The Virtual Assistant Industry is a vast network of professional entrepreneurs engaged in helping your business meet its goals for growth, increased revenue, online branding, image and exposure. We are your long term vested partners who are truly part of your team, your daily business operations and your second pair of hands and eyes to ensure everything is successfully managed to your satisfaction.
My personal network is comprised of amazing women, dedicated virtual assistants, who are so willing to help one another, answer questions, provide assistance, referrals or even brainstorm. There aren’t too many industries with such a tight group of people who don’t fear competition or sharing of information. The client/virtual assistant relationship is based upon many different factors for each individual partnership and there must be a resonance along with the skill set to make them a cohesive productive team. Speaking from experience, my clients and I all work well together – communication, feedback and accountability are key components for success. Being in business since 2002, I have been very fortunate to engage with some amazing entrepreneurs. I think I learn as much from them, as they do from me. I hope so anyway.
Choosing to delegate is not always an easy step because you feel you are giving up control, but when you partner with an established virtual entrepreneur, you are choosing someone who is in business for themselves and know what it takes to succeed. The 365/24/7 mentality of a driven business owner will have a greater impact on your success, than an offshore call center who has one off task managers. Give careful consideration to your long term needs, your goals and what you expect from your delegatee. Established virtual assistants go above and beyond the request. We are always “on” in terms of your business. A task manager does that one task and nothing more. You may be asking about price and cost effectiveness. Just remember the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” Value, effort, dedication and commitment are priceless.
Tips to help you find a virtual assistant
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are just three of the online platforms to help you find the perfect virtual assistant for you and your company. Due diligence is very important and shouldn’t be a shortcut to save time because in the long run, it will cost you.
- Ask questions about their business, history, why and when they got started
- Review their website/blogs
- Ask for references
- Request writing and portfolio samples
- Follow and engage with them
- Watch their writing style and shared content
- Are their emails professionally written?
- What software and tools do they use, both online and off?
- Do they respond to your email inquiries in a timely manner?’
- How do you perceive their online brand image?
- What are their greatest proficiencies?
- What are their hours and availability?
- Do they have off hours to meet your needs?
- Schedule a call or two
- Did you feel a connection on the call?
- Were they engaging?
- Were all of your questions answered to your satisfaction?
- Did you get a feeling of authenticity?
- What are their strengths/weaknesses?
What attributes helped you choose your virtual assistant?
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