What's Holding You Back From Hiring A VA

Recently I did a LinkedIn survey to see what's holding people back from hiring a Virtual Assistant.

These were the results:

46% I don't need one

17% I can't afford one

29% Don't know how to utilize one

8% Nervous to delegate my work

I find these numbers fascinating! Let's break it down.

46% of people are saying they don't need a VA. I think I should do further surveys as to why that is. Are they not busy enough and that's why they don't need one? Are they completely self-sufficient, able to maintain emails, CRM, data entry, social media, client connections, calendar management, etc...good for them. That's a very busy person and I hope they find "me time" and aren't overdoing it (that wasn't sarcasm). What are other reasons one wouldn't need a VA? Please comment below so I can include it in my survey. Thanks

17% of people surveyed say they can't afford one. I get that. The only thing I can say is there are VA's who work on project-based jobs (ie me!). So if there's something you are working on that you know will bring in $X, you may get it done faster and better with the help of a VA and you will make $X minus what you pay the VA. It may be worth a try. Sometimes having a VA can generate more income even if it's difficult in the beginning. Just food for thought.

29% of people surveyed don't know how to utilize a VA. I HEAR THIS DAILY! 100% of my clients started out by telling me this. "I know I need you, I just don't know how to use you." Literally every single one. This is something that needs to be learned through trial and error (hopefully less error). If you know you need the help, it's the VA's responsibility to learn where her (or his) strengths can be best utilized. I begin by having a conversation with my client to hear about their business. Then I ask them where they feel they need the most help. I get many different answers. Social media, scheduling and time management, data entry, mass emails, email maintenance, etc.

Everyone has that 'thing' that they struggle with and a VA is an excellent resource to get you on the right track and keep you there. A good VA should be able to hear everything her client is saying and figure out the best way to have a successful relationship and utilize her abilities to best serve her client.

This brings me to a side note, and I do have a blog about it, but it's so important I will mention it again. COMMUNICATION IS KEY between a VA and her client. It is virtually impossible (pun intended) for a VA to do a good job when a client doesn't tell them what's going on in their business. You want your VA to be able to represent you through emails, social media, and phone calls? How is she supposed to do that if she isn't kept in the loop? A busy client WILL ALWAYS have trouble finding the time to send a text or have a call. To them, the priority is their client and the work THEY need to do. I'm here to tell you, a 5-minute call or text with your VA will save you time later on having to tell her what was done wrong or update her on something after the fact. Information is key and a VA who wants to kill it needs that information to do a great job. Keep that in mind...I promise you'll thank me!

8% of people surveyed are nervous to delegate work. I TOTALLY GET THAT! I would recommend doing your due diligence prior to hiring your VA. Get recommendations, LinkedIn recommendations, find out what you can. Are her current and former clients happy with her work? Does she have a good track record? After CONFIDENTLY hiring your VA, you have the right to 'micromanage' if you want things done a certain way or be on top of her more until you have the confidence she can do it the way you want. She may do things differently, but remember, that's not always a bad thing. A different perspective or different knowledge about certain things can benefit your business. In the end, you may want it done your way. It's fine. It's the VA's responsibility to adapt to her clients and do their work the way THEY want it done. Usually, after 2 or 3 weeks of 'training', it becomes seamless and clients say they can never go back to doing these tasks on their own. So the fear of delegating work is totally understandable and a legitimate concern, but it shouldn't stop you from at least trying it out. You may be surprised.

Thank you to those who participated in my survey. I really appreciate the input and getting your perspective. I've learned a lot from this survey. It's important for a VA to understand where people are coming from and what their concerns are. That way we can best serve you. I'm definitely biased, but my opinion is a good VA can be life-changing. Trust your VA and you'll be able to take a breath and relax a bit. Your business is in good hands...