Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry

About the Virtual Assistant industry for VAs and for clients

Monthly Archives: October 2007

Challenges and Hindrances

Regular readers know I belong to LinkedIn, which is a very large international professional business network. I have met so many people there and have been able to secure new clients for my team as well. It’s been a great group.

A new connection asked me some questions and I thought they were so good, I would add them here. I told him I was curious to know why he asked but I answered all the same. He’s a professor of Finance and Economics so it’s most likely professional curiosity and/or interest.

Q: In growing your VA business, what are some of the challenges you face now or have faced in the past? What do you feel is hindering your growth today? What are your biggest threats?

A: Biggest challenges? People writing about our industry but not really knowing or understanding it. They promote that business operators can get VA help at $5 an hour and that is not true. They can get people from countries with very low incomes for that rate but those people generally do not have the skills or experience to become a Personal Assistant to a business operator in western countries. And that’s what a Virtual Assistant is for the most part – a PA only virtual.

Hindering my growth? A similar mindset to above but from those who are looking to enter this industry without paying a cent. I have to explain to them that they’re looking to set up a business and it is going to cost them time and money. Time to learn the ropes and get set up, time to get experience and wisdom, and money to pay for the things they need to operate, which includes marketing and advertising and belonging to industry groups – all of which are tax deductible.

Biggest threats? New VAs who think they know it all after 6 months in business and then they set out to start new groups or new coaching programs, effectively watering down the professionalism of our industry. I’m not against VAs wanting to get ahead but believe they should get some experience and knowledge behind them first before taking that next step. Generally those running networks and/or coaching programs successfully have been in the industry for several years and have the credibility and experience required.

I realise that all three of my answers above are probably going to put some noses out of joint but I do believe that I have the knowledge required to say the above, having been in the industry since its inception. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and networks come and go, and it’s not all plain sailing. There’s a lot of hard work involved and a lot of hours too – to maintain networks or courses and service clients as well. Not to mention help those just starting out and answer the same questions over and over without getting sick of it. I love helping new VAs get started and I love sharing my knowledge. You have to be committed and driven.

Spring is in the air and that means…

… clearing out the clutter!   In the southern hemisphere we are in the middle of springtime, the flowers are beginning to bloom, birds are waking us earlier in the morning and I’m growing aware of the clutter around me.

Perhaps in winter we feel it necessary to have ‘stuff’ around us, to close us in, keep us warm, but when Spring arrives I want to shed off the extra weight (so I’m watching my diet more and trying to exercise regularly), shed off the hot clothing and get rid of the clutter sitting around me in the office and at home.

I’m already planning things for the new year and have my new diary to enter those things in.  I love the ‘new’ beginnings and love planning for what might take place.  Do you know it’s only 9 weeks till the end of the year?  Have you begun making changes or plans in anticipation for the forthcoming end of year celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year, etc)?

It’s never too late to start planning, to begin new habits, to throw away old ones, to clear out the clutter and start afresh.   At this time of year I write lots, I also love to work in the garden whilst thinking and planning and often spend time out there counting the flower buds and just enjoying being outside in the open with the sun on me.

$5 an hour VA

Recently I became aware of a promotion for a chapter of a business networking group, promoting the 4 hour work week and using $5 an hour VAs. Whilst I know this book has held the interest of a lot of people who want to work less hours and still make the same or more amount of money, I really do get disturbed about the promotion of $5 an hour VAs. The reality is that a lot of the people doing these promotions know little if anything of the VA industry and they’ve picked up on something that Timothy Ferriss wrote, without really thinking it through or investigating it properly.

True, there are people out there who will do your typing, or data entry for $5 an hour. Generally these people are not trained typists with a background from the corporate world or as admin support people – they’re usually people at home with a computer and internet connection, looking to earn some extra money. They should, in no way, be considered a VA or Virtual Assistant.

I contacted the President of the organisation because of my concern and some of my team did as well. This is my email to that organisation:

I pioneered the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia and have been running this network since April 1996. We pride ourselves in our professionalism and abilities and have had articles in most major newspapers around Australia, in Reader’s Digest and several business magazines and in the Lawyers Weekly.

Outsourcing to people who only charge $5 an hour is encouraging business people to seek cheap support often from people who are not equipped through experience and knowledge to provide the kind of support they need and deserve. We’ve seen these type of promotions before and it really does a disservice to our industry and many of us take exception to it. Sourcing ‘VAs’ through Craigs list and similar will only end up attracting the attention of people who are trying to earn some extra income at home using the computer and internet connection they have, but frequently they don’t have the corporate skills and experience behind them. Virtual Assistants should be sourced via the 20+ VA Networks available out there and they all show up in Google searches. And there are many VAs going it alone who aren’t with the networks but still able to be found via Google.

The network I manage has members in 16 countries so I can provide VA support from other countries with different currency rates but certainly not at $5 an hour.

Some of the following articles might help you, or the people who want to know about our industry understand it a bit more.

Virtual Assistant or Virtual Worker?
Seeking a VA – price and where to search?
Can A Virtual Assistant Be An Employee?
Virtual Assistant Needed
When Is An Hour Not An Hour?
Speed and Efficiency = Cheaper Job!

I did receive a response fairly quickly and was pleased to hear that they were going to present the other (our) side as well and show the above articles to the attendees to make them aware of the services available here in Australia and via VA networks in general. A good outcome.

Do you have a product or service for the VA Industry? Then read on…

Over the past few months I’ve had a number of approaches from people who have developed a product or service that they want to promote to the Virtual Assistant industry. Sometimes it’s clear to me that they don’t understand the VA industry at all and after discussing their product or service and our industry, they go away again – back to the drawing board. Other times they come at it with a focus from their country only – they forget our industry is global not nationally focused.

If you’re developing a product or service for the industry and you begin to approach industry leaders in order to get the product or service promoted, then here is a list of suggested things for you to think about and make sure you have covered:

  • If the product requires the use of phone systems what countries is it suitable for?
  • If your product or service means the input of data, what kind of back up system do you have in place and guarantees relating to this? Our (VA) data is our bread and butter and online back up systems could be a concern, particularly with new services and businesses – they have no history to demonstrate credibility and safety.
  • What format is the data in and can it be exported so we can do backups on our own computer systems?
  • If you have a form for filling out, make sure it will accept several different phone number formats and that you have made allowances for states in other countries and zip codes.
  • Make sure your pricing lists the currency it’s intended for – otherwise you might get people assuming it’s in their own currency.
  • Be prepared to advise if you have approached other VA networks or industry leaders or is the person you’ve just contacted the first?

Having answers prepared in advance for the above will help assist you in getting your product or service out there to the VA industry.

Finally, if you’re seeking a Virtual Assistant industry leader or Network founder to help promote your product or service to the industry, be prepared to allow them to use the product and get familiar with it. As soon as they begin to promote your product or service they will largely be seen by the industry as ‘endorsing’ what you have on offer – it’s only fair that they feel confident about the product or service to be able to do so.

Brenner Research on VA Industry

Many of you will know that Brenner’s have done industry reports on the VA industry. Their most recent one has left out vital information relating to a good portion of the VA industry – those located in Australia, New Zealand and other countries. If you’ve not previously participated in the survey this year then I encourage you to please take a few minutes and fill out this survey – there are a total of 10 questions, some with multiple choice answers.

Click Here to take survey