4 steps to find the best virtual assistant for your business

Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) to help you handle tasks that you can delegate is one the best ways to be able to grow your business. Taking this step frees up your time to focus on what you do best and attract more clients. But how do you choose the right VA? 1. Write down all the things you and your team are doing that is not the best use of your time. This is a bit tedious, but actually make a list of everything you do over two to three days or even a week. 2. Note the dollar amount next to each task that you would pay someone to do these things. 3. Group all tasks that are similar. For example, all the technology or web based things can be grouped together and delegated to one person who knows technology. Or customer service items could go to another VA specializing in this area. 4. Then post an ad on a site like Craigslist, contact VA’s online or ask colleagues for recommendations. Once the responses start pouring in, look for the assistants who specialize in the type of tasks you need to delegate. From there, be sure to take some time to thoroughly interview them. Find out their fee, their availability, the standards for their practice, how they typically work with clients and most of all determine if you feel a certain rapport. A good rapport will go a long way. It may take some time to build a trusting relationship and that’s ok and to be expected. The key is to get clear on what needs to be delegated. You’ll need to get very organized so you can easily communicate the details of each task and your expectations. That’s how we do things at Client Attraction. We’ve created an operations manual for everything to help any transitions between team members take place as seamlessly as possible. If you don’t have procedures established, that’s another task you have hand off to your VA! Your Client Attraction Assignment: Are you ready to hire a virtual assistant? Don’t skip the step of cataloging your daily activities for a few days. It’s the best way to know exactly what will be best for you to delegate. Once you figure out what can be handed off to someone else, you can get back to doing what you do best and attract more clients.