Lyn Prowse-Bishop interviews Felicia Slattery on tools, tips and techniques to use to increase a virtual assistant’s credibility and provide persuasive communication tools that will gain more prospects and clients.
Virtual Assistant: Agency…or Network?
March 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you’re a new virtual assistant you’ll want to take up the advice of the veterans and join a few networks. You get some great support, encouragement and advice particularly when starting out.
Most networks will offer a discussion board, and for financial members a publicly-available listing on their website, and potentially access to job leads – which will go out to all on the list depending on how the network is set up.
A few things, in my experience, networks should never do:
- Ask you to assign ownership of your domain name/URL to them;
- Have you sign a contract stating that you will pay them a percentage or fixed amount on any work you receive through the job lead;
- Ask you to send invoices for work received as a result of job leads to the network owner for processing (who then takes the above commission before paying the VA);
- Not have your membership details publicly listed in a directory for access by potential clients;
- Include in their contract that any work you do that comes through the job leads is to be done in accordance with THEIR code of conduct;
- Prevent you from engaging someone else to help with the work.
Let me elaborate on a couple of these points.
If you receive work from a network via a job lead and you send your invoice to the network for processing via their CRM system you are no longer in control of the VA/client relationship. Your invoices should be between you and the client – not you and the network owner who then sends it on to the client.
Whilst a code of conduct is important most VAs will have their own and should not be contracted to follow the code of conduct of the network.
All VAs as independent contractors should be in charge of the way they handle their work including whether they seek assistance or can outsource the work to others. This is because you are an independent business owner. If you are prevented this freedom by the network then you’re not a member of a network but potentially an employee of the network.
If the network you are part of does any of these things then you’re working for an agency. Job placement agencies and temping agencies operate in precisely this way – clients come to them, they find the temp to do the work, send them out, invoice the client and then pay the temp out of that. However, the temp is also in receipt of benefits including superannuation guarantee payments. Because for all intents and purposes the above arrangement makes them an employee of the agency – not an independent member of a network.
If you’re a network owner – or if you use subcontractors to assist you in your VA practice – you also need to be careful because you could be facing untold financial problems if you operate according to any of the dot points listed above.
It’s a grey area … and with the position taken towards independent contractors by the current Australian Labor government, a potentially costly one.
About the Author
Award-winning virtual assistant, Lyn Prowse-Bishop, MVA ASO CAVB PVAA is owner/manager of Executive Stress Office Support (eSOS), specialising in medico-legal digital transcription, virtual author support and executive personal assistant services for clients around the world.
One of Queensland’s most respected and well known virtual assistants, Lyn is also founder of the Australian Virtual Business Network, serves as Australian representative on international committees looking at standards and certification for the VA industry, and is a foundation steering committee member of the annual Online International Virtual Assistants Convention. She hosts Australia’s first internet radio show/podcast for the VA industry – Virtual Business Show – and is Queensland representative on the Board of Independent Contractors Australia.
How can you spend less time in the office and more enjoying life? Visit her site or email lyn@execstress.com to find out.
Tasks That Can be Easily Outsourced to a Virtual Assistant
March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Sometimes your workload as a virtual assistant can get quite heavy. One of the best ways to handle it is to outsource some of your work to other virtual assistants. But, where do you start with that? Let’s dig a bit deeper to get your mind wheels spinning. If we can get you out from under some of that heavy load of working all the time, life will be a whole lot sweeter, right?
What Tasks to Outsource
When you work with clients, there is a measure of confidentiality going on. Companies trust you with their databases, email correspondence, meeting schedules and legal documents. These can’t fall into the wrong hands. So, as the person who won the client and is responsible for keeping their information safe, you have a decision to make about what you will allow others to do for you.
The first important decision that you made was to work with someone someone else who can provide the same service that you have for your clients (more about that in a moment). Congratulations on letting go of the reins just a little bit. Now, what will you give them to do?
The jobs that you will probably be looking to outsource at first are those that don’t involve a lot of contact with confidential information. And, the jobs will be small at first so that you can get an idea of your new helper’s work style and ethic. Here’s a short list of tasks to help get the juices flowing:
• Article submissions
• Article writing
• Creating reports and presentations
• Creating newsletters
• Internet research
Article writing can be used for website content or article submissions. Clients with websites like to keep it up-to-date with fresh, pertinent information and if you find someone who can help you whip out that content in a timely and top-quality manner, you’re in business.
Companies use reports to send to their clients and also for internal use. Creating reports involves knowledge of tools such as spreadsheets and databases as well as how to pull information together for presentations using PowerPoint. Depending on the information contained in the reports, this may be the perfect job to let go of and pass on to someone else.
Internet research is used for many things: writing manuscripts, articles, preparing reports and more. It is a unique skill to be able to entice search engines to give up their treasures. If you have someone helping you who doesn’t mind digging into research and possesses the skills to find what you need quickly, you’re on the right track.
Even if you don’t outsource any job that involves confidential material, it is wise to get any subcontracting virtual assistant to sign a confidentiality agreement. This way, as you get more confident and need more in-depth help, you don’t have to worry about anyone selling trade secrets. On that same note, you may want to consider having all your assistants sign and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) depending on the nature of your work. While we won’t go into detail about NDAs, this can help protect you should you and your assistant part ways.
Choosing the Right Person
Who you work with all depends on your personality and their level of proficiency with the task. First of all, no two people will do the same job exactly alike. Let’s get rid of that preconceived notion right now. If not, you will drive yourself crazy and nitpick over everything they do. What you are looking for is someone who knows what they are doing and can demonstrate the skills needed to get the job done correctly and on time.
Outsourcing is the perfect way to get the help you need from other competent virtual assisting professionals. Start with small jobs and progress to more delicate assignments as you see fit.
About the Author
Becki Noles, Visionary of Virtual Accuracy Companies has been at the forefront of stream-lining coaching and entrepreneurial businesses since 1998. Utilizing her background in marketing, publicity, corporate training, advertising and media, Becki custom tailors and implements individualized action plans for taking coaching businesses to the next level. As a Virtual Assistant her business partners with top business and executive coaches in the United States, Canada, Switzerland and the world over.
Time Management 101
March 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Time management can be interpreted in several ways. But it is commonly understood as proper allocation of time in terms of maximizing it by accomplishing more tasks. It could be applied to a lot of situations, whether in business, school, home and basically everywhere that requires something to get done within a certain period of time.
Time Management In Focus
With a lot of things to do in a span of 24 hours, most people have a difficult time setting their priorities and recognizing the things that must be done first. There are a lot of distractions in life that can take our attention away from far more important things. Eventually, most of us fail to maximize our use of time that we end up accomplishing nothing for the day. Hence, the big question is: how do you manage your time?
Time management works very much like economics. It is an allocation of scarce resources, which in this case is time, in order to reap maximum efficiency at the end of the day. However, we don’t need to become good economists in order to efficiently manage our time. All we need is common sense and good sense of judgment in order to maximize everything we do.
Some Things To Consider When Managing Time
In order to properly manage your time, there are a few things that you have to consider. You have to condition yourself to do the most important or most urgent tasks first. This is what sets responsible people apart from those who aren’t. Knowing what things to prioritize first will help you to overcome all those distractions along the way.
However, recognizing your priorities is just mainly your first step. As the cliché goes, it is easier said than done. It is best recommended to write down the things you have to do for the day. When you already have the checklist or to-do list for the day, you have to create a mindset wherein you must fulfill them.
Knowing what your priorities are is just the first step. Relaxation is also an important factor in our everyday activities. The best thing to do is to initiate periodic rest times ideally 10 minutes every 2 hours in order to relax your mind and muscles from the stress. Relaxing once in a while also improves your concentration in what we are doing and increases our productivity.
Advantages Of Time Management
There are a lot of advantages to properly managing our time but we will just discuss a few and most important ones.
It eliminates cramming – When you have properly set your priorities, you are able to finish your task early. This cuts time and you’d be more likely to accomplish things in advance. When you do your work earlier than usual it allows you to achieve better results because you could allocate more time to focus on your task.
Eliminates stress – Proper Time management helps you eliminate the stress because you properly allocate your time for work and rest.
Proper allocation of your time is a hard task, but once you get used to it, you are sure to become more productive.
About the Author
Becki Noles, Visionary of Virtual Accuracy Companies has been at the forefront of stream-lining coaching and entrepreneurial businesses since 1998. Utilizing her background in marketing, publicity, corporate training, advertising and media, Becki custom tailors and implements individualized action plans for taking coaching businesses to the next level. As a Virtual Assistant her business partners with top business and executive coaches in the United States, Canada, Switzerland and the world over.
Why Would Someone Use a Virtual Assistant Anyway?
March 4, 2010 By 1 Comment
Time is precious to ALL business owners…so anything that frees up time and helps business is invaluable! A Virtual Assistant (VA) does both – and more! Business owners – like you – hire VAs to free up time, help business and SAVE money! Yes…I said SAVE $$$. That may seem like an oxymoron, but just stay with me here. VAs are self-employed. They pay their own taxes, their own insurance, they pay for their own equipment and furniture, for their own training, etc. Plus! YOU CAN MORE THAN LIKELY WRITE OFF VA’S FEES AS AN EXPENSE – and you don’t have to pay taxes for a VA (as you would for an employee) or provide benefits and insurance…THAT’S HUGE! Any savvy business person sees the value in this right away!
So, why should you hire a VA?
1. To save money
2. To fill a position or to help with a temporary project
You (i.e. business owner, entrepreneur, etc.) pay only for the VA services used – only when needed – no down time. One week you might have 20 hours of work for the VA, the next, only 5. Why would you pay a full-time, onsite employee (who probably can’t get done in a day, what a VA gets done in 2 hours!) benefits, vacation, taxes, lunch breaks, chatting at the copy machine, etc…when you can partner with a VA to do it for you in half the time – for half the expense???!!!
Jennifer Cummings, Entrepreneur and Owner of Keytura, Inc., who has been using virtual assistants and virtual outsourcing for years says, “My virtual assistants and consultants have helped me execute so many of the ideas I just had sitting on my desk. Using their services, I take action…which means I make more money! They are invaluable to my business!”
At this point you might be asking, “Well, how do I know this VA is doing what I’m asking her to do? How can I trust her?”
Well, that’s not hard. #1 – If your VA is not doing what she says she’s doing, it’s eventually going to become VERY obvious. Things won’t be getting done and it will show. #2 – Your VA will keep track of – and provide you with a detailed record of – tasks completed & time they took. #3 – and this is HUGE…
Your VA is a business owner just like you!
Your business success is KEY to your VA’s business success!
If your VA screws up your business, she is – in essence – screwing up her own. What person in his or her right mind would do that???!!! You both (you and your VA) need to think of each other as business PARTNERS because that’s exactly what you are. You are partnering your businesses for success!
About the Author
Jennifer Claggett is a virtual assistant and a stay-at-home mom. Visit her website at http://www.VirtualAssistantMom.com to learn more invaluable, easy-to-use virtual assistant tools and information.
