The Reality of The Virtual Assistant- Getting Help with Everything But Morning Coffee

Recently I had lunch with my friend Marilyn, a Social Media consultant with a rapidly growing small business.  I couldn't help but notice her cheeks seemed to have regained some of their regular color and the bags under her eyes had diminished. "I finally pulled the trigger"  she said.  "I hired a virtual assistant". 

I will admit that previously visions of Sci-Fi men and women danced through my head at such a statement only months previously.  So how does it work?  A virtual assistant is more than just outsourced administrative help.  Many assistants offer services to include; hiring, recruiting and marketing.  What this means for a sole proprietor or small business is the opportunity to outsource your entire human resource or marketing department in a cost-effective manner.   This person acts as an independent contractor thus avoiding payroll costs.  Additionally, most virtual assistants will let you know ahead of time how much a project will cost and work with you to stay within budget.  In difficult economic times, predictable expenditures and the ability to offload non-revenue producing activities is not just necessary-it's critical for survival.

Now comes the tough part- how do you choose a virtual assistant?  Assistants can be hired as part of an organization or as individuals.  There are pros and cons to both.  What is most important is to think about what tasks it is that you need to outsource.  Once you have figured this out, speak with several VA's.  What's more- an email is not enough.  Talk to candidates on the phone getting a feel for their work-ethic and attitude.  Finding a fit is critical to the success of such a relationship. 

Locating candidates can be done in many ways.  First, utilizing social media such as linked in questions, facebook or simply contacting your business network.  Additional resources to locate your assistant can be found by utilizing the links at the bottom of this article. 

Says one experienced Virtual Assistant, "My customers love me- I do everything but make them a (long distance) cup of coffee in the morning- and well- that's what Starbucks is for!"

To learn more and locate virtual assistance in both the US and Abroad the following links to the Virtual Chamber of Commerce are a great starting point:

Client's Guide to Virtual Assistants
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/client-guide.htm

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/how-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant.h...

Working with a Virtual Assistant
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/working-with-a-va.htm

Virtual Assistant Directory
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/directory/

VACOC RFP Center
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/rfp-center.htm

Get to Know Our Virtual Assistants (weekly ezine)
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/subscribe.htm