What Can A Virtual Assistant Do For Me?
I get asked this question a lot.
The short answer is that a virtual assistant can help you with almost any administrative task.
Of course, it’s a little more complicated than that.
Ideal tasks for virtual assistants are those that don’t require deep knowledge about your business, don’t need a lot of explanation or training, do need to be done on a recurring basis, and also help you make more money.
However, most businesses don’t have a lot of “ideal tasks.” After all, if something is easy to hand off, you’ve probably already delegated it.
The trick is how you get things done that are NOT easy to hand off.
Here’s the strategy that works for us…
Begin by finding a competent person and committing to work with them over time.
Then make the first projects you give your virtual assistant work that can be done without knowing a lot about your business - but that will teach them about your business as they do them.
These projects should be things that need to be done over and over again, so once you teach your virtual assistant how to do the work, they can take responsibility for it (and get it off your plate for good).
Start with marketing projects…
We like to begin with marketing projects, because they need to be done over and over again each month (which means you can keep your virtual assistant busy without it taking a lot of your time and effort to keep coming up with new ideas for projects).
Marketing projects also directly influence revenue (when you make more money, it’s easier to justify paying for a virtual assistant).
Plus it’s easy to find instructions other people have written that you can give your virtual assistant so they know what to do. (Shameless plug… We sell these instructions, which we call “Easy Projects,” as part of our Help Without Hiring Toolkit. But you can also find them on places like eHow.)
Sales projects and customer support projects are also good starting points.
All 3 of those types of projects - marketing, sales and customer support - can be easy to give someone (without it taking a lot of your time), are recurring, and help you grow your business. They also teach your assistant a lot about your business - your assistant comes to understand your products and why people buy them, gets to know your customers, and learns how you like things done.
Then hand off other projects…
Once your virtual assistant has been working for you for awhile, you can start handing off the non-ideal projects - those projects that require a deeper knowledge of your business to do properly.
You’ll find them a lot easier to hand off when you are giving them to someone who knows your business.
Want more information about what a virtual assistant can do for you?
This week’s free template lists 70 projects a virtual assistant can do for you:
Project Checklist: Administrative Tasks
Here’s an ebook written by Karen Reddick, a virtual assistant who specializes in working with authors, for $12.95 that lists even more ways to work with a virtual assistant:
A to Z Guide: Best Ways to Work with A Virtual Assistant
Here’s an FAQ from the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce that has tips about how to use a virtual assistant:
Client’s Guide to Working With a Virtual Assistant
Related Posts
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Add New Comment
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment