Do you need more time during the day to meet with clients, develop products or give your attention to future planning for your business?
Do you feel that you spend too much time filling out forms, updating your contacts list, renewing subscriptions, and settling invoices?
Do you feel overwhelmed trying to manage your email marketing campaigns?
Do you get stressed about staying top of mind on your social media platforms?
IF you answered YES to any of those questions… KEEP READING!
The Most Important Reason to Hire a Virtual Assistant
Every single person on this planet has the same 24 hours each and every day. Hard to believe, but it’s true! The most important reason to hire a virtual assistant is so you have the ability to spend your time more wisely. So instead of spending an hour or two each day completing less important administrative tasks, you could meet with a new client, or work on ways to expand your business and your brand. You can even choose to take the day off to spend with your family or to pursue a passion or hobby.
A talented virtual assistant will work with you on a project-by-project basis or on an ongoing basis for a specific number of hours each week or month. This means you don’t necessarily have to hire a full-time employee (a big concern for startups and small businesses on a budget); you can simply hire someone to just get the work done.
Developing a Successful Working Relationship with Your VA
Find a VA that has the specific skill sets needed to complete business tasks that are unique to your business. Create a daily or weekly schedule of tasks for your VA to complete, then encourage your VA to submit a completed task list each week so you can track their progress. Keep in mind, most VA’s use some form of tracking system to track time and tasks so you can really just ask for a printout. Since your virtual assistant works remotely, you can expect most tasks to be completed in less time than it would take an in-house employee who may become distracted with clients, meetings, or chatting with co-workers.
It’s definitely in your best interest to schedule at least one monthly meeting with your VA to discuss their workload. By doing so, you may find that your VA can take on a few extra responsibilities or you may discover your VA has a skillset you were unaware of.
It’s important to understand that working with a virtual assistant is more of a partnership versus an employer/employee relationship. Since many VAs are also business owners with multiple clients, you need to maintain a certain amount of flexibility when it comes to hiring the right VA for you. For example, some VAs will only commit to a specific number of hours per week or per month, while others prefer to work on a per-project basis only. Before hiring a particular VA, make sure both of you are in agreement with the number of hours they can work for you and there is clarity on tasks that need to be completed. Also, you want to make sure to provide any training required if there is a specific way you want something done and any feedback you have about the process in which tasks are completed.
.
Help Your Business Grow
To get the most out of your partnership with your virtual assistant, make a list of all the tasks you need to complete in order to grow your business and be specific. Delegate as many of the less important tasks to your virtual assistant as possible so you can concentrate on the more meaningful tasks. This is how you actively help your business grow. NOTE: Less important tasks are tasks that can be done by someone else and more meaningful tasks are tasks that only you can do.
In the meantime, if you need to talk through if you need a VA or what tasks to delegate to a VA, don’t hesitate to schedule a call with me.