A virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent contractor who works from his/her office to deliver business support
services. This gives an opportunity to small business owners cut cost office space, equipment and
computer software or office supplies.
Who can become a VA? If you have the skill, knowledge about the job and patience, you can become a VA. Virtual Assistants are intelligent, dedicated, hard working and sincere. If you qualify, read below. Virtual Assistants are getting more work than ever before. Virtual Assistance is one of the few industries experiencing a boom – it’s proving to be a recession-proof way of working from home. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Things You Must Know Before You Start as a Virtual Assistant---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No. #1: What Is A Virtual Assistant (VA)? As I mentioned earlier, Virtual Assistance is a recession-proof industry. In fact, VAs are getting busier because of the recession. Before I explain why, let’s first of all explore what a VA is: A VA provides secretarial and admin support services from their own office with a variety of clients. They communicate using email, fax, phone and other web-based tools, without having to go into their clients’ offices. VAs are not employees, they are independent contractors. VAs are thriving in these current economic times because they save businesses money. Clients do not have to pay for employee benefits such as sick pay, holiday pay, retirement benefits and insurance. They ‘only’ pay for work as and when it’s needed, by the hour. It’s much cheaper to use a VA than a ‘normal’ employee. Just think of all the businesses out there that still need secretarial and admin help, even during a recession! It’s no wonder that Virtual Assistance is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet. The George Washington University predicts that the Virtual Assistance industry will soon be worth $130 billion. Businesses are actively looking for VAs to help them right now. Read the article I wrote on my blog called ‘What Does the ‘R’ Word Mean For Virtual Assistants’ - you’ll see that other VA’s are having the same experience. There has never been a better time to become a Virtual Assistant. Your next question is likely to be ‘So how do I become a Virtual Assistant’ or ‘Where do I start’? The first logical step is to think about what services you can offer. No. #2: Know What You Can Offer Don’t feel that you have to start by offering lots of different services. In fact, you can make good money as a VA by just offering one or two services. You can always add more later, as you build your confidence. Think about your current and previous jobs and write down all your skills. Most office jobs involve tasks using a computer, so you probably have skills that you take for granted. Don’t forget other skills such as being able to multi-task, being organized or being a good communicator. You’ll soon realize the value you can offer your clients! Once you’ve had a look at your skills and interests, you’ll have a better idea of what services you could be offering now. An essential skill for any Virtual Assistant is Microsoft Office. If you need to improve your skills in Word, Excel and Powerpoint, you can find lots of online courses for free. No. #3: You Have Control Over Your Life This is an essential thing to know before starting your VA business, and is connected to having the right mindset (I’ll talk about this in more detail in point 7). You really do have control over your life as a VA. Let’s look at an example: If you already have a full- or part-time job, you can start by becoming a VA in your spare time. You don’t need to become a full-time VA straight away. In fact this would be a very smart way to get started, without giving up your day job immediately. But won’t it be difficult to get clients if you’re only available in the evenings or on weekends? Absolutely not. There will always be clients that suit your lifestyle. Of course, you might come across clients who want you to be available during the day and that’s fine. You just explain your current situation and they’ll either understand or look elsewhere. Just stay persistent and continue getting your name out there. Sooner or later, you’ll get your ideal clients – just remember that you have control over your life as a VA: you’re an independent contractor/business owner, not an employee. No. #4: The Number One Key To Getting Clients One of the most important skills to master is marketing your VA services. Many people don’t like to ‘sell themselves’ but it’s actually very enjoyable once you know how. And really, it’s not about ‘selling yourself’ but letting people know how you can help them. There are so many ways to market your VA business. Get professional business cards made and give them out to family and friends. They may need your services or know someone who does. Join small business forums on the internet and be helpful to other business owners. This is a great way of getting your name out there. As well as marketing ideas, you need a marketing plan which includes who you will be marketing to and how you’re going to reach your target market. Your marketing plan will get you thinking about how you’re going to get your message across and convince prospects that they need you. When talking to potential clients, you’ll need to convey the actual benefits of your services, rather than just reeling off a list of your services. No. #5: How To Set Your Hourly Rate This is a question I get all the time: ‘What hourly rate should I charge?’ There is no hard and fast rule about this. Every VA sets their own hourly rate depending on their location, the services they provide and their skills & experience. Before you start your VA business, find out what other VAs in your area are charging. Some VAs post their hourly rates on their websites, so do some research and get an idea of current market rates. If you’re located in a Western country, you’ll need to charge more than someone who is for example based in India or the Philippines, because of higher living costs. But don’t get discouraged because your rates are higher. There’ll always be clients who are willing to pay for a more ‘expensive’ VA who is based in their own country who’s fluent in the same language. No. #6: How To Get Clients Without Leaving Your House Can you really get clients without leaving your house? Of course yes. There are 2 ways to get clients. 1 - build your own website or blog, put your skills and work and advertise your blog. Ok, I know this sounds frustrating. Lets move on to the next way. 2 - sign up on certain genuine sites which provide you virtual assistant jobs, without any joining fees. The next page will show you a list of sites where you can join, update your skills and choose from various projects/work available for you. No. #7: Nurture A Positive Mindset Becoming a Virtual Assistant is one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. But to be truly successful, you’ll need to nurture the right mindset for success. When I was first thinking about setting up my own business, I had doubts and lacked confidence. I knew that other people had been successful in becoming Virtual Assistants but there was a nagging sense of ‘But what if it doesn’t work for me? What if I don’t get clients?’ I knew that my negative attitude would affect my chances of success. If I doubted myself, how could I expect clients to have faith in me? If I didn’t have the confidence, how could I market my services well? I love helping VAs develop and nurture a positive attitude. As a start, please read the article I wrote on my blog about the Law Of Attraction. This should help you feel positive about your VA venture. Have true faith in yourself and your abilities. Develop an unshakable belief that you will be successful and YOU WILL BE. I wish you all the best in your journey to becoming a successful Virtual Assistant! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click on the below sub-page to go to the list of VA Project sites. |
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