How much is your time worth to you? Every minute that you
spend doing paperwork is a minute lost for developing your
product or service, networking with potential clients, or
making sales. In simple terms, every minute you spend on
administrative tasks is a minute you could have spent
growing your business. But, without the resources to hire
an Administrative Assistant, how can you get the help you
need?
Virtual assistance is an industry that has grown immensely
in the past few years. This development is due in part to
the growth of the internet and new technologies, which have
made working with an Assistant, as simple as sending an
email. It has also grown as a result of the number of
entrepreneurs that simply don't have the space and/or the
money to hire an in-house Assistant. More and more small
businesses are coming to the realization that the solution
to this problem is virtual assistance.
Outsourcing administrative work allows entrepreneurs to
focus on the income earning aspects of their business while
saving the money that would have been spent on hiring an
Administrative Assistant.
Most Virtual Assistants offer two options for acquiring
their services. For those who need help regularly, most
VAs offer retainer plans, which allow you to purchase their
services in monthly time blocks. This is a good option
when you need multiple tasks performed each month. For
example, if you have a customer database that needs regular
maintenance and weekly invoicing that must be performed,
then hiring a Virtual Assistant on a retainer basis will
enable you to outsource those tasks and get them off of
your own to-do list. If you need ten hours of service per
month, you only pay for ten hours of service. If you need
twenty hours of administrative work completed per month,
you pay for twenty hours, and so on. Most Virtual
Assistants offer discounts for clients who purchase their
services on a retainer basis. Usually, the more hours
purchased, the larger the discount.
For clients who only need an occasional project completed,
such as a document typed or the completion of a
spreadsheet, services can be purchased on an hourly basis.
This means that if your project will take only an hour to
complete, you will pay for only one hour of service. Your
Virtual Assistant will be able to give you an estimate on
the amount of time the project should take to complete.
Some VAs have a minimum hourly requirement however, so it's
best to inquire about this first.
When working with a Virtual Assistant for the first time,
it is always best to start with a small project to see if
you and the VA are compatible. Once you have established
that he/she provides quality work and that you communicate
well, you can decide whether or not to continue sending
projects or retaining their services.
The growth of the Virtual Assistant industry has made it
possible for anyone to have their own Assistant. Whether
you are an office of one or one hundred, virtual assistance
might be the answer for you. Acquiring quality assistance
will free up your time and simplify your life.
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Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President of
Virtually There VA Services. To find out more about
virtual assistance and how using a Virtual Assistant can
simplify your life, visit her website at =>
http://www.virtuallythereva.com
While you're there, don't forget to sign up for her free
monthly newsletter providing useful information that
enhances and simplifies the lives of busy entrepreneurs.
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