I like to keep watch on various things posted online, as many of us do and it never ceases to amaze me to see someone seeking a ‘virtual assistant’ and then putting the price on what they want to pay. It frequently doesn’t match up – the rate the client wants to pay versus the work they want done. Do they think that VAs are monkeys? Because it seems all they want to pay is peanuts a lot of the time.

I recently saw a job post at DoMyStuff.com where someone was advertising for a VA to assist with projects which requested the following:

web research, authoring documents and presentations, sorting email, etc. There is a mix of personal and business tasks.

Requirements: excellent English skills, good computer and internet skills, fast turnaround, quick response times

Rates: at most $10 / hour, lower rates will receive preference

When I looked at the responses they got it was from a 16 year old (still at school), another who said they were willing to accept that task and a third saying that’s what she does for a living. All of them were quoting $10 or less.

No wonder people get the wrong idea about this role and think that anyone could set up at home. And no wonder new VAs get discouraged or wonder how they can build up a successful business if they’re going to have to bid so low for a client.

The answer is you don’t – at least not through sites like these. That’s where the Virtual Assistant Networks come in – many list Request for Proposals or Job Leads to their members and the networks are easily found on the web. VA members get listings on their websites and when participating in the VA forums, they get to mix and mingle with those already doing it and making a success of their VA businesses. Why go it alone when you can learn from others? There’s something to be said about mixing in the right company so if you’re looking to become a VA, or are already and going it alone, it’s time to start seeking out the VA networks and forums and get involved! KMT

virtual assistant, VA business, work at home, business building, networking

Chris Conley at Startup or Bust contacted me recently for an interview for his upcoming Blogathon which is now taking place. Why not head on over there and give him some encouragement and read all the interviews he’s done on many different subjects? Mine is interview number 4 out of a total of 48 he’s doing over a 24 hour period. You can see him live in action during the Blogathon. KMT

Blogathon, blogging, interview

Skype is frequently used by VAs the world over now to have discussions with clients, participate in seminars, partake of coaching and contact distant family members. Recently on one of the VA forums I belong to there was a question about Skype and how easy it was to use. A VA’s family member is going to be overseas for a period of time and they wanted to be assured of making contact regularly, easily and at low cost.

There are costs involved for some of the services but we’ve not as yet made use of them. The free facilities have been more than adequate for our needs. Here is my response at that forum.

We use it too but have never had to buy any time at all. Totally free. We have a daughter in Japan and we are in Melbourne, Australia. We talk regularly every week for up to 2 hours at a time, at no cost. Was really useful 2 days ago. The recent earthquake was very close to where she is living and working and we could not contact her by phone – the lines were either down or congested but thank God we could use Skype and were able to talk to her that way. She’d no idea how bad the quake was until I told her – she then looked online on the news sites and saw for herself all the damage.

9 people killed last time I heard. So, even with the phone system out, the internet was still working and we were able to speak to our daughter and be assured she was safe and ok.

I encourage you to explore it if you haven’t yet. It is a free download and very easy to install and set up. Just a username, password and your email address is all you need. After that you can add people to your contact list and search for others who might be listed with Skype. The thing I like watching is the number online at any given time – always in the millions! KMT

virtual assistant, Skype, Technology, VA networks

Some months ago (in 2006 actually) we had a few articles come out in Lawyer’s Weekly in Australia and it was good to see the recognition by the legal industry of how Virtual Assistants can assist them in their daily needs.

A new article has just been published by Law Practice Today titled The Virtual Assistant: Every Lawyer Needs One! and I thought I’d share the article with you – it is a good one and gives great information about the types of things that VAs can do to service their clients in the legal industry.

It was closing day: there were last minute changes to the Asset Purchase Agreement before meeting with the vendor’s team. My secretary was sick. What I thought were simple additions and changes to the Agreement were not so. The text jumped around inexplicably with every revision, and in my frantic attempts to justify the text the fonts switched repeatedly, the numbering changed its sequencing and the alignment shifted back – all seemingly with a mind of its own. I was desperate.

So began my relationship with my VA (Virtual Assistant): a card in my Roladex that I was sure I’d never need. She gave me an instant solution. I noted the changes on the agreement, faxed them, and emailed the troublesome text. As instantaneously as if my secretary had been there, the amended agreement was sitting in my Inbox ready to print in quadruplicate. It was that easy.

To read the rest, click here.

The article mentions searching on Google for VA networks, but I thought I’d save you, the reader, some time and list a few of them here.  KMT

• A Claytons Secretary (VA Directory)
• Alliance of UK Virtual Assistants
• Home Secretarial Services
• International Association of Virtual Assistants UK (IAVA)
  
• International Association of Virtual Office Assistants (IAVOA)
  
• International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA)
  
• Real Estate Virtual Assistant Network (REVA)
  
• Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA)

virtual assistant, legal industry, Lawyers, VA networks

I was recently approached by an organisation I’d never heard of to promote their new certification for VAs. Their email was not very clear in explaining what they were promoting and when I went to their website, I found their page for the certification for VAs. However, I decided to decline their request to promote to my list of VAs till I received further information. Why?

1. They appeared to not be a member of any coaching or educational organisation.

2. There was no apparent affiliation with the industry field they were providing the certification for.

3. I’d not heard of them before but am not averse to new groups – just careful.

4. It is very easy for people to create new courses based on a perceived need and some research but not necessarily out of real knowledge of the industry.

I did research the organisation and located old websites dating back to 2001/2002 and found they had worked in a different field altogether. But again, nothing that shows they are aligned with a training institute or indeed have the experience and knowledge to train VAs in the particular niche field they are promoting.

I encourage to you look carefully when seeking out coaching programs and check their credentials – are they experienced in the field that they provide the training for? Do they have the relevant background experience? Are they aligned with a coaching organisation or training institute? Do they have testimonials showing? Are there others who have done their courses that you can contact for verification?

The organisation that approached me may well be genuine, but I reserve the right to withhold any decisions until I receive further information. Even if the course is promoted with a heavy discount and short time frame for making a decision, it is worth while doing the homework and research first. Having certification for your industry and chosen field is a good thing to do – you just need to be sure that the organisation or person providing it, are qualified to do so, otherwise the time involved, the expense and the paper at the end of it amounts to very little. KMT

virtual assistants, coaching, training, certification, qualifications

The above was recently posted by a new member of my VA forum and I decided it would be good to share my answer here as well.

Hi, this is something everyone goes through when starting out and many new VAs do not realise that getting work online is not the only way to get work. We make the mistake of thinking we’re operating ‘virtually’ so the only way to get work is by promoting online – but that is not the case.

Most of my own clients I have met personally, or have been referred to me by people I know personally. Not all, but most. It takes time to develop a web presence and for people to find you so there are things you can do that will help you and here are some of them.

1. Develop a signature block so that everyone you contact via email has some way of contacting you. If your email for example was forwarded to someone else as in this message your email address would not be visible so how would they know to contact you? I haven’t got my email address showing but do have websites listed and my contact details are there. But you could include your email address in the signature block. Your signature block is your business card online.

2. List with VA networks and directories – some have free listings and others have paid listings. That is because some provide additional benefits and others don’t but getting your name out there and online helps. With that develop a list of services you want to provide so when clients do find you online they’ll know that you can help them in the areas of service you provide. Some of these directories will provide a page listing for you so if you don’t yet have a website, don’t despair, you can still get listed.

3. Participate in forums like this one – you will learn from a lot of the more experienced VAs but will be able to assist others as you gain experience and knowledge. VAs often will sub-contract to others when they need help with a project or job, but will only approach VAs they have come to know over time and/or those who present themselves well via email as it demonstrates your typing abilities to start with. (There are around 20 VA networks, many of which do have discussion forums so it’s worth joining at least 3 to get to know others and learn what happens around the world).

4. Find a VA mentor or coach to help you get on track with your business, or a course that will help bring you up to speed.

5. List with business directories online – not to be confused with VA directories. This could mean your local council, chamber of commerce, state listings and so on.

6. Network locally, go and meet business people who live and work near you. You might even have a neighbour who needs your services but they are unaware of what you have to offer. In meeting local business people it will keep you abreast of local laws relating to your business, you’ll meet others in different industries who experience exactly the same challenges, concerns and successes as you will experience. You will get to pass out your business cards (always important to carry them with you at all times) and if you give more than one then people can pass them on to others – which I’ve had happen lots of times.

Not all clients will come to you via an online presence because not everyone yet is web savvy, or do not think of the web first when seeking support. We get lots of Yellow Pages clients here in Australia and I know the same occurs for those in the US – I expect it would be the same in other countries too. While many of these people will have email not all of them think of the internet first when seeking support for their businesses so it’s important to make sure you’re promoting both online and off line.

Hope these ideas assist in getting you established. KMT

virtual assistant, VA business, work at home, business building, networking, BNI, Leads Club, Chamber of Commerce