6 Best Practices When Working with a Virtual Assistant for the First Time

Have you been thinking about hiring a virtual assistant? Are you at the beginning stages of exploring the idea of expanding your team to help run your business online? In this week’s blog, Jessica Granish, leading expert in the virtual assistant industry offers some sage advice on this very topic. Jessica has 13 years of experience in creative, social and technical virtual assistant tasks. Jessica helps heart-center and conscious business owners put all the pieces together for their business to run like a well-oiled machine in an online environment. She also is a virtual assistant trainer, as well as thought leader that educate online business owners about the power of delegation and how to successfully and efficiently build a team that is in alignment with your core values and in turn creating authenticity and trust for a long lasting partnership. In a nutshell, Jessica, helps you gets sh*t done so you can focus and shine in your zone of genius.

Start thinking about expanding and getting assistance now: One of the biggest frustrations I hear from business owners is that they wish they would have hired someone sooner…or at least started the process sooner. It is daunting and overwhelming when your to-do list becomes a mile long. Get ahead of the curve; don’t let the stacks of tasks pile up. Don’t fall victim to being a prisoner in your own business where it stops you dead in your tracks. You know that feeling of being so overwhelmed that you just take a nap!? Try not to get to that space. A virtual assistant is there to help create less stress and more time for you to focus on your passion, you know, the whole reason why you went into business for yourself to begin with. All seasoned and reliable virtual assistants have processes and procedures to bring you on board with ease. You should feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders when you start with your perfect VA.
Don’t feel like you have to hand everything off all at once: It may feel like you are handing the keys to your empire over and for some that might be scary. You and your awesome new virtual assistant should work together to identify and prioritize the most important tasks. I suggest starting at a foundational level. This is so that your business is sturdy and strong. You don’t want to play a game of Jenga with your business. In many cases, people don’t even know where to start with delegation. If you are one of those business owners who have no idea where to even start, I suggest using a great tool that I built called the “Delegator”. It is a way to help identify where delegation could help with your sanity. You can access the form here >>> http://www.alpinesbsolutions.com/the-delegator/
Let go of the negative mindset: I realize delegation can seem hard at first. I teach this and can get in the same mindset that many have. You know that negative mindset of, “I want to save money, so I will do it myself”, or “if it is going to get done right, I should do it myself”, or “it is going to take too long to bring someone on board and teach them the ropes”. Don’t fall victim to these statements. Growth is all about letting go of those blocks. The art of delegation comes with great rewards that you will soon realize and will look back and wonder why you didn’t seek support sooner.
Focus on your zone of genius and let your virtual assistant focus on theirs: If you are just starting out with building your online presence you will find yourself inundated with new tools and terminology to help run your business in an online environment. This can seem daunting and can be extremely overwhelming and time consuming. You don’t need to know how to do everything to be successful. Being able to let go, release and trust in the ninja like skills of your virtual assistant, can change your entire business in a very positive and wonderful way.
Make sure that your virtual assistant matches your core values: This is one of the most important things that a successful and long term virtual assistant relationships can have in my opinion. If your core values are in alignment everything else just flows so much easier. You can usually tell on the initial conversation with a virtual assistnat if the synergy is there or not. I suggest to all my clients that you don’t focus on all business in your initial conversations. It is super valuable to talk openly about what makes you both burn with passion inside as well. You can learn quite a bit from digging deeper and creating a more personal connection too. Now, don’t get me wrong, passion is important, but their credentials are extremely important too. A nice balance is a wonderful way of matching core values. Having this alignment with your virtual assistant will in turn create authenticity and trust. It is a beautiful thing.
Communication is key: Need I say more? All great relationships let it be professionally or personally start with great communication. Creating expectations and sharing your communication style is super important. When starting your business you will want to set those expectations with your clients, your vendors and your team. Communication is a foundational piece to building authenticity and trust as you grow and expand in your zone of genius.

I hope that this was helpful for someone reading this that may be on the fence. I also just released a new blog recently titled “5 Reasons Why Hiring a Team Will Cost Less Than Doing Everything Yourself”

What You Need to Know 5 Differences Between a General and a Technical Virtual Assistant

Looking for a lifesaver in building your business? A virtual assistant is the answer, with their ability to help you achieve work life balance and the variety of ways they can help grow your business. Virtual assistants perform tasks business managers do not want to do or should not be focusing their efforts on (like handling customer service inquiries), lack time for (like email marketing), or are not as knowledgeable in (like social media). A virtual assistant costs less than hiring an in-person employee given they do not come with employee related expenses (like paid vacation or insurance) or require you to provide and office and supplies.

Virtual assistants are a great solution to your business building needs, but before you hire one it’s important to understand the difference between the two prominent types: a general virtual assistant and a technical virtual assistant.

Traditional Office Job Comparison

Think of a general virtual assistant as the traditional secretary, receptionist, and assistant position. This is the one who the office would die without, who knows where everything is an how it all works.

A technical virtual assistant is more like the IT staff, graphic design team, and marketing team. They have more specialize skills.

Typical Tasks

A general VA is a jack of all trades, offering a range of services. They can be assigned nearly anything (including tasks assigned to technical VAs), but typically include projects like bookkeeping, scheduling meetings and travel, billing and accounting, handling customer questions and concerns, database entry and building, document proofreading, and organizational tasks like file uploading and storage.

A technical VA is more of a specialized worker, offering a narrow selection of services with more experience in each arena. They often, but not always, received training or certification in a given area (like SEO optimization). Their tasks can include website creation and management, social media management, email marketing, graphic design, and hardware and software issues.

Number of Assistants Hired

Generally, an office will hire one or two general VAs to handle the administrative tasks.

Larger organizations may hire multiple technical VAs, such as a web developer, a social media manager, and a graphic designer.

Responsibilities

A general VA focuses more on internal business aspects, ensuring the company runs smoothly by completing day to day administrative tasks.

A technical VA focuses more on external business aspects, ensuring the company is portrayed in a positive way to the target audience by completing marketing tasks.

Compensation

The compensation for a general VA as opposed to a technical VA varies depending on the rates set by the individual or the VA firm. Usually, a technical VA sets a higher rate given they offer more specialization, training, and experience.

How to Decide

Smaller businesses just starting out with a VA can benefit from a general VA, since they offer a breadth of service options. As the company grows, you can add on a technical VA to handle more specialized tasks.

There are some virtual assistants that offer a mix of this, or have a team that they work to help you’re your needs. While it may seem hard to justify the high upfront cost of adding a virtual assistant, keep in mind virtual assistants are a better bargain than an in-person employee and they free you up to focus business building tasks (like developing a new product instead of spending hours going through emails). VAs allow you to be more efficient with your time and money, making them a solid investment in growing your organization.

How to Set Work Hours Working From Home as a Virtual Assistant

The ability for a virtual assistant to design their own work schedule is a double-edged sword. It’s great not feeling chained to your desk for the arbitrary 9-5 grind.

But it’s also easy to avoid ever setting a schedule. Before you know it, you’re always either working or thinking about work. It’s increasingly difficult to leave work at work. Projects that could be done in an hour end up taking longer.

The irony of the “I don’t need to abide by a set schedule” virtual assistant life is that we often function better when we create a schedule.

The Benefit of Setting Work Hours

Many work-from-home virtual assistants resist setting work hours like the plague. One huge appeal of being your own boss is the freedom that comes with control over your schedule right?

But the reality of failing to set work hours tells a different story. Not sticking to a work schedule ends up hurting you in the long wrong in different ways.

It’s hard to leave work at work as a virtual assistant. When work stops at 5, it’s easier to stop thinking about work at 5. When there is no firm end to the work day, it’s so much harder to transition from “work mode” to “living your life mode.” You feel guilty watching TV and wonder if you should go get that one article done. You daydream thinking of your to-do list. You always feel “on,” making it difficult to give yourself the rest you need.
You waste precious mental energy. Each day you wake up without a firm schedule. Each day, you waste time and energy deciding how much you will work and when. It’s the element of decision fatigue. The more decisions we make each day, the more drained we become. It’s why superstars like Steve Jobs wore the same outfit every day. One less decision to make meant a bit more energy for more important matters.
Tasks take longer than they should. Parkinson’s Law basically states however long a task can take is usually how long it will. Maybe you wake up and know, if needed, you could log a 10-hour day today to get that big project done. What ends up happening? You tend to work that 10-hour day. The beauty of the set work schedule is work is only allowed to fill those hours. Usually, everything always gets done.

These problems can be tackled (or at least minimized) by setting a consistent work schedule. The initial constraint of work hours ends up giving you more free time and freedom to enjoy your time outside work guilt free.

Setting an Optimized Work Schedule

Here is where you get to enjoy the freedom of being a virtual assistant. Maybe your peak creativity hours are early morning and early evening. In the middle of the day, you suffer from the afternoon slump. So work in the peak hours and go workout or run errands when your brain power dips.

A virtual assistant work schedule does not mean you must bow down at the altar of the 9-5 work week. Those hours are not ideal anyway! In fact, with the right productivity tactics you may get 8 hours of work done in 7 or 6. All a work schedule means is setting strict work hours and strict non-work hours. If you can accomplish you work between 10-4, that’s great!

You can even set a different work schedule for different days of the week. Maybe you are a work-from-home parent taking advantage of a babysitting co-op. On Tuesday mornings, you get to wrangle the group’s kiddos to the library activity. So on Tuesdays, your work day starts a few hours later.

It doesn’t matter what type of schedule you make. What matters is knowing going into the day which hours you work. Designated work hours protect your “non-work” time.

Once you create a schedule, protect it fiercely. Don’t check your email outside of work hours. Let your clients know what hours they can expect to reach you by phone…and don’t pick up if it’s outside of those (or work into your contract it’s a $75 fee every time they do). When you are done for the day, be done. Don’t fall into the trap of well I could get one more thing done. Allow yourself to rest and relax!

Working from home can be the ideal set up. Setting optimized work hours helps you be the ideal worker and live a balanced life. It’s a win-win!

If you want assistance on setting hours that work for you or need help getting all your work done in the allotted time,the Virtual Assistant Roadmap is here for you! Just shoot us an email to get started.

Imposter Syndrome and How to Overcome it as a Virtual Assistant

As a virtual assistant, you encounter your share of battles to overcome. But sometimes, the biggest battle is your own internal monologue.

I can’t actually do this. I feel like an imposter pretending to be cut out for this life. People think I’m qualified, but if they only knew…

These defeating thoughts are common in people with imposter syndrome, which tends to be found among highly successful and high achieving people.

AKA: you!

Imposter syndrome acts like a crippling sickness that keeps us from being bold in our personal and professional lives, robbing us of growth, success, and even happiness.

It’s a terrible thing to experience. But, it is something that can be conquered!

What Really Is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is a term often thrown around and splashed in click baiting headlines, leaving people confused as to what it actually is (and whether they’re affected by it).

Imposter syndrome was created in the 1970s by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who described it as a feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.”

Did you catch the irony? It’s those who are capable and qualified (evidenced by their previous high achievement) who doubt themselves to a debilitating degree.

Basically, imposter syndrome is a terrible, gut-sinking feeling experienced by motivated and successful people that keeps them from taking action out of a false perception of their own inferiority.

It’s important to note that imposter syndrome is not humility. Humility is an accurate view of your self-worth. Imposter syndrome is a skewed view of your “lack” of ability and success.

It’s also not the same as having a realistic perspective. Being a realist means your lack of action comes from the potential risks outweighing the potential benefits. Imposter syndrome, however, keeps you from acting because you falsely believe you’re not capable.

Imposter syndrome is the little troll on our shoulder feeding us lies about our potential. It keeps us from being the best virtual assistant we can be. We hesitate to take our company in a new direction…because we’re the ones who must lead it there. At networking events, we keep to ourselves because we don’t think we can offer anything of value to potential connections. Our own lack of confidence can rub off on our employees, making it harder for them to be bold and daring.

When we buy into lies about our capability, our business suffers. And more importantly, our mental and emotional well-being suffers. Imposter syndrome has no place in your life!

How We Perceive Success

One of the root problems of imposter syndrome comes from an inability to internalize previous success accurately. Remember, imposter syndrome happens in people with high success. Our brains have to justify the poor views of ourselves against the list of objective successes, and it does so with two approaches.

Our brain says we just got lucky. Our success isn’t due to our own efforts, we were just in the right place at the right time. Often, our brain tells us we shouldn’t take a chance because the luck we’ve been coasting on may run out.

Or, our brain says our success isn’t really that big of a deal. Our accomplishments are overblown in the eyes of others. So, we shouldn’t get cocky about trying, because really, you’re an imposter for believing you’re capable of high achievement.

If one (or both) of these mindsets resonates with how you perceive your success, then you’ve identified the first way you can overcome imposter syndrome. It’s hard, but you need to consciously work on reframing how you view success.

It’s okay to celebrate and take pride in your success. In fact, it’s important for your confidence’s sake to view your success accurately. (That means recognizing the role your ability and hard work played!)

Try this exercise. Physically write out past successes. Then write out how your talents, skills, and time got you those successes. It’ll help you fight the “it was just luck” or “it really wasn’t that impressive” defeatist thoughts. When you experience imposter syndrome thoughts, review the list. It’ll be a little pep talk from you to you.

Other Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

There are a few ways you can work to get imposter syndrome out of your life. Try the ones that appeal to you (or try them all and see what helps). It won’t happen overnight, but you can work to a life free of imposter syndrome.

Remember that you’re not alone. Be reassured that many people experience imposter syndrome. Even famous people like Tina Fey, Kate Winslet, and Maya Angelou all struggle with it! Other people have felt exactly as you do right now, and other people have conquered your battle, too.
Don’t think more success is the answer. Some people think they just need to rack up a list of more achievements to feel more confident. But, the problem with imposter syndrome isn’t a lack of success (since it happens with people who are very successful). It’s not being able to internalize accurately those successes. Imposter syndrome won’t go away with more success.
Hear from others’ experiences. When we buy into the “I’m the only one feeling this way” trap, we’re left feeling powerless. Books like Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In”, which talks about common fears of women in the workplace, can help us feel empowered knowing we aren’t alone. You can also read celebrity quotes on imposter syndrome to see how others feel.
Express your expertise. Find ways to position yourself so you’re sharing what you know with others. It can help you realize you know more than you give yourself credit for. You can serve as a mentor for someone involved (or interested in) your industry. Be an active participant for industry-focused Facebook or Google+ groups, answering questions and offering advice. You’ll see that you know more, and are capable of more, than you thought.
Lean on loved ones. It’s scary to admit you’re struggling, especially to people who exalt you for your abilities. But your friends and family can be an invaluable resource, working as your cheerleaders talking down negative self-talk. You can also reach out to people experiencing similar struggles, supporting each other and going through the process of overcoming imposter syndrome together.

It’s terrible to feel imposter syndrome, but it can and will get better! Remember, you ARE capable, smart, talented, and you absolutely can do this.

3 Ways for a Virtual Assistant to Get Clients

Woohoo! Congratulations on deciding to take the first big leap in starting your business. Now that you are all set and ready to go, it is time to get to work. What wait? You don’t have a client? No worries. We all start at that scary place of I really want to do this, but how do I get started? Here are my three favorite tips for new virtual assistants to get clients to start rolling through the door.

Freelance Sites

You want work? Go to the places where works is listed. There are many places that allow people to publish jobs they need someone to help them with. It may not always been the ideal position, but it does get some income rolling through the door and helps you build a little bit of a reputation. The best part, when you land that first small project, you can build that relationship for when they need more work, they know they can contact you directly to see if you are available. Check out some places like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, or 99Designs. Each freelance site has a bit more of a specialty focus, so shop around for what you have to offer.

Subcontract

Look in to other VA groups or agencies. There are many virtual assistants out there. Connect with them and start talking. Find out who is busy and if you might be a good fit to help support their business for a while. If you can take some tasks off someone else’s plate it will help build a solid relationship while you have more time to get your name out there. Remember, this may mean you might be making less that what you would originally charge. Be open to the opportunities.

Advertise

I know this sees a little cliché, but if people don’t know what you have to sell or market, how do you really expect them to buy it? If you have a specific clientele you are looking for, go talk to them. Send them some material about what you can offer. Being a virtual assistant can be a low overhead business, but don’t make me say it…you got to spend a little money to…well you know!

Make sure you have a website so you have somewhere for people to do their research on you. It is your business foundation and a lot of times it is the first impression to potential clients-make it a good one!

There are many ways you can advertise. Start with Facebook and Google Adwords and see your results.

Bonus tip—Don’t be afraid to use your network. Letting family and friends know what you are doing and letting them help make connections is the way many people start out. Once you have established yourself a bit this network is also great to have word of mouth start. The best advertisement is a happy client, so don’t be discouraged if you make some sacrifices in your pricing or other aspects at first. When those referrals start rolling in and people are seeking you out, you can really start to shine as the professional you are.

If you’re ready to seek clients, but could use some guidance, we’re here for you! We can assist with any aspect of business building and strategy. Simply shoot us an email or give us a call today.

9 Ways to Deal with Challenging Virtual Assistant Clients

When you work in the world of online business, dealing with difficult Virtual Assistant clients comes with the territory. While it can be incredibly frustrating interacting with these individuals, there are some simple proactive and reactive tactics you can use to make things easier on all parties involved.

Proactive Tactics

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure right? Try these ideas to help prevent possible situations before they develop.

Create guidelines about communication. One source of conflict is differing expectations about communication, like the client who expects you to respond at odd hours, weekends, or holidays. Sure that’s a reasonable request when dealing with
crisis communication, but not when it’s dealing with subjects that can wait until traditional work hours. In your initial meetings with your Virtual Assistant clients, provide clear “office hours” that they can expect to be able to reach you. This helps ensure all parties involved are on the same page for what’s reasonable to expect when it comes to communication.
Make clients articulate what they expect from you. This can create an open dialect in case there are any clarifications that need made. Conflict can arise when clients claim your finalized work isn’t what they wanted, or when clients demand you deliver more than the scope of your original agreement. Get clients to explicitly state in as much detail as possible what they are envisioning for the project to minimize the possibilities of expectations not being met. Some clients struggle with expressing what they want, and asking them to express what they wouldn’t want can be a helpful exercise to help them better communicate their expectations.
Provide clear timelines. As much as you can, from the beginning, give clients a timeline of the project with checkpoints along the way. Letting clients know upfront how long they can expect a project to take can help prevent clients expecting unreasonable deadlines to be met, and it provides them with peace of mind that you can gauge how long components of the project will take.
Keep careful records. Hopefully you won’t ever need to refer back to them with your client, but easy access to contracts, client emails, and the like will be important in case there is a disagreement on logistical details, such as fees or what you agreed to do for them.
Provide reports to your clients. These can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly depending on the project or client. The report serves as a detailed summary of what you’ve accomplished and what your plans moving forward in the project are, which again provides peace of mind to your client while continually showing all the value you provide.

Reactive Tactics

Alright so now your client is upset. Here are some tips to diffuse the situation.

Make the client feel listened to. Just like in romantic relationships, sometimes it’s less about being right and more about protecting the relationship. Even if your client is overreacting, make sure they walk away from the conversation feeling
heard. You can use phrases like, “I’m sorry you feel that way, that must be frustrating,” or “I can see why that would upset you” to show you empathize with them. After they explain their viewpoint, articulate back to them what you think their viewpoint is to showcase you understand their perspective.
Steer your Virtual Assistant clients toward specifics. When clients get upset, they often start using sweeping statements such as, “it’s always causing me problems” or “it’s never ready when I need it.” Gently encourage clients to articulate the specific problem to help move the focus away from the “always” and “nevers” and to the problem at hand. Then articulate a specific solution and ask them if it addresses his or her concerns.
Distinguish between a situational conflict and personality clash. Sometimes the problem is not an external scenario you can solve. Some people just butt heads. If it’s possible to switch the client to another staff member, consider giving the client to them. You can ask the client who they would rather work with to let them feel like they have control of the situation. This can be hard, but sometimes it is best. Don’t take it personally. Really, not everyone can get along.
Remember cutting ties is an option. Hopefully it will never need to come to this, but in some cases, it is warranted. You have to weigh the benefits of the client against
the stress, emotional exhaustion, time, and so that it takes to deal with a difficult client. If you’ve tried a variety of approaches and nothing works, you can rest easy knowing you did everything you could to make
it work but it wasn’t meant to be. Let the relationship go and focus your energy where it should go: the clients who are willing to work with you!

Dealing with difficult Virtual Assistant clients can be a challenge. If you need help with client communication, or any aspect of online business building, Alpine Small Business Solutions is here for you! Just give us a call or send us an email.