Somewhere along the way you found the term Virtual Assistant. It sounded interesting so you decided you wanted to learn more. Once you studied the subject, you decided that this would be the perfect solution for you. You knew it was time to hire a Virtual Assistant. But then, you didn’t know how to go about doing it.
How do you find one? What kind of VA do you need? How much is this gonna cost? How do we communicate? How does this all work?
Before you start Googling ‘Hire a Virtual Assistant’, there are some things you need to work out beforehand. For example:
1. What kinds of tasks do you want them to take on? Write it out with as much detail and structure as you possible can. 2. Are you comfortable with working with someone virtually? Can you handle not being able to see someone fact to face? 3. How many hours do you think youll need them for each week/month? 4. How much can you afford to budget for this? Take into account how much more productive you will be during those hours that your Virtual Assistant will be freeing you up. For example, if your hourly rate is $200, at $50 per hour for a Virtual Assistant, for that same $200 you can free up 4 hours, opening your availability to make an additional $800.
Now that you’ve got that all figured out, you’re ready to begin. You may be inclined to just do a Google search for Virtual Assistant and go from there. There is a much simpler way to attract the perfect VA candidates for you.
There are several Virtual Assistant Networks and Associations that have directories listing their member VAs by specialty. Most of them also allow you to place an RFP or a Request for Proposal on their site. An RFP enables you to spell out what you are looking for.
Some of the most popular sites are:
* IVAA or International Virtual Assistants Association * VANetworking.com * Virtual Assistant Forums * A Claytons Secretary * Find Virtual * Home Secretarial Services * Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
Because you’ve written a detailed and powerful RFP based on your answers to the questions above, you can sit back and relax. Momentarily your inbox will be full of proposals from professional, compatible Virtual Assistants. Now it’s just a matter of connecting with them and figuring out which one you’d feel most comfortable working with.
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