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Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Believe it or not, there truly is a right and a wrong way to go about hiring a Virtual Assistant. Right away, a business owner’s main concerns would be a) I am foregoing money in my business, and b) I hope the person is worth it. But there are many other key aspects to keep in mind when taking on a Virtual Assistant heroine into your team. If you don’t want to spend time that you already don’t have, to then battling to go about hiring a Virtual Assistant the right way, then take a read through this blog to discover my top points to look out for.
#1 Not having a clear idea of what you actually need help with
Some Virtual Assistants (like myself) offer monthly retainer packages to clients. That means that you get to select a monthly package that suits both your budget and the hours you need the Virtual Assistance for every month. This means that the service you get from a Virtual Assistant who operates like this would ensure completely dedicated hours to the tasks you provide to her. Therefore, a client needs to be very strategic about a) utilising the hours you have paid for and b) using them productively. But how do you do this? Prior to hiring your Virtual Assistant my best advice is to first make a list of all the tasks you need help with or simply do not want to do any longer, and then find out if the Virtual Assistant you have your eye on actually offers these services. This way, when you have a discovery call with your potential Virtual Assistant, you will both have a very clear understanding of what she needs to be managing for you daily, and this will then, in turn, ensure that the hours she works for you will be managed correctly.
Not sure what tasks a Virtual Assistant can handle for you? Take a look at my services page to get a better idea.
#2 Looking for the cheapest Virtual Assistant out there
There is the old saying “quality over quantity”! In this case, I would say that this could not be more appropriate when it comes to hiring the right Virtual Assistant. At the end of the day, you are not looking for a “fly-by-night” Virtual Assistant here or there to assist you now and then; you should be looking at hiring a Virtual Assistant that will be growing with you in your business. Someone who will support you on your journey to success, and someone who will help you build and scale your small business. So, when looking for a Virtual Assistant, cheaper is not always better. When you consider what a high-level Virtual Assistant can give back to you in terms of time to focus on the income-producing tasks that will help grow your business, it’s worth hiring a Virtual Assistant that is on your level and shares the same vision, and you may not get this when hiring an entry-level, cheaper Virtual Assistant.
#3 Not having an open - communicative relationship with your Virtual Assistant
I think out of all the advice I could ever provide to potential clients, communication is one of the key factors. A successful Virtual Assistant hire is someone with whom you could build a relationship, where you can discuss problems, find solutions to issues, and keep these communication lines open at all times. If your Virtual Assistant needs training or questions answered, this may take some time away from your schedule, but she is literally helping you to build the blocks of your business, and so it is always worth your while to provide her with the help and time that she needs. My process of taking on new clients is to always have an initial training/onboarding call where the client can show me exactly what needs to be done and the manner in which they like it to be done. I always also insist on a weekly catch-up call where we can keep in touch on updates in the business and any urgent tasks that need to be handled for the week ahead, or should there be any problems, I could potentially assist in ironing them out.
These are my top 3 common mistakes when hiring a new Virtual Assistant for your business venture. Should you want more tips or want to ask me any questions at all regarding how this all works, you are more than welcome to reach out to me here.