A forum I belong to (non-VA) was discussing whether or not members pay attention to the timestamp on emails sent to them. What they were actually talking about is the fact that many people today send emails at all times of day and night and because of how instant emails are, tend to expect instant replies. But what does that do to the recipient, the service provider? Does that now mean they have to be available 24/7? I mentioned that I've had to make a ruling for myself with respect to the … [Read more...]
Start With What You Know
I was speaking to a prospective VA on the phone the other day. She had been researching the Virtual Assistant industry and my name kept popping up everywhere she looked. She is also an avid reader of my blog (hi Helen!). During the course of the conversation she said the same thing I often hear 'newbies' say and that is, they want to learn a number of things before they start their businesses. I decided to explore this further with her. Whilst it is true that VAs need to have a certain … [Read more...]
Time zone vs Cost
I was recently reading a discussion amongst a group of people about their experiences in using a Virtual Assistant company in an Asian country. Some were giving praise and others were vocal about the poor experience they'd had. One of the last commenters said that he was disappointed with the service and that they were closing up shop at 6pm their time just when he was getting into his work for the day. He also made comment that they couldn't be found on Fridays and was thinking he might shift … [Read more...]
Include your currency when quoting
Recently a team member quoted a client for a job and she secured the work. However only a couple of days later another member advised she'd also quoted for the job but had been told that someone else had given a much lower quote and secured the work. She couldn't work out how someone could do the work for such a low fee. I began asking questions to see what had transpired to ensure that all was in order and it soon became apparent to me that the VA who quoted 'low' was in fact from another … [Read more...]
Should I be paying someone to get work?
This is a common question amongst VA forums and one that many new VAs ask. And somewhere along the line, the thought and responses have become slightly skewed with responses like 'you should never pay for getting work'. Whilst on first sight this appears to be a sound response, I believe you need to look at this much deeper before answering with a 'yes' or 'no'. For example, the site you've visited - is it a membership based site that offers many benefits to its members? If so, and the … [Read more...]
When a new client doesn’t respond
Recently one of my VAs asked me what to do when she'd responded to a job request and hadn't heard back from the client. This is something I get asked periodically. They don't want to make a nuisance of themselves but don't want to lose a potential client either. I was asked if that is a normal occurrence and I had to answer yes, unfortunately for two reasons: Sometimes the client is so overwhelmed with stuff to do that they lose sight of where they're up to next - which is why they need … [Read more...]
Pick up the phone!
I forget that new people coming along all the time won't have the knowledge or experience I have and so, sometimes I need to repeat the same information because there is a new audience. A new VA contacted me recently because she was concerned that a client wasn't responding to her emails and work had been regular and now she wasn't receiving any. She wanted to know if she should keep sending emails or perhaps phone him - she was worried about making a nuisance of herself. I advised her, … [Read more...]
More about scams online
Further to my post on Friday, I recently received an email in my spam filter thanking me for my enquiry and application for this: VA CERTIFICATION APPLICATION I had never heard of the group sending the email, I don't know who they are and I certainly didn't apply. Just so everyone knows (especially those new to the industry) - it's you who approach networks and training groups to do things for your business - not the other way around. If they approach you they're either desperate for members … [Read more...]
Considering VA Certification?
A VA forum was recently discussing whether or not it was necessary to get certification to operate a VA business. Trouble was the discussion was really about training. I posted the following to help distinguish the difference. I feel it's important to explain there is a difference between training and certification. Certification is usually to verify you already have the skills and ability for whatever that certification is. So VACertification.com (MVA & PVA) and ASO … [Read more...]
