What A Virtual Assistant Is and What They Are not!

Although Virtual Assistants have been around a long time, I think many people are still confused about what a Virtual Assistant is and what they do exactly.

What is a Virtual Assistant exactly?

I think the confusion stems from the word ‘Assistant’, people associate that with the old version of a secretary, someone who took notes, answered the phone and made good coffee!

The same can be said of today’s Virtual Assistant.

Vanetworking defines a Virtual Assistant as “A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a highly-trained independent entrepreneur who provides a myriad of business support services virtually via phone, fax and internet based technology to support and meet the growing needs of businesses worldwide.”

This term gives you an overview of what a Virtual Assistant is but a Virtual Assistant is so much more than that.

Virtual Assistants allow business owners the opportunity to get expert help on a budget they can afford. Staffing as a small business owner is a lot different because you are looking at the bottom line.

Business owners need help from time to time with various aspects of their business,Virtual Assistants can provide all the support you need in your business.

1. You need a website designed
2. You need someone to create and set up your social media profiles
3. You need someone to take care of email mgmt and forward any urgent emails to you
4. You’re thinking of buying a mac computer and need some research done beforehand
5. You want to set up a niche website to bring in passive income for you
6. You want to get a headstart on shopping for Christmas next year
7. You need articles written to increase traffic to your website
8. You need an ebook created for your opt-in
9. You need your PR managed to get your name out there

There is a Virtual Assistant for every business need that you have, the great part about using a VA is that you only have to pay them for the time worked. So if you need help with a project, you can work with them just for that project.

Points to consider

All Virtual Assistants are NOT the same – 's important that you take the time to know what you want before you start searching for a Virtual Assistant.

Virtual Assistants offer a wide range of services, some offer only administrative services and others may only offer copywriting or graphic design and no administrative services. There are VAs offering executive level talent in virtually every aspect of business.

Some are at the top of their game and others are not – you get what you pay for! Remember that many Virtual Assistants are ex-executives and command a fair price for their expertise. But then ask yourself when the last time was that a small business owner could afford access to such an expert.

You will never find a VA that can do everything you need in your business, nor should you put all your eggs in one basket. Use different Virtual Assistants for the various areas of your business, if you know that you will need help with lots of different areas, maybe look at a multi-Virtual Assistant team to meet those needs.

Most business owners never meet their VAs, instead they communicate through skype, phone, email, IM or video.

A Virtual Assistant is not an employee, they are an entrepreneur, just like you and me. They pay their own taxes and choose their own clients, this is a partnership, NOT an employer/employee relationship

Virtual Assistants work with a myriad of clients, this means two things -

They are not available at your beck and call

They know what works for their clients and what doesn’t. The benefit to you is that, they already have experience supplying exactly what you need.

More than anything, a Virtual Assistant wants to partner with you, they want to take care of those tasks you dislike, they want to help you to achieve that much desired success. A win for you is a win for them!

Partnering with a Virtual Assistant can reduce stress, increase revenue, eliminate administrative headaches and allow you to grow your business by freeing up your time from tasks that are not good business sense for you to take care of.

Once you start working with a Virtual Assistant, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try this sooner.

What could be better than getting those tasks off your desk by sending 1 email or getting away without paying for taxes, insurance, lunch breaks, phone calls!