Virtual Assistants Help Entrepreneurs Grow Sales
July 17, 2008
By Deborah Brown
Use a virtual assistant to free you up to grow salesI’ve heard it said “do what you love and delegate the rest.”
For small business owners, one of the biggest challenges is wearing all the hats. We originally went into business because we had a passion and skill for a certain service or product. However, our skills may not include the operational, marketing or financial end of the business. Read more
How do I delegate better?
July 8, 2008
Delegating is just one way to give an assignment to the people who work for you. To be a great manager, you need to master the art of determining just how much control to allow someone who works for you. That way you’ll understand when and how to delegate, and when and how to assign work in another way.
Lots of bosses are good at dumping, but not at delegating. They’re great at off-loading the things they don’t like to do and dropping assignments on their subordinates with little or no guidance.
Other bosses think that delegating is always the best way to assign work. That’s not right either. When you’ve got a competent and willing worker, delegation is the right way to go, but it’s not a good choice for workers who aren’t as competent or committed. Read more
What Should I Look For In A Virtual Assistant?
June 26, 2008
- Every Virtual Assistant should present at least 3 professional references and 1 Character reference. The references should contain a name, phone number and/or an email address and the Virtual Assistant should confirm she has asked for permission of each reference.
- The V irtual Assistantshould have a skill set matching your business requirements and needs. If you need support in a variety of areas, make sure you are partnering with a Virtual Assistant who comes with a wide range of experience in business and business operations.
- Communication is vital in any business relationship. Choose a Virtual Assistant who understands and is comfortable with your communication needs. It is important for you to indicate if you require frequent contact or if you prefer minimal interaction. If you like minimal interaction then it is best to find a VA who is a self starter and knowledgeable. If you require frequent contact, you’ll want a Virtual Assistant whose client base allows plenty of time for you, and has a low amount of clients. Being clear about this from the start will prevent misunderstandings. Communication is always a two-way street.
- Finding a Virtual Assistant “fit” is crucial when hiring a Virtual Assistant. Look for a Virtual Assistant with personality and level of professionalism. How easily conversation flows in your initial phone interaction usually indicates if the fit is good. If your business requires a high level of professionalism, you will want a Virtual Assistant who projects herself this way to you. If your business is not so formal, you can select a Virtual Assistant with a casual manner.
- Verify the Virtual Assistant’s computer platform is the same as yours, and the skills set is the same or advanced.
- Be sure the Virtual Assistant is available during the same hours you need assistance. If you need access to your Virtual Assistant during normal business hours and the time zone.
- There should be a business agreement clearly defining the role of your Virtual Assistant for tax purposes and the contract should be simple yet cover all areas that are important to your business requirements.
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Don’t Go Crazy - Hire A Virtual Assistant by Bonnie Jo Davis
June 19, 2008
Susan Holmes is an author and professional speaker. She travels frequently and hates coming home to piles of bills, unheard telephone messages and thousands of e-mail. Susan works harder and harder spending most evenings and weekends doing administrative chores and spends the workday servicing clients. No matter how hard she works Susan cannot get ahead. She begins to suffer from the symptoms of stress. She can’t sleep, doesn’t bother to eat regularly, suffers from anxiety to the point of feeling paralyzed when confronting the mess on her desk.Susan wishes Superman really exists so that he can swoop into her home office and rescue her from the foot high stacks of paper on her desk that are threatening to topple over. Susan tries to keep up as best as she can but soon she is so overwhelmed that she turns away paid speaking engagements in order to do administrative work.
Can you identify with Susan? Do you dread opening your office door because it isn’t a pretty sight? Hopefully you have a friend like Michelle. After months of trying Michelle finally talks Susan into having lunch. Michelle is taken aback at how tired Susan is and how unhappy she seems. After Susan confides in Michelle she gets silent and stares at the table. Michelle jumps in an offers Susan a solution that will both relieve her of her stress and allow her to pick up more speaking engagements.
What is this magical solution? It is a Virtual Assistant (VA). Michelle has been using a VA for several years because she once was in Susan’s position. Michelle explains to Susan that her VA handles all of her administrative and marketing tasks in addition to answering the phones from a remote location. The benefits of working with a VA becomes clear for Susan as Michelle tells her that she only pays for the time her VA works for her and that benefits and taxes are not an issue. Susan begins to think about all of her tasks she can outsource to a VA that would allow her to take on more speaking engagements. Susan also realizes that a VA can market her book and her articles and search for more lucrative speaking engagements. Michelle then explains that a Virtual Assistant handle a multitude of tasks including:
Answer phones
Business correspondence
Article Submission
Paperwork
Design marketing materials
Typing
Document formatting and clean up
Proofreading and editing
Marketing
Direct mail
Voice and e-mail monitoring
Research
Select and ship gifts
Travel arrangements
Lunch is soon finished and Michelle is suprised to see that Susan looks more alert and happy. Michelle offers to search for and screen VA’s while Susan organizes the work that needs to be turned over when someone is hired. Finally, Susan tackles those stacks of paper on her desk and the dust bunnies with gusto. Within just a few hours she is ready to delegate work and a few days later, thanks to Michelle, she begins working with Alice. Susan and Alice create a set of tasks that Alice will handle daily and then Susan packages up all the paperwork from her desk and sends it to Alice. In addition to the daily work Alice does she also motivates and supports Susan in her business goals.
Several months down the line Susan shares the secret of her success with her other friends and one by one they seek out and hire a Virtual Assistant. Lives are improved and businesses grow at a fast pace.
If you can identify with Susan then you need a VA. Don’t let money issues hold you back. A VA can be suprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish instead of handling daily tedious tasks. Go through that messy pile of papers on your desk and organize them with an eye towards delegating everything that you can. Seek out and hire a VA that will help you avoid going crazy and you will be glad you did!
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Bonnie Jo Davis is a Virtual Assistant who helps small businesses succeed by taking over those daily tasks that can drive even the most level headed entrepreneur crazy. For more information about Bonnie visit Davis Virtual Assistance.
Why RSS May Be The Big New Way To Communicate Online by Andrea Lee
May 29, 2008
I’m excited this week to bring you a special content on the topic of RSS. When I received the following email from a Biz Whiz Member, I asked coach and web designer Andy Wibbels to answer a few questions and write out some ‘How-To’ steps. Our virtual conversation is below.
And here’s the question that started it all:
“Hey Andrea, I’m enjoying the lessons on how to maximize existing technology. But I’ve been hearing stuff about RSS lately, and totally can’t make sense of it. I get the feeling it’s a big deal and for once I’d like to be ahead of the game, instead of catching up (I finally have a blog.) Can you lay it all out? Who, what, where, when and HOW, please! Thanks.” Read more
Building a Multi-VA (Virtual Assistant) Business By Mary-Lou Ashton
May 22, 2008
The Benefits
Most business owners who operate a VA company do so for several reasons. They have experienced a measure of success in which they were getting too busy to provide the all the services themselves. They want to expand the services they offer or utilize the expertise of a fellow VA through a structured profit center taking more of a managerial role. They may want to expand their market to a different country through the location of their VA’s or possibly to grow personally and professionally.
The benefit to clients is they have access to a ready- made team of professionals providing a variety of services who produce quality work. The client can decide if they want to be hands on with the associates or not at all leaving the VA company owner to handle the managing of the team. Sometimes the client wants to portray a larger company image and working with a VA company can provide them with that. Read more
Joining VA Organizations Has Many Benefits by Janice Byer
May 16, 2008
Recently, while providing an up-and-coming Virtual Assistant (VA) with some startup information, she asked me a very interesting question, “Why do you and other VA’s join organizations?”
I guess I take for granted the reasons why I belong to several VA organizations. But, to those that are new to any industry, joining an organization made up of your competitors is a valid concern.
Some organizations have members that are from a variety of walks of life (i.e. small business organizations, etc.) while others are more specified and include only members from a specific industry (i.e. VA organizations).
I cannot speak for those in other industries but, for myself and some others I know and associate with in the VA industry, there are several reasons why we join organizations specific to our knowledge. Actually, most of these reasons are probably similar for other organizations and their participants and why they join.
So, why do I join industry specific organizations? Several reasons:
1. Networking. This is one of the main reasons for joining any organization and is actually part in parcel with all the other reasons I will list here. Networking with anyone and everyone is essential to the growth of any business, including a Virtual Assistance Business. This industry is still fairly young and by networking with your peers, we can all work together to increase the exposure of this industry, thus increasing the visibility of each individual’s business.
2. The opportunity to work with fellow VAs. With the increased exposure and acceptance of the VA industry, many veteran VA’s are finding their workloads are getting to a point where they are having to outsource some of their work themselves. If they don’t know about you they won’t even have the chance to consider sending you some of their overflow. Not to mention, most VAs specialize in certain procedures and, should a task come up for a client that is not one of their specialties, they may need to subcontract the project.
3. Learning from your fellow members. No matter if you are an experienced VA or new to the industry, there is always something to learn from others. Veteran VAs have been there and done that so they have the voice of experience to offer. Those new to the industry can sometimes be an excellent source of new & fresh ideas.
4. You have the chance to get involved in new ventures. Many veteran VAs collaborate to initiate new ventures and projects to help enhance the industry. Usually, during the start up phase of these new ventures, it is common to work with those that you know and respect and have them involved in the process. By being a member of an organization and staying involved, you become visible to your fellow VAs and thus may be requested to become involved in the newest industry-boosting project.
5. And finally, one of the perks of joining an organization is the joy of making new friends. When working from home, which is where most VAs operate their businesses, isolation can become an issue. Being a member of a VA organization results in making friends with fellow VAs, reducing the isolation aspect. These friendships can also result in a mentor type relationship where the two (or more) of you share ideas that will help to boost each other’s businesses and even you personal lives. (Such is the case of myself and my best friend Kathy Ritchie of Ritchie Secretarial Service -www.thebestva.com)
To sum it all up, being a member of an industry specific organization has many benefits and shouldn’t be viewed as associating with the enemy. Try to think of your relationship with your fellow industry members as coopetition rather than competition. By working together we can build the industry as a whole, our own individual businesses and even our personal lives.
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Janice Byer, owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services (http://www.docutype.net) provides professional, creative and affordable virtual office assistance and small business website design. She is a Certified Canadian Virtual Assistant (CCVA) and Master Virtual Assistant (MVA). She is also the author of Surfin’ The Net - Docu-Type’s Virtual Collection of Links, (http://www.docutype.net/SurfinTheNet/linksebook.htm) which is filled with the secrets of her success. Visit her website for more information and to get your copy.
Technorati Tags: Janice Byer, docutype, canadian virtual assistant, canadian VA, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, VA, CCVA
Skills a Virtual Assistant Needs to Insure a Full Practice By Kathy Sparks, VA Technical School
May 8, 2008
If your VA practice is lacking, and no one seems to bragging about you, then perhaps your virtual assistant technical skills are not meeting the requirements that most entrepreneurs need. If your clients brag about you, you probably are not having a problem keeping your practice as full as you want it. Someone bragging about you is the best kind of networking you could ask for.
This message was in an email I received a few weeks ago:
“After desperately looking for some high quality virtual assistants to recommend to my clients, I am finally taking things in my own hands…”
Can you tell what this person is saying? This entrepreneur could not find virtual assistants she could turn to for any or most of the projects she had and her clients need.
It appears that we are letting some great opportunities pass us by because we are not skilled enough to handle the projects successful entrepreneurs need.
Let me explain. If your car develops a mechanical problem, you want to take it to your local garage, you expect them to diagnose the problem and to fix the problem. You don’t want to go back and hear, “oh, we don’t do that, you’ll have to take your car to Dan the mechanic.” And then what happens? You need to go to Dan, make another appointment, and spend more time without the car. Pretty soon a whole day is gone and you have to do it all over again tomorrow.
Understand how pleasant it is for your client to hear, “okay, sure, I can do that.” Wow, they LOVE that statement. If you are an entrepreneur who has projects that need continuity and that require one system to work with the other, for instance, a product attached to a shopping cart that results in an autoresponder being sent - you, as the entrepreneur, would love to turn the whole project over to your virtual assistant. As the client’s VA, you will be more efficient by being able to work through the process yourself rather than finding and relying on someone else to do parts of the project.
You can start turning clients away because there is no more room in your practice by being the virtual assistant that clients brag about. And why do they brag? Because you have the skills they need to run their business.
Once you have learned how to start your Virtual Assistant practice, you need to close the gap between knowing how to start the “business” and actually meeting the technical needs of the people out there who need great VAs.
When skilled virtual assistants cannot be found, business people search for individuals who do the specific projects, like setting up a hosting account, setting up the shopping cart, customer service, learning some software - looks like this person will be managing four people. Not much “time saving here.” They could subscribe to a service that provides a “Team” of VAs. The problem with this solution is that the client is either communicating with the specific member of the team that is working on a specific project or only gets to communicate with the coordinator.
A Virtual Assistant Partnership is a team between the client and VA where the VA is well versed in the business, and can complete the major portion of the tasks required of the business owner.
You should be able to show your clients ways to enhance their businesses. You should be able to say, “yes I can” more times than, “I’ll find someone for you to do that.” As a virtual assistant, you should always be in the process of broadening your skills so that you can help take your clients from an idea to a viable business.
You’ve already learned HOW to become a VA, now you need to add value (and $$$) to our virtual assistant practice by focusing on increasing your technical skill level. You can create a WOW image and have your clients brag about you. By increasing your value, you can increase your rates. Don’t fall into the “box” of low paid Virtual Assistants who know only how to type a letter or work on a spreadsheet.
You can learn how to become the VA clients brag about and you can close the technical gap between “how to be a VA” and actually being able to execute the things your clients need to help make their businesses successful. This gap can be closed with technical training. Skills entrepreneurs constantly ask for are the ability to maintain a web site, manage a shopping cart, set up autoresponders, send broadcast emails, find joint venture partners, distribute articles, how to use Assessment Generator, help them develop products, set up a teleclass and marketing their site, teleclasses and products.
VAs need a wide variety of skills and we need to know when, where and how to apply those skills. We need to know the best way to apply them for our customers. We need to know the best solution for the problem at hand. Adding to your technical skills is a win/win for you and your client. You win because you add value to your business and your client wins because now they get new ideas and they can count on you to do the job.
About the Author:
Kathy Sparks, VA Technical School, is a ten year veteran of a full Virtual Assistant Practice. Visit VA Technical School to learn more about how to add value to your VA practice. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
How to Have a Successful Relationship with a Virtual Assistant by Cindy Greenway
May 1, 2008
It takes time to find a great VA – someone who you will share information about your business; someone that will, over time, “partner” with you to help you in building your business revenue.
More than likely, you want someone that is excited about your business. Someone who can’t wait to help you reach your goals and someone who can offer a wide range of knowledge and expertise in using technology to help simplify and automate tasks.
People “find” their VAs in different ways. You may have been referred to a great VA from one of your colleagues, maybe you browsed around the internet, met someone at a conference/meeting or perhaps the VA found you and contacted you regarding your business. Whichever way you found a VA, there are certain aspects that are imperative to ensuring the relationship is going to get off to a good start.
Through managing the Multiple Streams Team and my own VA business, Victoria Business Solutions, I speak to people every day that know want to hire a VA. They are at different stages of their business, however they know they NEED HELP. When I ask them what kind of help they are looking for, they all have a variety of responses – some that don’t match the criteria of what a VA is and can do.
Firstly, before I go forward, there is one thing I must clarify - a VA is NOT a Coach! Little bells go off in my ears when I hear small business owners say that they don’t want to delegate to a VA – they want the VA to tell them what needs to be done and then help them do it. Perhaps after working with a VA for numerous months, after they have a clear understanding of your business strategy and goals and have developed a good relationship for you, they will be able to offer suggestions and feedback on what you may want to consider working on. However, it is NOT the VAs role to tell you what needs to take place next in your business. They can certainly provide insight on the tools and resources available to accomplish a task (for example, the various ways to automate your newsletter sign up and distribution function), however they should not be expected to provide you with a strategy on what you need to do in order to build the multiple streams of coaching income for your business.
Here are 5 tips to consider before and during a new relationship with a VA. If you follow these steps, you are more likely to have a positive and successful relationship with a VA from day one.
1. Know your Business Strategy
If you are clear about what you want for your business, you are already heading in the right direction as far as working with a VA. By sharing this information with a VA, they will learn the general structure of how they can best assist you. As your relationship progresses and they learn more about you and your business, they may provide you with suggestions and feedback on how a certain tool may benefit you both short term and long term.
If you are not clear on your business strategy, I encourage you to consider this before starting a relationship with a VA. You will find that by having your business strategy in place, your discussions and focus will be much more streamlined and well worth your investment in having a VA join your team. Remember – think of them as a profit center. If you don’t know your strategy, how will you know how a VA can become your profit center?
2. Define Your Goals
By having a business strategy in place, it makes it much easier to define your goals and approximate “deadlines” for when you would like to accomplish them. By sharing these goals with your VA, they can assist you in prioritizing tasks that need to take place in order for that goal to be completed. As they become more comfortable with you and your business, they will start to “look ahead” at the priorities and consider the kinds of tools/resources needed to accomplish future goals.
By sharing your business strategy and goals with your VA, you have set the foundation for a successful relationship.
This doesn’t mean that you can not change your priorities – of course, changing of priorities is “normal” as we build our businesses. We may decide to focus more energy on one area versus another; however the tasks and general direction towards the business strategy remain the
same.
3. Communicate Your Expectations
We all have expectations on what we would like our ideal “partner” to be. If you have specific expectations, then communicate these to your VA well before you start to dive in and have them take over tasks for you – avoid any frustration or disappointment well before it has time to evolve!
Remember to be realistic in your expectations. A VA is a sub-contractor – not an employee, therefore, things you may need to consider are their hours of operation that they have other clients also, and they are not always going to be available to you 100% of the time by phone or
email.
Also, remember that a VA does not know everything. For example, they may be very skilled in some areas and not as skilled in others. Even in areas that they are very skilled in, they may not be aware or potential glitches unless they have already experienced them with another client.
VAs take pride in what they do and often they are continuously looking at ways to strengthen and build their skills (that’s why we started the Grow Your VA Biz Membership Area at www.growyourvabiz.com). If they don’t know how to do something, it’s not because they’re not a great VA, it may mean they just haven’t experienced that particular task yet.
4. Be Ready to Invest Some Time
I can’t stress this tip enough – it takes time, from both the VA and the client, to build a successful relationship. Any relationship requires time, especially at the beginning. A relationship with you and your VA is no different.
When starting to work with a VA, be prepared to take time out of your week to connect with them. This may include sharing information about your business strategy, goals, preferences, your “wants” and them learning how they can convert those “wants” into functioning items in your business. Be available to answer questions they may have, take the time to “share” with them and allow for time to simply getting to know each other.
If you make the time for this relationship while you are in the beginning stages, you will find that less time will be required later on. This doesn’t mean you won’t communicate with your VA weekly, it just means that they will have learned about your style, wants, needs etc. in the early stages and therefore, can confidently move forward in providing you with support.
Not investing time in your VA, especially at the beginning of your relationship could mean frustration from both parties and even failure. You will spend much more time “fixing” pieces later on than you would have if you had taken the time to put the pieces in place at the beginning.
5. Start with a project
Many times we are so pleased to know there is someone to assist us that we have difficulty determining where to start! I recommend starting with a project – something you’ve wanted to do for some time but just haven’t had a chance to do it. An example may be submitting your articles on the internet.
I quite often refer to a client that I started working with about a year and a half ago. When we decided to work together, he provided me with 5 articles and asked me to find places online that I could submit them to. The goal was to increase his visibility on the internet. This was a GREAT start for both of us. By reading his articles, I was able to learn about his business, his target, the services he provided and his general style. This also provided him with an idea of my work style. Did I call and ask questions if I had them, when I was left to work on an assignment, did I need constant reminding, or did I just do it? After some time of working on this, we moved to bigger and “better” things. He learned he could trust me, and I learned more about how I could best benefit him in his business. Today we’re still working together and have a great relationship.
In starting with a project, there is very little “risk” involved. It provides the both yourself and the VA with critical information about the each other before moving forward.
Consider a project that a VA can help you with. If the project is a success, keep moving forward. If there are questions etc., then address those at the time. It’s much easier to deal
with any issues at this point of the relationship!
Bonus Tip - 6. Have a Communication “Plan”.
As virtual partners, it’s important to have a good “communication” plan in place with your VA. For example, with clients whose businesses I am very involved in, I have a weekly one hour phone call with them. Throughout the week we communicate via email relating to the various tasks we are working on, however once a week we get together for a one hour discussion that includes our current tasks, future tasks and anything else that we are working towards.
This provides both parties with a personal connection and allows for easy discussion rather than interpreting details from within an email. I find this weekly call to be invaluable in my relationship with my clients and I know my clients appreciate it also.
How can you put these tips into place with your new or current VA relationship?
By considering these tips, you will be on your way to having a great, long-term relationship
with your Virtual Assistant.
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Cindy Greenway has been a VA since 2003, working with reputable clients in various professions. In 2005, Cindy and her partners started the Multiple Streams Team which offers a team of VAs that provide quality VA support to small business clients. To learn how a VA can help you build your business, visit http://www.multiplestreamsteam.com and sign up for the free “Boost Business with a VA” Report. Virtual Assistants can learn more about the skills they need to have, as well as how to build and sustain a profitable VA business by visiting http://www.growyourvabiz.com and requesting the free 10 Critical Skills ecourse.
How to Choose a Virtual Assistant
April 25, 2008
By Karyn Greenstreet
copyright © 2007, by Karyn Greenstreet. All rights reserved.
For over 15 years I worked with an assistant who came to my home office and helped me with the administrative side of my business. When I moved away from the area 18 months ago, I lost her services.
I had two choices: look for another administrative assistant nearer to my new home office, or delve into the world of “virtual assistants.” A virtual assistant does not come to your office. Instead he or she works from their own office and assists you via phone, internet, fax, and email.
When I looked through the list of all the tasks I wanted an assistant to perform, there was no reason why this person couldn’t be located anywhere in the world. After careful research I hired an assistant who lives 2,500 miles away, and although we’ve never met in person, we’ve formed a strong foundation which helps my business run smoothly. Read more
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