If you know what’s going on in your business but you’re in full on firefighter mode, spending your days putting out fires and reacting to issues as they come up, then you’re not only ready, you need to hire a virtual assistant. On the other hand, if you’re running around like a headless chicken with no idea of what’s going on in your business, then hiring a virtual assistant probably isn’t the best idea.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t think of a single business that wouldn’t benefit from having a virtual assistant on board, but if you can’t clearly delineate what needs to be done, then you’ll end up with both you and your virtual assistant floundering. Now a virtual assistant can certainly help you get organized and assist in getting systems in place but it’s going to be challenging for both of you if you don’t already have some idea of what needs to be done.
What do you need in place before you are ready to hire your virtual assistant? The following three items:
- Clearly Defined Tasks
As I’ve said before, your virtual assistant (VA) should be capable of growing and learning and taking on more responsibility as your business grows, it’s important to have very clear, measurable activities lined up for your new virtual assistant to learn not only your business, but how you want your business run.
For example, instead of giving vague instructions such as “increase traffic to my blog”, give specific goals like leave 30 comments on blogs per week from a list you provide initially to let them know what types of sites you are looking for. Instead of “increase my social media presence” it should be “produce a minimum of 6 tweets with a maximum of 10 tweets a week promoting …” various content or activities from your website or a schedule you provide.
Before you create your list of tasks, ensure it’s something you would be able to do to complete the process from start to finish. It only takes a little bit of research and time tracking on your part to be able to give your virtual assistant a complete task where they can absorb the knowledge to create the work you are requesting while laying a foundation for branching out on their own based on the preferences you have shown them.
- Realistic Expectations
You can’t expect an article writer you pay $500 a month from a non-native country to develop the same level of quality you will find with a $500 per article specialized native freelancer. Depending on what you’re looking for, either one will work as long as you understand in advance the difference in quality you’re going to get. The same goes with any other task you are considering for outsourcing. Your freelancer is going to come across some challenges, it’s just the nature of the business, and especially if you are expecting the same quality that you produce having lived and breathed your business for years from someone just starting out.
Maintaining realistic expectations and understanding that there may be some tasks you just cannot outsource because they are an integral part of what you do, will keep you from being disappointed and save both yourself and your virtual assistant unnecessary stress.
- Time To Spend With Your Virtual Assistant
Unless you have enough time set aside to speak with your VA, create supporting documents, drafts, videos, or screen shares, don’t waste your time and please don’t waste your virtual assistant’s time. Communication is key and starting out it’s important to dedicate enough time and training for your new freelancer to learn how to do things your “right” way. It’s a learning process, (see our previous article on Lessening the Learning Curve) and it doesn’t matter how qualified or what expertise your virtual assistant brings to the table, it’s your business and if you can’t commit the time and energy to ensure it’s successful, how do you expect it to be?
I know it seems like a lot of work, but consider it an investment in your business. If you have all the steps in place and you’re ready to take the plunge, but you’re still a bit unsure or nervous, Create 2 Sell would be happy to speak with you and help in any way we can to ensure you end up with the perfect virtual assistant for you and your business, even if it ultimately doesn’t end up being us.
Until next time … to your success!
Paige Jackson
Create 2 Sell