I’d like to talk a little about some of the misconceptions about the virtual assistant industry.
The first misconception is that many people think you can just decide to quit your job, use little to no money, little to no equipment, and then “become” a virtual assistant. I think that mentality comes from the word “virtual.” People want to use the term “virtual assistant” to mean anyone who decides to work from home, no matter what they’re doing.
You can find the true definition of a virtual assistant from Stacy Brice of AssistU, who started our industry. I wrote about her definition and the VACOC definition in an earlier blog called “Hanging out your Shingle and Becoming a VA.” Feel free to review it at https://elitevas.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/hanging-out-your-shingle-and-becoming-a-virtual-assistant/. It also helps to explain what a VA is and what a VA isn’t.
Another big misconception is that a VA can do everything for everyone. Well, that’s like saying a general practitioner can do surgery. VAs shouldn’t be trying to provide all services – if they are, then they aren’t expert in any of these services, they’re only knowledgeable about all of the services. And a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. As a professional VA, you should provide administrative duties. Now, if you have a knack for bookkeeping (which I do), you can offer that as an additional, specialty service. If you’re good at web site design (which I’m not), you can offer that as an additional, specialty service. But these are not considered administrative tasks. So keep in mind that the heart and soul of your business should be the administrative tasks. Any specialty services are exactly that – specialties.
Then there’s the mentality that a VA will work with anyone. Well, have you ever been able to work with just anyone? No, there are people in certain industries that you just click with, people you want to work with on a daily basis, people you would consider your ideal client. That is your niche. VAs should decide on a niche or target market, up to two or three groups. These are the individuals that you as a VA will connect with on more than just a professional level. These are the clients you will keep for the long-haul. These are the people that you work well with because of your services, but also because you provide something additional on an emotional level for them.
I am currently narrowing my target market to coaches and motivational speakers because of my unique gift for supporting, uplifting and encouraging others. This is also what a life coach, a personal coach or a motivational speaker does. Now, does that mean I won’t even consider potential clients in other fields? No, that just means that my focus will be on coaches and speakers and they should be the bulk of my business.
A VA should have no more than 4-6 clients at a time. If she’s truly providing VA services to each of those clients, her plate is full. Each client should be providing at least 10 hours per month of work to VAs, which is why we work mainly with retainer clients. Our main goal is to provide long-term collaborations with clients in order to become an integral part of their company. We don’t want to just be around for overflow work or fill-in work. That doesn’t make you a part of the company. We want to develop a relationship wherein the client becomes comfortable with who we are and uses that comfortableness to help their company grow.
I hope this has helped clear up some of the misconceptions and confusions. I am proud to be a virtual assistant and I want the industry to grow and succeed. In order to do that, we must all be on the same page. As VAs, we need to know who and what we are. And we need to educate the public as to our specific talents so they can make an informed decision on how best to utilize our services.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I’d love to hear your comments.
Elite Heartbeat 