to do
• Able to focus on the next level
• In many cases able to brainstorm with their assistant
• More time equates to more sales, which then equates to more profits!

Con’s:

• Not wanting to hire a VA because one may think that they are unable to afford it

• Another reason for not hiring a VA might be because one may not know how to delegate their work load, i.e., what jobs to give to their VA etc.
• A feeling that someone else may not be able to do the work as good as the business owner can. In other words, “No one can do it as good as I can” type of feeling
• Not knowing where to find an assistant, who is best suited for the job, or how much to pay a VA

Now, in looking through this list one may find that the pro’s far outweigh the con’s by a long shot, and they do, but that does not mean that a business owners’ feelings should be taken for granted. It is totally understandable that a business owner might feel anxious over hiring a stranger to assist them. By the same token it is understandable to think that one can not afford to hire help. However, if one looks at the pro’s very carefully they will soon understand how and why a business owner will profit from hiring a Virtual Assistant and in more ways than one.

Firstly, a Virtual Assistant is a skilled professional on many different levels. In most cases more skilled, and on more levels than a regular in office assistant would be, as this is their living as well. VA’s must be really good at what they do, because if they are not they will lose jobs, or not get hired. Thus that feeling of no one can do it as good as you can is not always true. In fact VA’s probably would be able to do whatever it may be much better than you can.   Remember that a VA is an Independent Contractor they are in business too, so a VA would certainly want to succeed and make any client happy, to be able to do that a VA must be highly skilled!

This brings us to the next points, where to hire a VA, how much to pay them, delegation, etc. The Internet is a huge arena of information that is yours for the taking. Information such as the above is only a click away.   One will find information on everything from hiring a VA to the different pay rates, retainers and much more.  Point in case our very own VAnetworking.com – full of any and all the information that you need to make a solid decision.

Lastly, profits, profits, profits! Do not think that you can’t afford a Virtual Assistant, because time IS money, and if you’re wasting your own time trying to get things done, when someone else can and will do those tasks for you, you are missing the boat on growing your business and earning more money! You can hire a VA for forty hours a week or one hour a week! VA’s get paid usually by the hour per job, so rather than you work on the things you hate, or work on the things that must get done give it to your VA. In return you will be less stressed, less overwhelmed, able to move forward and able to concentrate on your business knowing that you other tasks are in good hands with your brand new trusty VA!   Once again, time IS money, thus by having more time you are able to grow your business earning YOU more money!

So, what are the cons exactly?

                          

When hiring a Virtual Assistant a client really does not know anything more about this new person that is about to help them other than what has been emailed between them, or perhaps a quick chat on the phone to confirm details etc. Does a client really know who they are dealing with? Probably not, but that also does not mean that a VA is lying either. It may be wise on the client’s part to check references on a VA first, before actually hiring him or her. By the same token a VA really does not know if a new client is on the level. For example, will the client pay the VA what they are worth, on time, and in accordance with a VA’s policy or terms? Yes, it can be a shot in the dark sometimes, but more often than not if a VA and a client are trustworthy it usually works out, but it doesn’t hurt to take a few extra measures to be on the safe side.

But what about more important things like information; such as, trade secrets, user names and passwords of any kind, and/or confidential matters? There is a solution for that as well. Service agreements/contracts and confidentiality agreements are both beautiful things! This is exactly what they are meant for. However, this does not mean that a client will actually adhere to what these agreements state, the same for a Virtual Assistant. So how does one actually make someone else trust them?   A hard question to answer, but I have found that developing a relationship with a new client works wonders for both the VA and the client. In other words, be a tad less formal. Discuss things outside of work if that is possible. Call each other by first name only.   Does this solve every problem: absolutely not, but at least it is a beginning to what could very well be a long and mutually beneficial working relationship. Remember that praising your VA for a job well done, or just caring about the others “needs” is a wonderful start. Just like regular employees in an office setting people like to hear that they’ve done well. This spurs a lot more interest in a particular job being handled on the VA’s part, and gets the job done. Caring in general is an act of kindness. Be kind to each other. It does work.

In conclusion to this article, I will give you an example of one of my own experiences. I had a job that had to be done, but when starting this job I began to realize that it was way over my head in certain areas. I could have outsourced this particular job easily, but I did not. Instead I told my client the truth. What did this do? The client was so pleased that I was completely honest about the situation that I ended up doing other work for him/her instead. The client could have asked for a refund, but they were so genuinely impressed by my honesty that they kept me on for other work needed. As they say:Honesty is the best policy!

                          

You have so much to do that you are only doing bits and pieces of each thing and accomplishing nothing. You aren’t alone.

Many business owners believe they have to do it all rather than ask for help, not realizing if they could better manage their time and delegate tasks they could actually save money. I was as guilty of this as some of my clients. It’s doesn’t have to be a difficult step to actually outsource some tasks you really don’t have the time nor the expertise.

Not knowing how to do everything for your business is nothing to be ashamed of. There isn’t a business owner alive who can do it all. In my case it’s bookkeeping. I would like to think I can take care of invoicing, accounts payables and accounts receivables but when I was faced with a controversy with a client I found that I hadn’t kept track as well as I thought I had. Working with a bookkeeper right from the start could have saved me hours of stress that could have been better spent in building my business. I now know that bookkeeping is not one of my strengths. However, I am good at many other things involved in my business and now spend my time on those rather than wasting my time on things I should outsource.

What can a Virtual Assistant help you with?

1.  Managing your schedule – tracking appointments, goals, and tasks.
2.  Screening emails, responding where possible and prioritizing the rest.
3.  Invoicing your clients and taking care of following up with unpaid accounts.
4.  Manage your website updates, blogging and your client lists
5.  Customer service issues – responding in a timely manner
6.  Correspondence – write letters, memos, etc. – ready for signature
7.  Create company forms, marketing material or manage to have it outsourced
8.  Writing a business plan or marketing plan – establishing goals.
9.  Order supplies and arrange for delivery.
10.  Project Management – ensure projects are managed properly to completion.
11.  Design a newsletter and create a monthly campaign.
12.  Establish a social media networking campaign, setting up social networks, posting and setting up a schedule for your involvement.
13.  Creating your logo, business card, stationery and brochures
14.  Manage your affiliates
15.  Help you create a company “Brand” with your signature – establishing an online presence.
16.  Write and publish press releases

The above list is obviously just a small sample of things a Virtual Assistant can do for you while you are operating your business. Remember a VA is virtual and they supply their own work space, equipment and also pay for their own benefits. You only pay for the actual work done. I think it’s pretty obvious that you can only benefit by the assistance of a VA. Quit wasting your time!

                          

It’s really simple if you think about it. While a client is actually paying a Virtual Assistant for their time, and a job being worked on, the client will actually start making money in the process. Okay, how? Let’s say client “A” has a business, his or her focus would be to generate sales for whatever the business is. However, how can client “A” generate these sales when everything else needs to be in place first, and even more than that it is continuous work.    To elaborate further, a VA will insure that a web site is up and running, search engine optimization has been done, a press release has been written, social media marketing is done on a daily basis, a blog is live and active and the list can go on. Who is going to operate all of these things while client “A” is trying to generate and make these sales?

Having a business online today is not exactly the same as it was years ago. Years ago we created a web site and hoped that people would visit us. Of course there was still some prep work that was needed to be done, but today what is needed to get done far exceeds what was needed to do back then, which of course equals to time. Who has that kind of time?  Just looking at the to-do list alone is tiresome all by itself!

So you set out to find your perfect Virtual Assistant to do all of the above, plus more, while you generate those sales that you need to keep your business running; to keep you sane, and also to pay your VA for all of his or her hard work. But remember one thing:while your VA is working the set amount of hours that they’ve been hired for, could be per week, per day, two hours a day, etc, they are alleviating you from doing all of this work that you’d be stuck doing and probably would be taking much longer to do at that. A Virtual Assistant is huge reprieve in the business day when it comes to this extra work that is essential to keeping a web site active.

Think of it as a team effort if you will. Client “A” tells his/her VA exactly what needs to be done, the leads and traffic starts making its way to Clients “A” site.   One sale alone, in some cases, can pay for your VA’s salary for the day, and two sales can bring home the bacon. Now obviously it all depends on what is being sold, but little by little that VA’s salary will be paid for completely by the business over time, plus you will see an increase in traffic and those much needed sales.

Is there a guarantee of sales? There aren’t any guarantees no matter what you do or what business that you are in; however, with two people working on the same goal, just in different capacities, any client has double the power to get on the online track to success.   Double the power might mean double the sales and in most cases more than that, as traffic is generated from all kinds of venues. So don’t think of hiring a VA as an extra expense, think of it as added exposure which leads to income!

                          

Many entrepreneurs these days know the value of having a virtual assistant. But what about multiple VAs? Perhaps Mr. Edison was onto something. Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and get twenty-one assistants, however there is a plus side to having more than one VA.

Strength In Numbers
Not all VAs are created equal. Some offer a wide variety of services while others specialize in one or two specific areas. One person might love bookkeeping while another loathes it. It’s important to know when searching for a VA not only what types of services a she offers but also which ones she is good at and enjoys doing. You may find that you partner with a VA for certain projects and later decide that you would like her to do other projects as well. That’s great but she may not enjoy doing those new tasks or even know how to do them. Could she learn? Sure, but time is money and you need the work done sooner rather than later. This is why having multiple VAs that specialize may be beneficial.

A Team of Experts Means Peace of Mind
I have one client who has a team of six or seven VAs including myself. Does she do it to brag? Not at all although she is very successful at what she does and consistently tells the world she couldn’t do it without the support team she has in place. Part of her criteria for seeking the services of a VA is that they need to specialize in a particular area. She wants any person she partners with to be good at a lot of things but great at one thing. This is because when she delegates a project she wants to trust that it is being done correctly and efficiently without having to worry about it. She knows it is being handled by an expert in that area and she can willingly hand it over and move on to the next thing.

More Is Less
Is it costing my client any more money to have so many assistants? Absolutely not! Remember she is only paying for the work that is done and it would cost her the same amount of hours for her various projects to have one person do it than it does to have multiple people. Perhaps even less since each person is specialized in their area of expertise, there is less back and forth, correcting mistakes and waiting for questions to be answered which means she could actually be saving money by having more people on her team.

Is a VA Team Right For You?
Having a team of VAs can be a great asset to your business but it’s not for everyone. If you are not good at managing priorities or people then it might not be in your best interest to have a VA team. Having more than one VA may also not be for you if you’re not good at communicating. Communication is key when working with one person much less a multitude of people. It is essential to have regular team meetings via phone or other means as well as to have individual conversations with your VAs. Doing so will ensure that everyone is on the same page with your business objectives and everyone clearly understands what they need to do.

Your business is your baby and you want it handled properly. Putting together a team of highly skilled individuals who have your best interest at heart might be just what you need to take your business to the next level.

                          

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.).
2. Be Open
   First and foremost, in order to have a successful working relationship with your VA you must be open to the concept. Also, be open to any ideas or suggestions your VA may have and offer reasons why or why not you think the ideas are worthy of further consideration. Remember to give your VA time to answer your inquiries because although they may not have the answer, they do have the resources to find the answer for you.
3. Trust the Partnership
   Just like any relationship, trust must be earned. When working with a VA it will be especially important to trust that when they say they are working for you they truly are. Try starting your relationship off slowly to “test the waters” and gradually work up to larger, more demanding assignments.
4. Have Patience
   Remember to give your VA time to learn your business and your preferences. Provide your VA with the guidance they need and remember they may have a lot of questions as they learn how and why you and your business operate. The end result will definitely be worth all the time, patience and understanding you devote to making the partnership succeed.
5. Give Up Control
   I know you have been wearing many of the hats for awhile, but don’t be afraid to hand over some “control” to your VA. Just remember by allowing your VA to handle your administrative headaches you gain the opportunity to focus your time and energies elsewhere. By giving up control you can “hand off” all those tasks you dread, knowing they are being handled professionally and accurately.
6. Be Respectful
   Remember that your VA is likely to have boundaries you should be aware of. Be respectful of your VA’s office hours, turnaround time and how they wish to receive instructions. Through mutual respect and appreciation, your VA can become a vital part of the success and growth of your business.
7. Plan Ahead
   Please try to remember that in most cases, your VA has other people they work for so keep that in mind when scheduling when you provide them with work. Don’t leave things until the last minute.

Now that your VA is handling your administrative headaches it is time to concentrate on the things that matter to growing your business. These are the things that attracted you to your business in the first place. By partnering with a VA, you gain the opportunity to spend more time on the things you enjoy doing. Spend more time with your family, wine and dine a new client or try a new marketing strategy. By partnering with a VA, you can concentrate on truly growing a thriving business.

                          

Several times per week I browse newsletters and sales pages from some of my favorite “experts” only to find their work sprinkled with not just one but many typos! It astounds me each time I discover another one because quite honestly in my opinion it really tarnishes their “expert” status in my eyes. Now don’t get me wrong, accidents happen. We all make mistakes. It’s human nature. But it’s important to learn from those mistakes. No one is going to take you seriously if you consistently put out work that tells the world you were not the winner of the 8th grade spelling bee!

My question is, are people not pointing these mistakes out to the author? Isn’t there an assistant somewhere whose job it is to make sure something is letter perfect before it goes out to the public? I make it a point when finding an error to let the author know. I’ve never once gotten a response that was negative. In fact, most people appreciate when I point out the errors.

Am I a perfect speller? Not at all. (Although speaking of the 8th grade spelling bee, I was a runner up thank you very much.) I do enjoy however, reading with a critical eye and picking these proverbial needles out of their grammatical haystacks and offer proofreading as one of my services to satisfy my proofreading fixes.

Spell Check Is NOT Your Friend!
I know so many people who rely on spell check in their word processing program to edit their documents for them. Please don’t rely solely on a computer to check your work. Spell check is great in some cases but it does not pick out every error. If two words are very similar in spelling or meaning, it might very well ignore the error. I’ve seen it happen before. If you insist on using spell check, please have a second pair of eyes read the document before it is published. Give it to an assistant, a trusted friend or a colleague for review before putting it out into the world.

When people read your words and get your message without having to back track over spelling errors your credibility remains intact and your audience will thank you for it by purchasing your product.

                          

I’m not sure if Dr. Bach ever had a virtual assistant but I like his thought process. Bach made it his purpose to increase his appreciation and understanding for those he had interactions with. This makes me think about how cultivating creativity in business allows open discussions of any and all solutions.

As virtual assistants (or VAs), clients look to us to be solution finders . . . or solution providers. Working as partners equally invested in the successes of the business, VAs get excited about where the company is headed and that satisfies their personal interests in making a valuable impact along the way. The enthusiasm brought to the table can be a catalyst for creativity that sustains a project or breathes new life into a vision that may have dried up.

Working together with the approach that there are no wrong approaches in the process opens so many doors. It’s not to say that common business sense doesn’t apply but it removes the perceived limitations and encourages out-of-the-box thinking.

So, how does the creativity cultivation process take place?

It begins with the business owner’s realization that a company of any size cannot sustain growth on the back of one person. It is vital to the health of the business to have support, loyalty, trust, and a continual stream of ideas. It’s in these moments that the business owner becomes the client and a virtual assistant alliance is formed.

Think about those brainstorming sessions that are judgment free. The ones where ideas are flying and soon a thought is piggybacked onto something else that was said and then . . . “Shazam!” The birth of a new fresh idea was just witnessed. Those free-wheeling brainstorming sessions can be electrifying and that’s when the magic really begins to happen. Each idea sparks off another as the two collaborate together. Simply put it’s “synchronicity in action.”

Both the client and the VA come away energized. Ready to get the ball rolling. Ready to tackle any hurdle that comes up along the way of this new solution. I encourage business owner’s who become clients to be the pipeline rather than a chink in the creativity that is brought to the table by a forward-thinking virtual assistant. It’s not the time to squash creativity like a bug but time to watch the wings of the idea open and unfold before your very eyes ready for you to take hold and give it flight.

                          

With the speed of business today, one can be left behind with the simple click of a mouse.   If you’re not on top of your game, your competition will be. How do you get the jump on the competition? The secret is to hire a VA on the other side of the planet – or the country, or simply in another time zone.

Why does time zone matter?

Being on a different time schedule than your VA can actually benefit some businesses. A local VA will likely work the same type of hours as you do. Workflow takes a few days, as shown here:

• Day 1:               Assign the work to VA
• Day 2:               VA does the work
• Day 3:               Completed work returned and ready to use

If, however, your VA is hours away, it can take a day out of this scenario. While you sleep overnight on Day 1, the work is being done and will be on your desk ready to use on Day 2. This gives you a full day’s jump on your competition; if they use local talent.

Don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting you send work and expect it done immediately. A VA isn’t on call 24/7! You must have a prearranged working agreement with your VA that they will do the assigned work in a set time frame. “On demand” work assignments can wreak havoc on a successful VA-Client relationship.

The time difference is very beneficial when your VA does work via remote log in to your computer.   Suppose you have a VA updating your contacts twice weekly. You fax copies of the business cards, the VA logs in to your computer and enters the information directly into your Contact Management System. If you have a VA who lives in a time zone with a 5 hour difference; remote log in and updating can be done while you are sleeping – freeing up your computer for your workday. Or have your VA doing bookkeeping or checking your email for spam 3 hours before you wake up in the morning.

Get a jumpstart on your competition and get your work done earlier!

VAnetworking has the largest database of Virtual Assistant websites worldwide – you can find a VA anywhere in the world; from Australia to Nova Scotia, or Texas to the United Kingdom.   Time zones can aid immensely in helping you and your VA work together and efficiently, while being far apart!

Check out the Virtual Assistant Search Engine to find one in any locale!