Virtual Assistance and You

Virtual business has its own culture and customs.

This blog is written for virtual assistants and their clients. From the long view, a VA has much in common with her clients. She operates a business, which requires planning, executing, marketing, recording, reporting – just like any other operation.  As a colleague in small business, a VA often is more a partner with clients than a simple vendor.

The main characteristic that a VA has in common with clients, however, is enthusiasm for working virtually. It’s a choice a person can make to bypass the downtown office, the commute, the corporate wardrobe; it’s a choice to do business remotely, on our own schedule, in our most conducive surroundings. The virtual choice is made by both a VA and his client; both consciously and strategically elect to use the internet as the conduit for their businesses.

To date, only a small percent of business owners have made the conscious decision to work with a virtual team. Such a plan requires flexible thinking and a can-do attitude. But the savings (on all levels)  allowed by virtual structures will soon make them much more common.

Anticipating that many more business owners and managers will seek virtual solutions as we move into 2010, it may be helpful to offer the following considerations for anyone considering this vital new method for GTD. While partnering with a VA is in so many ways more efficient than traditional office situations, the virtual workplace structure requires re-visioning some basic ideas.

1. Your VA is incredibly skilled, but she’s not a mind-reader. Before you try to work with a VA, be sure you can articulate your needs with extra-sharp precision.

What you do, your daily chores, should be as closely aligned as possible with what you are really good at (and like). The same goes for each member of your team. As a virtual business, you compose a workforce in which everyone loves his job and feels supported in his life choices.

Now, the cool thing about the internet is that it opens up the range of your choices as an entrepreneur. If you need the most expert authority on residential roofing systems, for example, you can find that person. If you need a VA who speaks Italian, excels in legal research, has a background in medical records, or is trained in real estate, you can find that person.

So before you send out your RFP, take the time to organize your operations in precise compartments, and map out how the communications and work will flow between these virtual components. If you formerly parceled out the work in an in-person, around-the-office way, very likely it needs to be re-configured to work best in the virtual world. Write job descriptions for each member of the team, include requirements for communications with you and fellow team members, and be as specific as possible about your expectations.

2. By the same token, a VA must be utterly specific about her skills and capabilities. People won’t find you, or won’t be magnetically attracted to you, unless you closely match what they’re looking for. And as any VA can tell you, no one wants to find themselves in the awkward place of having accepted work that’s beyond her capability. Making a perfect match is the ultimate value of the internet. If you are vague, or if you over-promise, your gig will be up very quickly. Authenticity, remember, is the ticket online.

3. Both VA and client must commit to careful courtesy and listening, for at least the first few weeks of the relationship, to determine a flow of communications that suits their purposes. There’s no sense demanding a certain way of doing things; listen well and find common ground, or part ways. No matter how perfect the match may be in technical terms, if it doesn’t work on a friendly level, it won’t be productive.  And every match is unique, so no rules may be set down.

In this new world of virtual business, it is required that every relationship be evaluated on its own terms; every relationship is unique. We facilitate the process by reviewing websites and portfolios in advance, of course; but in the end, it’s a question of your heartful response.  In the end, all you can do is give it a try, and part cordially if it doesn’t work out.  But also notice that if you focus powerfully on listening, problems with communications often disappear!

The virtual path is the path of the future, and our routines will adapt as new methods are adopted. Be aware that working virtually takes a bit of getting used to, and soon enough you’ll find yourself accustomed to this more efficient and economic solution.

*Note: This post re-published from December 3, 2009