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If you think you need to “do it all” yourself, and are feeling overwhelmed, disorganized and unproductive, it’s a sign that it might be time to call in the troops.

Virtual Assistants – VA’s – are business people who handle tasks for your business which you lack the time or talent for. A VA can:

Create and send invoices

Handle your accounting

Manage emails and phone calls

Manage customer service

Manage your calendar

Heck, a VA can even manage your entire business for you

Handle your social media presence

Set up Facebook ads

Write and/or proofread blog posts

Update your website

Really, anything you hate to do yourself!

 

One of the many fantastic opportunities the internet has brought about is the ability to work virtually anywhere in the world there’s an internet connection. Not only for you and your clients/customers, but your employees or contractors are not limited geographically. There is someone out there with just the skills you need.

 

Finding the Perfect Assistant

 

There are many, many reputable businesses and sites in the internet, and of course, many that are not. So how to find the right VA? As a business owner, you’re likely a member of various online organizations and groups. Send out queries to your connections. VA’s are increasingly becoming more and more prevalent, so you should be able to get some good recommendations. In my own experience, word-of-mouth recommendations are how my own business has grown, as there’s no better referral than the good experience of someone you know.

If you’ve never considered hiring a VA before, I’ve listed 6 important skills any good VA should have that you should look for in discovery calls:    Note –  know this is not spaced properly. WordPress is doing wonky things with their automatic list – numbering feature, and rather than spend a lot of time trying to fix it, am just going to publish it and call it done.

  1. They’re* organized. The importance of this can’t be overstated. They should of course, help your business run smoothly, but they should run their own business the same way. When you talk with them, ask what tools and applications they use to manage various tasks, both for you and their own business.
  2. They have good communication skills. A big part of hiring an assistant is so they can contact clients, suppliers, virtually anyone you do business with. Not all VA’s offer phone work as a service, but all must write effectively, whether blog posts, website maintenance, invoices, emails. A good VA will understand your communication style and be knowledgable – or willing to learn – your industry and niche.

3. They’re picky about details. Your VA will be the front-facing image of your business. You need someone who cares for your customers. It’s the small things that usually slip through the cracks.

4. A great VA can think on their feet and be able to adjust to changes. Let’s face it – no two days are ever the same in business, as you know by now. A supplier doesn’t meet their deadline, meaning you can’t deliver to your customers, the internet goes down, an important deliver to a customer goes missing, all your employees are sick with the flu at once. Your VA should be deadly organized, yet flexible enough to adjust with change to minimize any negative impacts on your business.

5. A great VA understands your mindset and “mission.” You do have an official mission, I hope? Your big Why that I wrote about in a previous post. Your VA should understand your vision and why it’s important to you, so when things derail, they can get you back on track by reminding you why the actual fuck you’re doing this shit. Hopefully, they have a good sense of humor and make you laugh. That’s a bonus!

I hope you’re thinking now about how you can free up your time so you can spend time doing what you love and are talented at. Such joy to feel free of tasks you just can’t do so you can focus on the things that bring you joy – and more success!

*I refer to VA’s in a general term as “they” and “them” since of course a VA can be either sex. 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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