Choosing the right virtual assistant for you is a very personal journey, everyone has different reasons or objectives for deciding to outsource some of their workload.

Maybe you’re looking to create a better work/life balance, you could be looking to focus on your client workload, it could just be that you don’t like to do certain tasks.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to working with virtual assistants.  Every VA has a different skill set, some specialise in social media management, some love to create landing pages or sales funnels, some thrive on creating content, others prefer to offer more traditional admin support.

With so many VAs out there, how do you find the one (or more) that are right for you?

Firstly, I suggest that you write a list of the tasks that you currently complete in your business.  Think about the following:

• Which take up the most time?
• Which do you hate doing?
• Which prevent you from getting on with what’s important to you?
• Are there things you know you need to be doing but never seem to get around to?

This will help you to identify the tasks that you can outsource to a VA.  Also, once you know what you would like to outsource it makes it easier to identify the skill set that you need your VA to have.

Skill sets are all well and good, but I recommend that you also think about the personal qualities you would like your VA to have.

• Should they come from a corporate background?
• Should they have a creative mind?
• Should their morals or beliefs be in line with yours?
• Should they share your sense of humour?

After all, if you don’t enjoy working with them it won’t lead to a beneficial relationship for either of you.

Now, you have an idea of what you want your VA to do for you and the type of person that you want to work with.

But, where do you find them?

Here are a few places to look:

• Social Media is a great place to start. Whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you will find an abundance of Virtual Assistant business pages through the search bar.  LinkedIn can be especially useful as you can search based on your location or search on specific keywords and hashtags.
• Ask for a recommendation in a group on social media, LinkedIn and Facebook are fantastic for this.  If you’re a member, ask in online business groups, chances are there will be at least one VA, or if not, someone will have worked with one and can introduce you. If you’re asking for a recommendation, I’d suggest being specific, say that you want help with x, y and z, hopefully this will help to weed out those who don’t have the necessary skill set.
• Ask your friends or colleagues for a recommendation or connection.  If someone you know is already familiar with a virtual assistant, or has worked with one, it can help by adding a layer of trust.
• Search the wider internet, as with a generic social media search, this will bring up thousands of virtual assistants.

It may be a little time consuming to begin with but by doing some research into potential VAs, their skills and who they are, it will help you to find the right ‘fit’ for you.

It is also worth noting that many virtual assistants believe in the ethos of ‘collaboration not competition.’  In practice this means that if you speak to a VA who isn’t the perfect fit for you, they will most likely be happy to refer you to someone within their network who has a more suited skill set.

When you first started your business what was your goal?

• To help your clients?
• To make more money?
• To do what you love?
• To achieve a better work/life balance?
• To work flexible hours to suit your lifestyle?
• To spend more time with your family?

Has running your business made your dreams a reality? If not, what has got in the way?

The big question, do you run your business or does your business run you?

If your business runs you it may be time to outsource some of your workload to the Virtual Assistant.

Here are 5 signs that you may be ready to work with a VA.

1. You’re working all hours to get through your ever increasing to-do list without actually making any money.
2. You’re struggling to meet deadlines for your client workload.
3. You’re having to learn new skills which aren’t centred around your core business activities.
4. You’re wasting your expertise on the day to day running of your business.
5. Your personal life is suffering.

If you think it’s time to start working with a Virtual Assistant there are three steps to working out what support you need.

1. Write a list of all the tasks you currently do.
2. Select the ones which are the best use of your time and expertise.
3. Select those which are the biggest time drains or the ones that give you the biggest headaches.

Chances are you could outsource many of the tasks identified in step 3 to a virtual assistant, allowing you to concentrate on those which are a better use of your time.

I hope this post has been helpful to you.

Coming soon… How to find the right Virtual Assistant for you and your business.