May 17 2008
Do you need a Virtual Assistant?
NOTE: Make sure you read the comments for follow-up to this post.
Kieron over at Full Time Blogger is wondering just that. And he’s challenged me to give him the answer. In Kieron’s case, given the information that I have, the answer is probably no - not yet anyway.
Typically, before I’d suggest services - or not suggest services, as the case may be - I’d want to know more about the potential client. I’d want to know their goals (both personal and business), what they love about their business, what they hate about their business, and what they have to force themselves to do only because if they didn’t their business would implode. (That’s a bit of a simplistic summary, but you get where I’m going.)
Basically, I want to know what they are and are not passionate about. Touching back on my post from yesterday about how my passion is changing my life (which was inspired by this Dosh Dosh post), if you’re doing something you’re passionate about, your chances of success are higher. I believe this applies not only to business but also personal success. So, my answer to the question “Do I need a Virtual Assistant?” would be:
Yes, IF you’re spending a large amount of time doing things you’re not really passionate about.
It stands to reason that if doing something you’re passionate about contributes to success, then doing things you’re not passionate about could contribute to failure. Those are the things you should outsource to a Virtual Assistant. That will give you free time to focus on what you really care about - and that’s the point of having a VA (at least from my perspective).
In Kieron’s case, he’s passionate about everything he has on his plate right now (at least the things that could potentially be outsourced - I’ll leave helping out with showers up to his wife) so it doesn’t make sense for him to hand them off to someone else. Could that change in the future? Absolutely.
As his business grows, there will probably come a time when, no matter how passionate or interested he is in what he is doing, he just don’t have the time to get everything done (and still have a life). That’s when I hope he’ll call in me (or another VA) to help him out. At that point he’ll have to say to himself, “I love it all, but what do I love doing least?” - that’s what should go to a VA.
You may be thinking “Wow, shouldn’t she be trying to sell her services more instead of saying I don’t need her?” and the answer is maybe - but that’s not how I work. I want to work with clients who want to work with me, need to work with me, and are excited about working with me, not ones that work with me because I conjured up some tasks I could do.
I’m willing to bet that if I took a closer look at Kieron’s life there are things I could do for him - like tracking his personal finances, planning his vacations, cleaning out his spam box - but doing those things, unless he really hates doing them, would be more about making business for myself than helping him out and that’s not how I want to do business. I don’t like people who hard-sell me products I don’t need so I’m not going to do that to someone else.
So Kieron no, you don’t need me…but maybe some day.
Now readers, in my last post I asked you “What is your passion and what are you doing to follow it?
With this post I’m wondering:
What are you doing that you AREN’T passionate about, and what are you doing to change that?
I’ve just confessed over on my blog that my book-keeping is my biggest bug-bear, but I’ll ask the question here as well for your readers. How do you go about picking up new skill sets (and even the software) to perform tasks that require specific skill sets?
Such as my book-keeping, I tear my hear out with my accountancy package every year (even though I know it’s one of the easier ones!), but you’d need the same software as me and the knowledge of both the package and my business to do such a thing - where does this sit with VA’s, or do I end up with a book-keeper as well, and suddenly find myself with 5 VA’s that I have to spend half my life talking to, just to get anything done?
This isn’t a dig at what Amanda does, as I’m damned sure I probably do really need a VA and it would surprise me what they would take on, the biggest question for me would always still be - is it cost effective?
Well, I responded on your blog, but I’ll cross-post it for those who don’t want to go back and forth.
Most VAs are versatile and good at learning new processes (part of the challenge that presents is why many VAs do what they do) so, while there would be a learning curve with any new project, unless your system is completely wacked out, it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who has good experience. Most VAs would also probably have the software you use (unless it’s specialized, in which case you’d have to negotiate that with your VA).
One especially good thing about establishing a good relationship with a VA is that as you add to their duties, if they don’t have a particular skill they probably know someone does and can either connect you directly or manage the project for you so you only have one point of contact.
For example, I love getting businesses set up with a web presence, but I’m not a designer. So I outsource that part. My clients know this, but to them it’s a seamless process and it’s all handled by me. It makes everyone’s life easier to only have one gate keeper.
So no, you shouldn’t need 5 VAs. If you choose a good VA with diverse experience they’ll probably be able to handle almost anything you throw their way. And if they can’t they’ll figure out the best person to get it done for you - sometimes without you even knowing.
As far as cost effectiveness goes, how much is your time (and your hair) worth to you? If you spend 10 hours a week doing bookkeeping and other administrative tasks, what else could you be doing with those 10 hours? Could you be concentrating on the areas of business that bring in money (which should more than cover any VA fees)? Could you take off early for a long weekend with your family? Could you take up a new hobby or write that book you’ve been thinking about?
What would you do if you had an extra 10 hours of free time each month? In my experience, having more free time and less stress is pretty much priceless.
I had a bit of a brainstorm the other night and realised I might need more than a virtual assistant, I might need a whole department / development team to work through my list!!!
Keiron @ Full-Time-Bloggers last blog post..Wordpress is always out of date!!!