Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Overwhelmed – Overworked … Outsourcing is KEY!

Life is busy and we try to do it all – balance all the needs of home and work and try to have some fun! Sometimes you just have to get some help. Calling in the experts can give you sanity, peace of mind, or much needed rest.

Whether it’s a cleaning service, a repair person, a gardener, an organizer, or a virtual assistant, there’s always a service to help make life easier. Outsourcing does not need to be difficult. What’s important is asking the right questions to get the outcome you want and need! Here are ten questions to ask before outsourcing:

  1. What experience do you have?
  2. Can you share examples of your work/service?
  3. Can you provide references?
  4. What hours do you work? Are you flexible?
  5. How long will the task/job take?
  6. Do you offer flat rates, package rates or special discounts?
  7. Exactly what is involved in the work you will do?
  8. How can I reach you and what is your response time?
  9. What do you need from me?
  10. What are your payment terms and what forms of payment do you take?

 

When I introduce myself as a virtual assistant, I often hear “OMG, I need you!”. Well, that’s music to my ears. I have found that these 10 areas help entrepreneurs focus on what they need.

Asking the right questions to find the right person is one key area. The other areas are preparation and partnership. In the next few blogs, I’ll share more helpful information to guide you to hire and build the best working relationship with a virtual assistant. Of course, you can apply this practice to other outsourcing venues to help make your life easier.

 

 

Marianne D’Alessandro

TimeFlies-Admin Services

Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Download the 10 Questions to Ask Before Outsourcing.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

www.facebook.com/TimeFliesAdminServices/

www.instagram.com/timeflies_adminservices/

 

Your Virtual Assistant Wish List: Getting the Right Support


Running a business can be a full-time job. Not just working with your clients, which should be the full-time part of your work, but doing the day to day running of your business.

What are you doing every day that is not generating revenue for your business? As a business owner, it’s important that your time is spent bringing money and clients into the business. Without clients and money, your business will not survive.

So why are you spending so much time doing things that aren’t making you money?

That’s why it’s important to consider getting help with some of the things that you may be doing that are not the best use of your time.

Getting a Virtual Assistant to help with things like administrative tasks and marketing can free up your time to do just the things that are generating revenue for your business.

But where do you start?

You should begin with your VA wish list. It’s an effective exercise to show you just where your time is going in your business, and gives you a place to identify the most important places you can get some help.

Start on a Monday morning and make a list of literally everything you are doing in your business. It is just a list – so write down each task, each project, each thing you are thinking about or strategizing.

Do this for a full week, one page for each day. You can do it for a whole month if you like, but a week is generally enough time to start showing you things that you are doing every single day that you might be able to get help with.

At the end of the week, analyze the list.

What are the things that you hate doing? Here’s some news for you: there are people who love doing the things you don’t like doing – like bookkeeping, for example. That is definitely one thing you should consider putting at the top of your list for outsourcing.

What are the things that are very time consuming? If you are taking up a lot of time doing something then consider whether you could outsource it. For instance, if writing or scheduling your social media is taking you a long time because you don’t love doing it, that could be a task you could get help with.

What are the things that are repetitive? If you see something coming up on the list every day, consider if it’s a good use of your time. If it is not really something you should be spending your time doing, maybe you should find someone to help you with it. For example, if you are constantly going back and forth with clients to book appointments or answering emails, perhaps working with a VA to free up those parts of your customer service will be beneficial.

The other way you can use the list is to categorize some of the things on it to figure out where you need to get help first. For instance, if you see five things that are all marketing related, maybe you should be looking for help with some of your marketing tasks like social media or your newsletter.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant is a good idea no matter which stage your business is at. Think of your business at its most successful (even if that’s not your current situation) and think about what you would need help with at that stage. Then start working toward that now, or at least putting it into your forecast.

If you are just starting out, consider putting it into your growth plan to allow for hiring support. As you start to work with clients, you will have less time to do the business stuff, so make sure you have a plan.

If you are in a growth phase, it’s definitely the right time to figure out what a VA can help you with. Growth done properly is so much better than growing by working 24/7.

Start your VA wish list today – it’s the smart way to get the help you need sooner!

 

Tracey D’Aviero is VA Coach and Trainer, International Speaker and Author. She is President of the Global Alliance of Virtual Assistants (GAVA) and the Canadian Association of Virtual Assistants (CAVA). Tracey has operated her own business since 1996, and has shifted gears to focus solely on training and supporting other VAs through Your VA Mentor. Her mission is to educate virtual professionals on how to build and grow profitable and sustainable VA businesses with a solid foundation, goal setting that works, and accountability and support.

Whether you want to be a Virtual Assistant, or need to hire a Virtual Assistant, Tracey can help! 

Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn 

 

When to Hire a Second Set of Virtual Hands

 

Years ago, I worked for the Federal Government. One day our department announced it was unveiling a Vision Statement. It would be printed and laminated and every one of us would get a copy to hang on our office wall.

It was lovely. It really was very, very nice. It was also really long. And wordy. And kind of nebulous, and cumbersome.

Worst of all, it had taken the committee two years to create.

I looked at it, and, being somewhat young and full of vinegar and opinions, I blurted out (to the Big, Big Kahuna): “Really? I could have written you guys a vision statement in half an hour!”

I didn’t win myself any friends in high places that day, but, I was serious. And OK, maybe it would have taken me two hours – as a writer, we have to take into account time for researching and gathering information. Then there’s time it takes to go back and forth with the client — the drafts and copy changes can take more time that the actual writing sometimes.

In any case, this illustrates my point perfectly. Hiring a professional makes sense in so many situations. Whether you’re renovating your kitchen or writing a proposal — why labour away at something painfully, slowly (and in a committee, no less!) when you could spend a little bit of money to have it done quickly, with beautiful results?

VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

The virtual assistant (VA) is one of the wonderful results of our digital world. You can hire a VA for a short-term projects, or on an ongoing, long-term basis, and that VA can be anywhere.

You can hire a virtual assistant for literally anything, from the mundane and time-consuming such as addressing holiday cards, to the complex such as setting up your office or a filing system that actually works virtual assistants can also make travel arrangements, and do research.

A virtual assistant can come from almost any background. The right VA with the right experience can be a goldmine for you. Look for legal, financial, or government background, for example, when you need help navigating bureaucracy, or creating a proposal for a government tender.

Hire a VA to do those chores you dread. I used to think there was virtue in forcing myself to do the things I dread. It builds character, right? How about letting yourself off the hook and paying for someone else to do it? This professional virtual assistant, Lisa Jibson (http://www.rossstreetagency.com) for example, offers to “follow up on unpaid accounts receivable.” If the thought of calling people who owe you money makes your hair curl, this VA can help you get money you’re owed. You pay her to get them to pay you. That’s a great return on investment, wouldn’t you say?

WRITERS AND COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS

If writing is a time-consuming chore for you, a writer can take that chore off your hands and free you up to do what you do best.

Do you struggle when it comes to writing? A professional writer can organize information quickly and clearly. I’ve met so many brilliant, articulate people who tell me they struggle to get their thoughts organized in writing; that it takes days or weeks to write up a report or proposal. What else would you do with that time — and more importantly, mental energy, if you paid someone else to do it?

When you should hire a writer:

  • Hire a professional writer when you need a polished and professional piece of writing, such as a media release. For a little investment you’ll get a media release gets results and doesn’t go into the Circular Filing Cabinet on the floor.
  • Hire professional help when you need a proposal, sales letter, or some other written item that could make you money.
  • Hire for help with a writing task or project that is weighing you down, mentally, or worse, holding you back in some way.
  • Hire a writer when you want a better, more polished online presence.

The long and the short of it is this: high-quality writing leads to improved online visibility, which leads to more clients.

More clients are always a good thing.

Stephanie Regan can make your content sing and sway and pop. See samples of her work at www.durhamwritingservices.com.

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women: