How To Choose Your Virtual Assistant ?

Outsourcing is easy, how to choose your virtual assistant, that’s hard. Remote or not, every company can grow with a VA, but only if it’s a perfectly matched one

Alas, after spending years in a cubicle, you’re ready to start your own business.

Entrepreneurship is everything you thought it would be — exciting with a mix of hard work and patience. But just when you thought you’ve already crossed the difficult phase of successfully building your own company, you’re faced with the challenge of running it.

Now, you’re missing dates, skipping meals, and juggling tasks in your own office circus — you need help, very badly.

Lucky for you, we have the perfect remedy for your constant daily struggle: OUTSOURCE A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT. But not just any VA though; you need someone skilled and experienced with a bit of personality to match, best suited to cater you and your business needs.

Heed on our advice and read this article to make sure you’ll land the right virtual assistant.

C’mon, scroll through.

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual assistant job description details VAs as independent remote workers who provide a wide range of business-related services on behalf of an entrepreneur or a company.

Some of these tasks they can handle for you include:

  • Basic Administrative Tasks
  • Social Media Management
  • Bookkeeping
  • Content Writing
  • Digital Marketing
  • Customer Service

What makes a virtual assistant the best hire for your business is that, unlike a regular in-house employee, VAs are cost-effective, highly productive and flexible with round-the-clock service.

Best to say, they can support you whenever and however you need them to.

How Do I Choose a Good Virtual Assistant?

So, what makes a good virtual assistant? How can I find the right one from such an expansive pool of talents?

Well, scouring is easy, it’s choosing that’s hard.

But no worries, we’ve made a list of things that you can do, so that you’ll get to work with a highly-skilled and reliable virtual assistant.

  • Create a Plan

    Don’t be surprised; this first step is about you and not your virtual assistant.

    You might’ve gotten so used to doing everything on your own that you might get uncomfortable working with a VA.

    So, we suggest starting with self-reflection before hiring someone.

    Asked yourself these questions: What do you need from a virtual assistant? What are your priorities? Is this a one-time project or a long-term one?

  • Do Your Research

    We know, it’s easier to leave it up to virtual assistant agencies to choose your VA. But considering that it’s you, that’s going to be working with them, you should perhaps take this as a hands-on project. Remember, you need a virtual assistant who gets along with you and meets your expectations.

    To kickstart your research, find every VA company of your interest, and check for their online presence.

    For instance, if you need a sales support VA or a content writer, you can look for well-written blog posts or marketing tools on their websites. You can also check out testimonials and recommendations.

    The main thing is to be diligent and to seek transparency when hitting up VA recommendations

  • Narrow Down Your Choices

    Refine your choices to the ones that fit your needs.

    To help you narrow down your favorites, you can use this set of questions to ask VA companies.

    • a) How do you match virtual assistants with clients?
    • b) Do you have a trial period?
    • c) What happens if things don’t work out with me and my assigned VA?
    • d) What’s the efficient payment mode?
    • e) Is there a backup plan if my assistant suddenly quits?
    • f) Do I have control over the hours my VA work?
    • g) How are the working hours tracked?
    • h) Do you have references from previous clients?

    Even as you go through these inquiries, remember that these are respected VA companies that have been tested and vetted. Their reputation is also on the line, so it’s in their utmost interest to satisfy your needs and match you up with a perfectly-suited virtual assistant.

  • Recruit and Hire

    Pick the best candidate.

    The virtual assistant you choose should have the skillset, experience and availability while working within your budget.

    By this time, you should have a clear picture of the sort of VA that you need amongst the sea of candidates.

    Choosing always comes with difficulty because of what it would mean when you land the wrong person for the job.

    But rest assured, if you follow these steps, you can reduce the potential risk and make the entire collaboration comfortable and productive.


How Do I Choose a Niche for Virtual Assistant?

More and more people are attracted to the concept of virtual assistants. How can they not be?

First of all, it’s a job that pays well. You get to control your own schedule. You don’t need to go outside and enjoy the comforts of your home.

Ergo, these all sound so enticing for anyone, but being a virtual assistant is not for everyone. It doesn’t always work out for everybody, folks.

But if you’re adamant about working remotely, it would help you a great deal to find your niche so you can land a job that works for you.

  • Don’t Think About the Money…Yet

    Understandably so, you want to begin your virtual journey right away because you want to start making money.

    But instead of concentrating on how much cash you need to make; you should ask yourself about the things you’re most passionate about.

    Do you love art? Are you into literature? What about planning events?

    It’s a lot easier to narrow down your niche if you know who are you and your interest.

    The same way you’re looking for potential clients; the clients are also after virtual assistants who share the same passion and care about their visions.

    Once you find the right clients, money will follow.

  • Test Different Categories

    Like everyone at the beginning of a business venture, you may not have the slightest grasp on the services that you want to offer.

    If you’re having doubts, then you should probably test different categories on a rotating basis — take the clients that you can get.

    There’s no harm in being a generalist. Just don’t forget to note the things you like and don’t. It’ll be easier to find your niche once you have an idea of what kind of project you’re drawn to.

  • Establish Your Ideal Audience

    Once you’ve established what service you can offer, you need to go beyond and understand the bigger picture.

    What services are in demand? How can you help solve their problems?

    If you can make a list and build your services around it, you can expand and be an expert in your chosen niche.

  • Think Long Term

    Now that you’ve understood and realized what it means to be a virtual assistant, you can start growing and building your skills.

    As you go through the process, you’ll figure out what you’re really good at and what jobs pique your interest, getting you to a more specific niche. With that, it’s always smart to think long-term with the services you offer.

    For example, if you love writing articles and making reviews, then perhaps, you can venture into being a copywriter or a content strategist.

    But even if you don’t have the skills to match, you can still start thinking about the future. Especially these days, many companies are looking for long-term employment. There’s a huge chance that you get hired for smaller tasks and then as you grow with the company, so will your skillset.


What Clients Look for in a Virtual Assistant?

Once you figure out your niche, it’s time to know what clients are looking for when hiring a VA.

Contrary to what most people think, it doesn’t always boil down to how much a VA knows — personality and traits are also huge factors that are weighed in.

Here are some of the main qualities, clients look for in a virtual assistant.

  • Reliable
  • Excellent Communicators
  • Proactive
  • Detail Oriented
  • Trustworthy and Honest
  • Cares about You and Your Customers
  • Can Work Under Pressure
  • Able to Multitask
  • Contributes to Business Growth
  • Resourceful
  • Flexible
  • Great at Managing Time
  • Passion to Learn

A sensational portfolio might get you hyped up when hiring, but character and attitude are everything when collaborating. So, make sure your next virtual assistant has all these qualities down to a tee.

Takeaway!

Remote or not, virtual assistants are the go-to support for any type of modern business.

They can completely shift the whole operation dynamics of your company, making it more flexible and highly productive.

And with our tips on how to choose a virtual assistant, you’ll surely find that perfectly matched VA for your business needs.

So, don’t wait another day, hire your first virtual assistant now!



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