Who does a Virtual Assistant work with?

A VA works with a variety of professionals and business owners who have grown their business beyond just themselves, and need someone to help handle the details to maintain and/or continue the growth. A VA is great for those people who only need support occasionally or don't have the physical room for office staff. A VA uses today's technology to help make their client's life easier.

How do I work with a VA?

This is the easy part. You can either call, fax, or e-mail me on your schedule and from wherever you are. I try to respond to all requests within 24 to 48 hours. I then can return the finished product by e-mail, fax, or postal service.

So what might a VA do for me?

• A VA can help you develop, produce, and distribute newsletters in print and electronically (e-mail or the web). This is a great way to keep in touch with employees, clients, and prospective clients.
• A VA can handle your e-mail and phone messages while you are on travel or vacation. I can check your e-mail and phone messages, then take care of those that need immediate attention, and fax or phone you with directions for other messages.
• Got an idea for a new service or product, your VA is a great sounding board. A VA gets to know you and your business and can give objective feedback on your ideas. We are great for brainstorming with, also.
• A VA can help you present the professional image you strive for by word processing, proofreading, and printing the documents you are proud to present as your own.

What are the qualities of a good VA?

• Excellent communication and listening skills
• Great office skills
• Strong computer and Internet skills
• Professional and confident
• Committed to establishing long-term partnership (i.e., learns about client's business and industry)
• Proactive
• Open-minded
• Positive attitude
• Willingness to learn with aptitude to learn quickly
• Focused
• Multi-task capable
• Organized

How do I decide I may need a VA?

The best time to make the decision is before you are overwhelmed with everyday details of your professional and/or personal life. Of course, most of the time this does not happen. Take a hard look at tasks you are currently doing (especially those you never seem to get to because you don't like them) as these maybe the ideal projects to delegate to a VA. Take a month and write down the tasks that you are doing currently that you wish to delegate (include how much time they are taking you), then compare what the costs of using a VA to what you could have earned during the time you would have freed up.