Customer Testimonials

Q.Who would work with a VA?

VAs work with smart, successful people of all kinds; authors, sales people, consultants, coaches, executives, professionals, entrepreneurs--anyone who wants to be professionally successful and live a more balanced life with more free time to do the things he/she wants to do!

Q.What's the point? I manage everything on my own!

As you grow a business, sooner or later, you'll find that you can do anything, but you simply can't do everything! And when you give away the stuff that doesn't need your personal attention, you gain space and time in your life for an abundance of other things. Those things might include:

Growing your business

More time with family, friends

Responding to other opportunities

Balancing home and work responsibilities

Q.Do all VAs work in partnerships? Can't I get one to type just a couple of documents for me, just this one time?

Because each VA owns his or her own business, each is going to have very different standards regarding the kind of work he or she is willing to do.

Q.Why wouldn't I want to give my secretarial work to a local company, and have a VA just working on bigger things?

You might. However, what people have found is that it doesn't really pay to do that.

Secretarial services are a bit less expensive per hour. That's true. The problem is that the people who work there don't know you, or your business, or your customers. You have to do a lot of work, up front, before giving them the work, so that they know what you want — and even then, sometimes you need to speak with them several times before your documents, faxes, messages, etc., represent you in your voice.

A VA can speak for you. A VA can write in your voice. A VA, because he or she has learned you, can listen to you speak just a few words about what you want done, and make it happen — sometimes, even better than you could have done it yourself.

In addition, the more the VA knows about your needs, the less time it will take him or her to do your work.

So, even for the basic secretarial work, where do you really get your best value?

The key is to remember — a VA becomes your partner for success. A secretarial service helps you for the short term.

Q.How long would I work with a VA?

Just as there are assistants who have worked for the same person in the corporate world for many years, it's possible that could happen with your VA. Part of the power in this dynamic relationship comes in the synergy which happens between the people working together. There's a flow, a spark, an ease of working with a VA which turns days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years, all before you know it.

Q.Isn't it more expensive than hiring an employee?

No. The cost savings is two-fold: financial and emotional. When you hire an employee, on top of a salary or hourly wage, you have a ton of things you need to administer (payroll, benefits, etc.), many things to buy or lease (equipment, furniture, etc.), and you have to share space as well. It's expensive and can be grueling.

Depending on the VA, you might pay–as–you–go (giving him or her only the amount of work you actually have during any week or month), or you might have him or her on retainer (buying a certain amount of the VAs time each month for a pre–set and usually lower, hourly rate). Your VA's time is 100% productive time as well -- you don't pay for a second of downtime or break-time.

No muss, no fuss. Just great support from someone dedicated to your success.

Q.Ok – I can see how this might be a good thing. But since I've always worked on my own, can you suggest a way for me to think about what I could give to a VA to do and what I should keep to do myself?

Here's what you can do:

For the next week, keep a pad of paper and a pen on your desk, or with you if you're far more mobile (notes in your PDA would work just as well, too!). Every single time you do something, think to yourself, "Did I really have to be the one to do this?" Be rigorous as you consider the answer -- remember, your goal is to find as much "stuff" to get off your plate as you can!

Everything that you didn't personally need to deal with gets added to your list. At the end of the week, you'll have a terrific idea of just how much you do that keeps you from what you should be doing, and just exactly the kinds of things you can turn over to your VA.

When you talk with VAs, share that list with them -- it will help them understand better how to support you.

Q.So, how much can I really expect to pay?

Again, VAs are in private practice, and they price their services according to their skills, their desire to do certain kinds of work, their experience, and their reputation. You really need to speak with a VA, share your ideas and the vision for your success, and ask what it might cost to have him or her be a part of that.

Generally speaking, however, you can expect to pay $40 — $55 plus, per hour. It depends on your needs, and the VA you work with.

Q.Now wait — you said that working with a VA isn't more expensive than hiring an employee, but I wouldn't pay an employee $40 per hour!

Not in straight time, perhaps. You're more likely to pay someone with this level of skills between $20 and $25 per hour if they were sitting in your office. However, when you add in the cost of administering payroll, your share of payroll taxes, having to pay certain kinds of insurance like worker's compensation and extra liability for having someone in your home or place of business, and the cost of making sure that your location conforms to federal guidelines such as OSHA, you absolutely *do* pay that much per hour. And the more skilled and talented a worker, the more her time is worth, and the higher her fee.

The beauty is this. While you still have the expense, you have absolutely *none* of the hassle. One check per month. Simple. Easy. You can get on with the business of living your life on your terms. Working in partnership with a great VA makes that all possible.

Q.Does Virtual Assistance work better for any particular type of person or professional?

The benefits are enormous to almost anyone who's busy and needs support. What we've found is that the only people who really aren't in a good position to work with a VA are:

People who aren't online and who can't understand why this would work;

People who live in the urgent:

If everything you do is last minute, if your style is to procrastinate and then rush to deadline, if you're not organized and centered, if you're in a high-pressure field where things run you instead of the other way around, if you want someone at your beck and call, you probably need an in-person employee, not a VA;

People who don't understand the power created in a relationship with a fantastic assistant;

People who aren't open to learning new ways of working and communicating;

People who aren't billing their own time at considerably more than $40/hour.

If you aren't, paying a VA could create a hardship for you. But if you are billing at a much higher rate, or if you work on commission and your time is valued in large chunks of cash earned that way, then every hour you spend doing work that takes you off course, is work for which you are paying yourself, in essence, at YOUR HOURLY FEE. It doesn't take a lot to see the smarts behind paying someone to handle administrative work so that you can be out earning more and more!

People who can't shift to seeing a VA as an equal.

If you're stuck in the traditional boss/assistant paradigm, or if you need to be the boss, you need an employee, not a VA.

And remember — this is a mutual decision to work together. We're shattering the boss/assistant paradigm here. It's a budding relationship. Two people with varied skills and knowledge coming together in partnership for your success. Just be yourself. Being as genuine as you can will allow the VA to understand you far more quickly than she would if you present a heavily professional corporate image.