Despite the Virtual Assistant Industry being a good 20+ years of age, there are still people entering our industry with the wrong idea. Probably because there is so much misinformation out there. Which is a real shame, as it puts newbie VAs on the wrong foot to start with, and many potential clients also, when it comes to engaging support. I don't know how many times I've said it, but Virtual Assistants are self-employed owner/operators - running their own businesses. That is always how it … [Read more...]
Wondering how our VAs can help you?
I recently ran a poll on our VA Facebook Group and this is the result of the poll responses. This chart may change, over time, as more VAs join our group and respond to it, but I thought it might help you to see the types of things that can be done for you. It might even make you realise there is more that can be done for you than you thought. You may be wondering about the cost as well and that will vary considerably, depending on the type of work being done. Some will charge hourly, … [Read more...]
Being a Virtual Assistant means you are a business owner
This post is a bit of a rant, but I see so many misnomers on discussion groups about people wanting to become a VA but not put in the commitment it requires. Below is a recent post I made. I want to clear something up. There's a fallacy that it costs nothing to become a Virtual Assistant. But I need to tell you there are costs. Being a Virtual Assistant means you are running a business. It's not something you do on the side to earn a bit of pocket money. It's a business. Some do it part-time, … [Read more...]
Looking after self
As VAs it is ingrained into many of us to focus on our clients and get their work done. Sometimes to the detriment of our own health. I know I've been guilty of that myself. "I just have to get this done first...", "I can't leave the office because this client might be emailing me shortly...", "There will be time enough for 'that' later...", "There's not enough time in the day..." and so it goes on. Not to mention family needs, household needs, etc - we're always at the end of the line, have you … [Read more...]
Never work for free
Just recently, on a couple of different VA forums, I've come across Virtual Assistants who have worked without charging the client. They had good intentions, wanting the client to become familiar with their work abilities and with the promise of ongoing work, but for different reasons (or perhaps it was really the same reason), the work was not ongoing and the VAs were down hours and no pay. This is my advice to all of you. NEVER work for free. The industry belongs to all of us and you'll … [Read more...]
Things that VAs don’t do
It may come as a shock to you but Virtual Assistants (VAs) don't do everything! Despite what you read out there. Take it from someone who works inside the industry and has done so for over 20 years. VAs don't do everything individually, but we do a lot of things collectively. Originating from the administrative/secretarial field in the 1990s, the Virtual Assistant Industry evolved with the introduction of the Internet and the development of new technologies. Consequently today you'll find … [Read more...]
Do they know how to contact you?
I'm seeing an increasing trend of people creating brand new websites for their businesses but neglecting to put the most important information on their sites! Namely, how to contact you. Personally I don't like doing business with people who only have a contact form and no other form of contact on their site. Makes me wonder what they're trying to hide. I know, from personal experience, that many prospective clients like to pick up the phone and talk to me. Why wouldn't clients want to do the … [Read more...]
Reasons for becoming a Virtual Assistant
I've come across so many stories as to why people have chosen to become a Virtual Assistant. For me it was about family and has always been that. I began before the internet and in those days we were known as home-based secretaries. But the reasons why were the same. Fed up with corporate life and the rat race. Fed up with driving into the city and back every day, or being stuck because a train has broken down. Fed up with office politics and all that went with it. Fed up with being blocked … [Read more...]
Top FAQs for Virtual Assistant Clients
Do you have an FAQ page on your Virtual Assistant website? Have you considered the possible questions that might be asked of you about how working with a VA would work for a potential client? Because I manage a network for VAs as well as provide a service for clients from my site I have a mixture of questions that relate to both VAs and Clients. But let's just focus on clients for today. Below are lengthy explanations but you can shorten them somewhat for your own purposes. Possibly the … [Read more...]