So the bottom line is dont under estimate foreign VA’s and their capability.

-Tab

One of my clients also writes a blog and she often writes about outsourcing and the use of VAs. We both periodically cross reference one another on our respective blogs.

I, too have a VA who works with me in helping me set-up blog rings and do blog commenting. I have some tips over at my blog about outsourcing if you guys would love to read more. :)

Also, many, if not most, Virtual Assistants will have client testimonials available and should be willing to provide you with at least one past client you could talk to.

Ask to see examples of past work done that is similar to the work you are interested in. This should not be a problem either.

Think of the process as similar to hiring a lawyer or a new auto mechanic but this is an interview process that is more similar to hiring a service provider and not an employee.

If you’re thinking about hiring a Virtual Assistant but feel a little unsure or skeptical, I recommend starting with a small project that you’ve been wanting to complete but just haven’t been able to. Something like assisting with creating products, setting up an online system, managing the regular ezine, article marketing etc. – these are all things business owners are comfortable in delegating as a first project. As your business builds and your relationship with your VA strengthens, you will more confident with adding additional roles and responsibilities to their plate.

What if your VA could check your email remotely an hour before you wake up and delete all the spam, schedule any requested appointments, reply to any easy inquiries and then send you an A.M. update email? That would save you an hour each morning – about 20 hours a month. If you’re worth $100 an hour – that’s $2000 a month. What if it only takes your VA about 10 hours a month to do this task and his/her rate is $30 an hour? (U.S. VA rates average about $35 an hour, foreign VAs about $15) That’s $300 a month cost – take it from the $2000 you save and you profit by $1700 a month.

The second critical step is doing your due diligence when choosing a VA – decide whether you want to hire a US or foreign VA. Often, the foreign VAs will require extra work on your part to ensure clear communication and expectations and often there are language barriers. A US VA can often hit the ground running as they’re already experienced with internet marketing (being virtual, they have to be) and will take on more of a partnership role with you.

When I say “US” VAs, I generally mean native English speaking – there are terrific VAs from Canada, Australia and the UK – so consider, too the time difference and you could have a new partner where you assign projects at 6PM and it’s all done by the time you awake the next day.

I can also relate to Naomi’s comments, that her VA helps her by doing tasks that would otherwise completely sidetrack her – a VA could really help me in the same way since they wouldn’t be emotionally attached to my tasks.

For any successful probloggers who are cautiously considering partnering with a VA or online business manager you might want to think about these things:

1) Get to know the person first outside of a work environment (that’s what it sounds like Lara and Darren did). I usually take a month or more (sometimes several months or even a year!) getting to know a potential client before starting to work with them. It gives us both a chance to feel comfortable with each other in a relaxed, no-pressure sort of way.

2) Look for someone who is creative, who views themselves as a fellow business owner (rather than a hired employee) and who will actively come up with ways for you to improve the operations and efficiency of your business. Don’t work with someone can only do task work.

3) Work with someone who specializes in your niche, someone who knows about blogging and lives and breathes it on a daily basis. If they already understand how the blogging world works, then you’re a million steps ahead :-)

4) Work with someone who believes in what you’re doing, who can encourage you, make suggestions, and share the ups and downs of your business. Don’t work with someone who is just there to make a wage–you want someone who truly cares about you and your business over the long term.

5) Be willing to pay for quality. Again, if you have a business that is precious to you, you don’t want to go for a bargain basement price tag. You get what you pay for :-) Always, always invest in quality, and look for someone who sees this as a long term partnership.

Really, when you find the right person to partner with, it can decrease stress (big time!), help you make more money, and totally re-energize your business!

People make comments about ‘wishing they could afford one’ but the reality is, if they outsource to a VA the things that are not directly income producing but need doing to keep on track (like all the admin stuff) then it frees you up to spend that time to keep generating income.

I know that my clients’ incomes have increased because they can spend more time marketing and promoting and selling and leave things in my hands to keep it running.

So good to hear you have a reliable VA Darren! And as Lara says, it’s important for the relationship part of working is allowed to develop – VAs are not a one-off option for the odd job here and there – they should be considered for the long haul.

I can imagine though having someone who could do some research for me on certain subjects I want to write about. And then give me a summary so I can write my post myself.

That’s just how I look at things though…call me lazy! Practical, efficient…those might be more positive words.

Having a VA, and having clients, are difficult things sometimes. I think a lot of people are nervous when they first starting working with someone virtually like that. You have to build trust and a relationship of sorts and it’s sometimes more difficult with all this cyberspace floating between people!