HOW DO YOU BECOME A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
The first step in becoming a Virtual Assistant is to understand what that means and how it works.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
The way that you view what a Virtual Assistant is and does will depend on whether you are answering the question as a VA or a client!
First and foremost, a Virtual Assistant (VA) is an entrepreneur in their own right. They provide administrative support or specialised business services from a distance. Frequently a Virtual Assistant is someone who has had a lot of experience at senior secretarial level, understands and applies logic to administrative tasks and is skilled, innovative and a quick learner. Often they are also good at budgetary control and making money for others.
The VA industry really started to get established in the late 1990s as an extension of the 'traditional' secretarial and typing services industry and has grown significantly since then, not only as an industry but one that offers a very wide range of products and services. Thanks to the Internet, advances in communications technology (e.g. broadband) and the onset of home-working as a feasible concept, Virtual Assistants use today's technology to provide very cost effective, accurate and professionally presented documentation and office support as well as many other specialised services such as web design and build, marketing support, sector specific transcription, internet research and database build to name but a few.
Virtual Assistants are motivated and dedicated to the success of their own business. To achieve that success they are also dedicated to their clients' success. In providing that level of support they have a complete home office solution that is often equipped at a level that many Executive Secretary/PAs are unable to achieve because of corporate budgetary constraints.
Professional VAs need to understand current technologies and be able to demonstrate skill in using software to its full advantage to be able to meet the varying demands of a broad client base. Add to that the fact that VAs are a resource that responds with a great deal of flexibility as well as quality and you bring real benefit to any business.
SO HOW DO I BECOME A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
If you are thinking about becoming a Virtual Assistant, the answer to the question "What is a Virtual Assistant" is, in part, what you determine it will be. There are some common elements to the growing community of Virtual Assistants across the world, so it may well be easier to identify them first. In general terms they are:
• Someone who is self-employed and, in consequence, runs their own business, whether that is as a proprietor/principal or as a small Limited company.
• Someone who generally supports a limited number of clients for a limited period of time per week or month, or on a specific term project.
• Someone whose clients may be a Sole Trader, a small business or a corporate client.
• Someone who usually works with home as their base.
Having addressed the common elements, it's time to turn to the far more complex and personal side of being a Virtual Assistant. First there is a great benefit in making an evaluation of the experience, characteristics, abilities and skills you have that you feel able to offer to your clients, as well as the decision about what you would want to offer as a core service in the marketplace. Do you want to be challenged with tasks that are new to you or do you want to limit the work you undertake to that which is within the area of your expertise?
Additional thought is required about whether you will:
• Only work from home.
• Be prepared to undertake work in the client's premises.
• Be prepared to travel with or on behalf of their client.
• Be flexible in approach to different tasks.
• Be flexible in approach to working hours, or have specific needs to work at identified times.
Having reached the point where consideration has been given to the points above, there are three more things to think about - the practicalities of space and equipment, your trading name and how much you will charge. The decisions about all three can rest only with you, although it is recommended that you give some careful consideration to and do some research about all three things before you make a final decision.
The final stages of your preparation should include completing a business plan, checking with the Banks to see who will give you the most beneficial deal when you open a Business Bank Account and contacting your local Business Link ( http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/ ) to find the Enterprise Agency closest to you and, where possible, taking advantage of the free business start-up training available. You will also need to consider how you will market your services.
THE PROS AND CONS OF BEING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
There are a number of benefits associated with running your own business, among them:
• Being your own 'boss'.
• Determining how long and when you will work.
• Avoiding rush hour traffic and the daily commute.
• Devising the strategies to enable your own company to grow.
• Having the support of family and friends.
• You plan your working time to suit you.
There are a number of potential pitfalls, among them:
• Dealing with a solitary working environment and the need for self-reliance.
• Having family and friends understand that because you work from home doesn't necessarily mean you are available.
• There is no longer someone to pay you if you are ill or taking a holiday.
• Establishing your business and finding your clients.
• Not having the support of family and friends.
Overall success is measured on an individual basis because the definition of success is very personal. Sometimes this can come down to the base element of earning sufficient money to pay the bills and, for others, it is the satisfaction derived from taking charge of your life and having the independence to move forward in your own way.
WHAT DOES A CLIENT THINK A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT IS?
The answer to that question is as individual as the client. The achievement of a positive working relationship with a client is based not only on your capability to deliver the client's requirements, but also your willingness to supply the services required to meet the client's needs.
There are many misconceptions about what a Virtual Assistant can offer the business community today, not least of which is that a Virtual Assistant is a glorified Temp that you can't see! In reality, Virtual Assistants support sole traders, SMEs and corporate clients with specific projects on a short or long-term basis and that's one of the things that make a Virtual Assistant very cost effective.
In particular, many small businesses are missing an opportunity to outsource work to a Virtual Assistant. A Virtual Assistant provides business people with the opportunity to remain focussed on their prime objective - generating revenue for their business.
WHAT CAN A CLIENT REASONABLY EXPECT FROM A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?
Clients have the opportunity to ask questions and clearly identify their requirements and whether the Virtual Assistant can, or will, meet them. A VA may offer long-term, ad hoc and one-off project support for a wide variety of business needs.
Clients need to understand the flexibility and the variety of skill sets that a true Virtual Assistant offers as well as the cost effectiveness of having the skilled resource available to support their business.
It is just as important to the VA as to the client that there is a sense of mutual trust and respect, as well as an understanding of the value of the service being provided. To get the most out of a working relationship with a VA, clients should take the time to develop a thorough understanding of their own business' needs and be able to communicate clearly what those needs are. They can then clearly align the skills and expertise a VA can bring to their business.
VAs should deliver honesty, integrity, professionalism and quality to their clients. At the same time, Clients will need to be aware that a VA should be considered as a supplier. The rates agreed for the work undertaken need to be factored into the Client's working costs, just as they would with any other operational cost.
THE BENEFITS GAINED BY WORKING WITH A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Think of it this way. If you are a sole trader or a small business, how much time is spent on administrative tasks each week? Take that number of hours (it's unlikely to be less than four) and answer this question:
How much revenue could you generate for your business if you had that many extra business hours in a week?
When you work with a VA:
- You only pay for the work done.
- Virtual Assistants do not accrue employee rights.
- You don't have any accommodation, equipment or employer overheads.
- Confidentiality and security are very much part of the VA ethos.
- You have professional office support that will provide polish to your image, whether that is through having your presentations and documents prepared professionally or having someone who is knowledgeable about your business answering your telephone.
© Laura Swetman,
Essandelle - Your Virtual PA