Home
>
Small Business
>
Finding the Right Virtual Assistant for Your Small Business

Finding the Right Virtual Assistant for Your Small Business

Articles abound advising the business community how to properly screen when looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA). Unfortunately, some of the advice may lead you astray, as it often ignores the fact that VAs are not employees but independent contractors providing professional business to business (B2B) services.

For example, I have yet to have a prospective client actually ask me for a "list of references," although if one did, I would happily provide him or her with a name or two if I thought the request was a valid one from a serious, qualified prospect.

Many writers also suggest that a good VA will have formal training and credentials. This is entirely subjective, however, and I caution against spending too much energy counting letters. Many highly sought after and capable VAs have no letters behind their name yet provide a caliber of service that is second to none. While formal training certainly lends credibility in a virtual environment where a warm handshake is not a reality, I advise people seeking a VA to evaluate other qualities first such as experience, professionalism, presentation, and honesty.

Here are some additional suggestions as to what you should look for when seeking a Virtual Assistant:

-> A professional presentation. When you speak to or correspond with the VA, how does he or she present? What do the VA's website and marketing materials look like? Is the copy well written and informative? Or is it full of typos and grammatical errors? These types of things say a great deal about a VA as a potential contributor to the success, image, and reputation of your small business.

-> Inquiry turnaround. When you send an inquiry to a VA asking about his or her services, rates, etc., what is the turnaround time for getting a response? A good VA respects the entrepreneur's time and will get back to you within at least 48 hours. (My own turnaround time for email inquiries from prospects is 24 hours or less.)

-> Price. This is a hot topic but has to be addressed if you are going to get real value from your Virtual Assistant. If the VA charges "peanuts," please turn and run in the other direction. You get what you pay for in this life. A VA who is charging anything less than $25 to $30 (USD) per hour cannot possibly be running a profitable business and may not be the person you want to trust with your own small business and life's work.

-> Quality over quantity. Does the VA offer every possible service under the sun? Or does he or she strategically focus on one or two categories of B2B services? While the VA doesn't necessarily have to be "niched" into a narrow market, he or she should know who they are talking to in their marketing communications. A good VA does not try to be all things to all people. This does not mean we will not flex to accommodate a new and exciting request. Still, if your project requires skills and experience the VA simply does not possess, a true professional will either refer you to another VA altogether or strategically partner with a VA who has the requisite expertise. (Yes, VAs use subcontractors too!)

-> An online presence. Here is something that perhaps you haven't considered. VAs operate, for the most part, in a virtual environment (thus the "V" in VA!). Before approaching a VA, do some research to see if he or she has an online presence anywhere else besides his or her website. (If the VA doesn't have a website, that should make you take pause. How committed to this whole virtual thing is he or she anyway?) Many VAs are active in various online "communities" such as business blogs, forums, networks, etc. This is great way to get to know your VA's true colors before committing to a partnership.

Those are just a few of the many things to consider when surveying the Internet landscape for your new Virtual Assistant.

Karri Flatla is a business graduate of the University of Lethbridge and principal of snap! virtual assistance inc., a business and project support service that specializes in business research, planning and communications. Karri also produces Outsmart, a small business newsletter full of practical tips and fresh insights for entrepreneurs. Visit http://www.snap-va.com for more information.

eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.