How Do I Find a Virtual Assistant for My Business?

I received a dm today from one of my Twitter pals, wanting to know if a VA could help her. She had realized that it would save her time and money to outsource some of her marketing tasks, but she wasn't sure how a VA could help - or how to go about finding the right VA for her business.

If you've been thinking about working with a VA, but haven't been sure where to start, you might find my response helpful as well:

Hello,

I know what you mean… I outsource some of my own business tasks to other VAs and it’s frustrating when I have to track down my projects, or get them back only to find out they were done incorrectly.

From what you described, a virtual assistant could definitely be a good choice for you. I’m a member of VAnetworking.com and they offer a free resource that might help you. It’s called Finding the Ultimate Virtual Assistant for Your Business and you can download it on their blog.

It’s also a very good idea to ask for references, and I would be very reluctant to work with any VA who isn’t prepared to provide them.

In my own virtual assistant business, I specialize in article and press release marketing. So, I help my clients get targeting web traffic for their businesses by writing and submitting articles and press releases for them. That’s one type of online marketing that’s very effective and can get good results quickly.


I hope this helps you begin thinking about the possibilities!

I'm a Work at Home Mom; Do I Need a Virtual Assistant?

by Debra Nail

The term “Virtual Assistant” is becoming more and more common every day. Small businesses utilize VAs for administrative tasks such as data entry, research and many other related tasks.

But, you might say, I’m a work at home mom, how can a virtual assistant help me? I’m glad you asked!

First, for a definition---a virtual assistant is someone who works from their own home-based office to perform tasks pertaining to their client’s business. The VA pays their own insurance, taxes and social security, saving the client’s company money. A virtual assistant is a business owner and works hard every day to build their practice.

There are many ways a virtual assistant can help the work at home mom community. For those just starting out, it could be creating a business image with logos, business cards and forms, etc, all done through desktop publishing by a virtual assistant.

Once your business is off and running, you need customers. The best way to get customers—advertising. Online or offline, your VA can put together a marketing package tailored to your specifications such as banner creation and placement, advertising through classifieds, etc.

Even after customers have committed to doing business with you, there are lots of other tasks your va can perform from sending out direct mailings of specials and promotions to ghostwriting and submitting articles pertaining to your target customer.

A virtual assistant can be your right-hand person to make your business succeed.



About the author: Debra Nail is the owner of WAHM Virtual Helper, a virtual assistance service for work at home moms. You can visit her website at http://www.wahmvirtualhelper.com



Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Increase Your Bottom Line by Hiring Help

by Alicia Forest

Do you do everything yourself when it comes to running your business? Or are you like me and find it difficult to delegate to others, at least sometimes? Do you think you don't have the money to hire help? Well, I'm going to show you how hiring help can help increase your bottom line dramatically.

Not delegating is one of the major hurdles my private clients seem to struggle with. They are doing everything themselves and are so busy with the little administrative things that they have little time to devote to their "genius" work - developing products and services for their niche and working directly with their clients. Once they've hired help, either a virtual assistant or an in-office assistant, and move through the growing pains of delegating and trusting that the work will get done (and might even get done faster and better than they could do it themselves), I can always sense a feeling of freedom and excitement as the space opens up for them to work on the things that are really creative and inspiring to them, instead of dealing with invoices or fixing a glitch with their web page. And very soon after, their business really starts to move forward because they have the time and focus to dedicate to increasing their product and services line, which, of course, translates into more profits.

There are many ways that you can work with an assistant. You can hire someone on an hourly basis, or hire someone on a monthly retainer, which is often less expensive. You can hire someone for a single project only or you could hire someone fulltime to work in your office with you. Think about which of these scenarios might work best for you.

A tip: If you hire someone as an employee, remember to check with your accountant about filing the appropriate paperwork. The beauty of working with a freelancer, independent contractor or virtual assistant is that they cover their own overhead, including any insurance needs.

Here are 10 ways you can use an assistant:

1. submitting your articles to hundreds of submission sites
2. handling registrations for your teleclasses/workshops
3. proofing and formatting your written material
4. creating graphics for your products
5. maintaining your website
6. inputting any necessary updates to your products/services
7. as a sounding board for new ideas
8. responding to your customer/client inquiries
9. bookkeeping
10. packaging and shipping your products

If you can't quite see how an assistant could help you deal with all the time-suckers in your business, keep a log of your business activities for a week, including how long each task takes you to complete. Then at the end of the week, review it and circle all the tasks that an assistant can help you with (there should be quite a few!). Consider the number of hours those things have taken you to accomplish, and decide if the $30-$50 an hour for an assistant would be worth the investment. Statistics tell us that your bottom line could increase as much as 40% once you hire help - now that's a pretty good return on investment, isn't it?

And if you still think you can't afford to hire someone, then start asking around in your network for someone who would be interested in an exchange of services, or for an intern or apprentice.

If you're ready to start the process of hiring a VA in particular, I recommend these services:

www.MultipleStreamsTeam.com - VAs particularly well-versed in helping entrepreneurs who use a multiple streams approach
www.AssistU.com - VA training program
www.IVAA.org - the International Virtual Assistants Association

Or ask your colleagues who are happy with their own VAs to see if any of their assistants are looking for additional clients.

So before you burn out and lose the passion for owning your own business that you started off with, hire someone to help you. You'll reach more people with your message and make more money at the same time. Start small and add hours as you feel comfortable and for what you find necessary. You'll never regret it and you'll never go back to being a lone ranger!



Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & CoachT, founder of ClientAbundance.com and creator of 21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success SystemT, teaches professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Found! An extra 5 - 6 hours every day

"It is estimated that the average small business owner spends upwards of 60% of their time performing administrative responsibilities. Outsourcing these administrative tasks to an expert, a Virtual Assistant, is the solution for many."

Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/23765/

As a small business owner, thinking that I spent 60% of my time on ANY one thing frightens me.

I'm assuming that the author of this press release, Shannon Abbott of The Virtual Vantage, is referring only to my working hours... At least I hope so!

With approximately 8 - 10 hours in an average business day that means 5 - 6 hours are spent on administrative responsibilities... routine tasks that could easily be taught to someone else. And that means that those 5 - 6 hours could be spent on something much more productive, like finishing work for a client, finding the next client, or even spending time with the family. :)

With services including, as Shannon's do, word processing, information management, editorial services, accounting tasks, desktop publishing, and even making travel arrangements, the convenience a virtual assistant provides is almost impossible to ignore.

If you're a small business owner who hasn't yet considered hiring a virtual assistant, why not?

And if you're a virtual assistant, be encouraged to know your work is valuable. You really can add more hours to a day!

Authors: Short on Help? by Gayle Buske CEO

Hire a Professional Virtual Assistant!

Are you short on time? Do you spend your entire day trying to find a publishers, reviewers, signing opportunities, or do you need help editing your creation? Like most business owners, many authors find that there aren’t enough hours in the day. If you are one of them, you may want to consider a virtual assistant to help you edit, publish, market, and find endorsements for your book. You may have even though about hiring an employee but you don’t want someone’s desk crammed into a room in your home. Then it’s time that you consider a virtual assistant (VA). Using a virtual assistant negates the headaches of trying to screen, interview, and hire an employee. You don’t even have to provide them with a computer, a desk, or a space in your home office.

Gaining in popularity among large and small businesses alike, VAs can help bail you out of a rough spot on a temporary basis or even work long-term just like a regular employee, only better. A virtual assistant runs their own business. They are a professional just like you, except their business focus is making your business more successful.

In today’s soft economy and world of corporate scandals, failures, and layoffs, many a good employee has been ousted from his or her job. The ambitious ones are out there daily trying to find a new position. Trouble for them is the help wanted section of most newspapers has become extremely thin. Most people can’t go very long without some sort of income. So, the most ambitious and resourceful are making their way back into the working world any way they can. For many, this means starting a business of their own.

What does a person do when what they know is secretarial? What do they do when they need to feed their family and pay the mortgage? Many professionals create their own business and several are opting to become virtual assistants.

What does a Writer’s Virtual Assistant do?
In short, a VA can do just about anything a regular employee can do. Many virtual assistants are Jack’s or Jill’s of all trades. Here is a list of some of the things a virtual assistant can do to help you:

• Keeping your financial records
• Accounting
• Researching Publishers
• Researching marketing opportunities
• Writing and Submitting your press releases
• Concierge services
• Fill book orders
• Create your e-book cover
• Answer your phone and screening your phone calls
• Customer Service by email, phone and chat
• Marketing your business online, by fax or phone
• Make your travel arrangements and send you directions
• Research other services you need
• Typing your handwritten manuscript
• Advertising your business on newsgroups, blogs, press releases, in articles or other outlets
• Appointment setting
• Meeting arrangements
• Event planning
• Letter preparation
• Reports
• Manuals
• Newsletters
• Flyers
• Mailings
• Data entry
• Data processing
• Document scanning
• Procedure documentation
• Customer support
• Copyrighting
• Web design

Virtual assistants s are typically a very intelligent bunch as well. Many are college educated and even more have countless years of excellent business experience to draw upon. This comes in very handy when you’re looking for ideas.

How does a virtual work?
Virtual assistants come in all shapes and sizes, just as any business does. Typically, however, VAs work from home-based offices. They’re the savviest of the savvy when it comes to operating on a low budget and using technology to their advantage. Most are equipped with the latest software (and lots of it), multiple phone lines, Internet, e-mail, fax machine, cellular phone, copy machines, scanners, and a great attitude. Many even come with a cat or dog! He or she will use all of the latest technology to communicate with the client and get the work done as quickly as possible. And, possibly best of all, they only “clock in” when they’re on your project, not while they’re sitting at your desk, using your electricity, playing solitaire!

What’s all this going to cost?
All well and good, right? But aren’t virtual assistants more expensive than regular employees? Absolutely not! Actually, a virtual assistant is far more cost effective than a regular employee. You may pay more per hour than a regular employee, but leave out the FICA, state unemployment taxes, Social Security, health insurance, vacation time, sick time, 401(k), profit sharing, Christmas bonus, holiday pay, and other benefits you need to offer a regular employee, and a virtual assistant’s wage comes out far lower than that of a regular employee.

A virtual assistant can save money in other areas as well. How much does it cost you to maintain office footage, a computer, a phone line or two, a refrigerator, a microwave, a desk, electricity, heat, air conditioning, computer software, tech support, and parking for your regular employees? With a virtual, you don’t need any of those things either - he or she supplies his or her own.

The fee for a virtual assistant usually depends upon the area of the country where he or she is located and their area(s) of expertise. Virtual assistants charge between $15 and $75 per hour. But, you only pay for the time he or she actually spends working on your tasks. Some will ask that you pay for a “minimum guaranteed usage” each week or month. Many will also agree to work for varying hourly rates depending on the task. For example, if they’re to perform basic word processing, the fee might be $18 per hour, but if they’re expected to research the legalities of transforming your Copyright information, they may charge $45 per hour. Yet, others may agree to a flat fee based upon individual project requirements. Either way, you come out ahead.

Why should I trust someone I’ve never met?
VAs are as concerned with your business success as they are with their own. In fact, their success depends on your success. So, a virtual assistant can become one of the best assistants and business partners you’ve ever had. Just like you, they are business owners and even more importantly, they rely on you to be successful.

Virtual versus temp or temp agency
Virtual assistants tend to work harder than the average person issued to you by a temporary agency. Keep in mind that the temp agency is charging you as much as 20% more than the worker is actually getting paid. This practice often leads to the use of unskilled or unacceptable laborers. Hiring a virtual allows you to choose who works with you. You’ll also need to provide all of the temp’s supplies like paper, toner, pens, computer, electricity, etc, whereas, the VA comes with his or her own supplies.

How many times have you hired a temp who you spent time training, only to have her stick around for three weeks, then you had to train yet another temp? A virtual, as we mentioned, is in this to succeed and help you succeed. You’ll have to train him or her too, but only once!

Oh, yes, and you still need to pay the temp while she sits there and waits for another assignment from you. Not with a virtual assistant. While she’s waiting for the next assignment from you, you can bet she’ll be working on something for another client.

Choosing a virtual assistant
Now that you’ve decided to hire a virtual assistant, how do you go about choosing one? There are several things you need to know before you start looking:

• What exactly do I need help with?
• What expertise does the VA need?
• How much do I have to spend?
• How quickly do I need this project done?
• How long will I need virtual assistance?
• How often will I need my VA to work?
• What hours should he or she be available?
• What days of the week?
• Is there any specific software he or she needs to have?
• Is what I need accomplished so specific that I’ll need to incorporate some training time?
• How will I pay him or her? Visa, MasterCard, Check, Paypal?
• How do I want to communicate with my VA? Phone, e-mail, snail mail, or a combination?
• Does my VA really need to be located in a particular time zone, country, part of the country, city?
• Any other particular qualities you’d like your virtual assistant to have?

Just as you would screen someone who would apply to work in your office, you’ll still need to spend a little time screening your virtual assistant. You’ll need to tell him or her what you need and want, and what is and isn’t acceptable. You’ll also need to negotiate pricing and terms with the virtual assistant.

The best thing you can do to ensure you receive the help you need, is behave as though you’re choosing a new car. Push the buttons, turn on the stereo, kick the tires, and ask, ask, ask. Listen to what the potential VA has to offer you as well. He or she may even be able to do several other tasks, which you hadn’t counted on, or even offer some very sound business advice.

What happens if I don’t like the VA I’ve hired, or s/he doesn’t work out?
Unless you’ve signed a contract guaranteeing a particular amount of time or pay, the answer is rather simple: you just don’t offer any more assignments.

If you do happen to have a bad experience with one virtual, however, don’t let is sour you from finding another. Treat it as though you simply had a bad date. Bad dates to happen and some people just aren’t compatible. Get back out there and look for another VA that better suits your needs or personality.

A win-win for everyone
The use of virtual assistants truly is a win-win for everyone involved. For the employee-challenged business, VAs dramatically increase your labor pool. And, for the cash-strapped entrepreneur, virtual assistants save money - lots of money. What’s more, it’s better for the environment to hire a virtual. Just think of all the vehicle emissions you’ll be saving by having one or two workers telecommute. As for the VA, they typically enjoy a better quality of life, as they are also able to be home and raise their children in between working on your projects.



Gayle Buske is the co-founder, president and CEO of Team Double-ClickSM - the country’s foremost virtual staffing agency. With over 18 years of business success, including six years as the head of a virtual staffing agency with over 26,000 professionals in its pool, Gayle is uniquely qualified to aid her clients’ growth through virtual outsourcing. For more information on Gayle Buske, visit www.teamdoubleclick.com.


Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

The Virtual Assistant

by Lori Redfield

As a small business owner, outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants is fast becoming a popular and intelligent decision. The business owner saves enormous amounts of money by cutting the costs of offices and equipment overhead as well as expensive benefits packages.

The 'Virtual Office' creates an enormous amount of personal freedom and independence for both the small business owner and the virtual workers. The dedication and commitment that virtual workers demonstrate testifies to the satisfaction derived from a home office setting.

Being on the cutting edge of this profession offers tremendous opportunity for technical savvy entrepreneurs to secure a viable and stable home business opportunity. A good business plan and well thought out marketing campaigns are crucial to the organized success of a Virtual Assistant in both securing enough clients and/or work to meet their budget goal as well as adequately being able to balance clients and deadlines.

Virtual Assistants actually would be well advised to embrace a business partner or utilize a team of trusted colleagues to entrust overflow work to. The standards of a good Virtual Assistant aren't easily met and establishing a virtual network of quality workers isn't an easy task. Any overflow work that you outsource must exemplify the same care and quality as your own or you stand the chance of alienating your clients.

As the owner of a home business resource specifically geared toward professional mothers seeking home based work, I am often approached for advice on how to become a Virtual Assistant and also receive many inquiries about what skills are required to be successful in the field.

To gain and retain clients, my main advice is to maintain your professionalism in all of your interactions with your client. As much as it is a leap for you to give up the 'security' of working in a corporate office, it is also a very new concept for business owners to outsource their work to a team of 'Virtual Workers' who they may likely never even see face-to-face. There is a great level of trust employed in this relationship and your professionalism in correspondence and phone calls will go a long way in securing their trust.

Furthermore, I advise you to pay great attention to your accuracy and final product that you submit to your clients. Meet all of your deadlines, and know at least two days ahead of time if you are not going to be able to meet them. Communicate that to your client before the project is late and keep in communication on a daily basis from the beginning to the end of all projects with brief status reports.

Make yourself easily accessible through email, telephone and instant messenger. You should have access to whatever instant messenger service your client prefers. The most popular are ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. Be certain to set your instant messengers to save your history so that you can easily refer back to client request or comments without having to solicit the client to repeat what they already have said.

A rule of thumb is to remain in communication with the client, but don't waste their time. The client should end their work day each day with a sense of real gratitude of the skills, organization and trustworthiness you bring to the table. They should know that you are available to converse with at almost any time but you do not bother them unless it is absolutely necessary.

In the end the presence of a Virtual Assistant should prove to make the company more money because the owner and other business team members can focus on income producing areas of business that they otherwise wouldn't have as much time to do.

The most common and I would say necessary tools for the job are the most current version of Microsoft Office. You should have and be comfortable using Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access. You should have either Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage and know the basics of HTML and ftp'ing files to and from servers.

So much of a Virtual Assistant's work is based online that it really is crucial to have DSL or Cable internet access. You also want to have a good computer that you can rely on.

There is so little expense in running a virtual office that I don't believe it is wise to cut corners with your computer, software and other office equipment. Having the latest technology on hand and continuing to acquire and master new skills will increase your desirability and worth in the eyes of your clients. It will also demonstrate your commitment to your career.

When a client begins to trust you with important responsibilities and invests the time in training and familiarizing you with the procedures of their particular business, they need to be able to depend on you and to know that you are committed to your work.

In short, with administrative skills and above average technical savvy, coupled with an organized and professional approach - a career as a Virtual Assistant is definitely a viable and rewarding option.



Lori Redfield is a Freelancer and Internet Entrepreneur. Visit her website, FreelanceMom.com for more information and work from home jobs.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

The Benefits to Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses to Outsource to a Virtual Office or Assistant

by Melissa Vokoun

Today more entrepreneurs, small businesses, and home-office professionals need the support of highly-trained personnel to efficiently handle administrative, marketing, clerical, concierge, and financial tasks.

The majority of corporate employee cutbacks directly affect the ability to accomplish these critical assignments without draining time resources from mission-critical professionals.

The emergence of the Virtual Assistant – Virtual Office support professional can fill that gap. The Virtual Assistant takes the role of office temp and elevates it to the status of entrepreneur. Because the Virtual Assistant is self-employed, bills the client only the hours worked or assignment completed, and is dependent on steady workflow from existing clients and referrals, this is the perfect solution for the busy professional.

The Virtual Office Ensemble – Virtual Assistant offers several advantages over a paid employee. When you hire a virtual assistant, you get all the benefits of outsourcing – no burden with employee taxes, insurance, retirement plans, vacations, or sick pay. This savings in financial resources is coupled with the loyalty and steadiness of a company employee because your trust and work is vital to the success of their company.

Hiring office temps often does not work out for several reasons. They are a transient solution and are very expensive with the associated fees of the hiring agency which they are employed through. A temp can be more costly than their worth with the cost of training and supervision added into the equation. Also, most temps are looking for full-time employment and even if you find a person who seems to exactly fit your needs, they are not always available when YOU need their services or they have been hired full-time elsewhere!

Paid employees or temps come with a host of related expenses. You must provide a desk, computer, phone and necessary facilities. Most agencies WILL NOT allow temps to work in your home due to insurance restrictions. A Virtual Assistant – an entrepreneur – not only has a virtual office with computer, phone, printer, fax, and client-specific essentials, but is more than willing to meet and work with you in home-office or small-office environments.

Industry estimates the cost of most support employees is nearly triple their annual salary when all factors are considered.

Statistics provided by the United States Bureau of Labor determined the “true cost” for an experienced in-house administrative employee is currently $45.54 per hour.

This does NOT include the expenses related to office space and equipment required for them to perform their job.

On average, the Virtual Assistant industry estimates the starting rate for a Virtual Assistant is $40.00 per hour. This professional entrepreneur is responsible for taxes, benefits, space and equipment.

5-hours of in-house administrative labor will cost a company $212.70 versus $175.00 for retaining an Independent Virtual Assistant for the same time period.

A reputable Virtual Office or Assistant has the expertise and tenure to handle administrative, marketing, basic financial and concierge support services.



Melissa Vokoun has dedicated her career to helping provide necessary infrastructure for entrepreneurs and small businesses for over 25 years. Her firm provides necessary expertise through establishing partnerships with talented professionals. NuVo Partners offers Business Start-Up, Marketing, Operational, Financial, and Administrative support. For more information, visit the website at: http://www.nuvo-partners.com or call 847-392-6886.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com