Finding the Right Virtual Assistant for Your Small Business

Articles abound advising the business community how to properly screen when looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA). Unfortunately, some of the advice may lead you astray, as it often ignores the fact that VAs are not employees but independent contractors providing professional business to business (B2B) services.

For example, I have yet to have a prospective client actually ask me for a “list of references,” although if one did, I would happily provide him or her with a name or two if I thought the request was avalid one from a serious, qualified prospect.

Many writers also suggest that a good VA will have formal training and credentials. This is entirely subjective, however, and I caution against spending too much energy counting letters. Many highly sought after and capable VAs have no letters behind their name yet provide a caliber of service that is second to none. While formal training certainly lends credibility in a virtual environment where a warm handshake is not a reality, I advise people seeking a VA to evaluate other qualities first such as experience, professionalism, presentation, and honesty.

Here are some additional suggestions as to what you should look for when seeking a Virtual Assistant:

-> A professional presentation. When you speak to or correspond with the VA, how does he or she present? What do theVAs website and marketing materials look like? Is the copy well written and informative? Or is it full of typos and grammatical errors? These types ofthings say a great deal about a VA as a potential contributor to the success, image, and reputation of your small business.

-> Inquiry turnaround. When you send an inquiry to a VA asking about his or her services, rates, etc., what is the turnaround time for getting a response? A good VA respects the entrepreneur’stime and will get back to you within at least 48 hours. (My own turnaround time for email inquiries from prospects is 24 hours or less.)

-> Price. This is a hot topic but has to be addressed if you are going to get real value from your Virtual Assistant. If the VA charges peanuts, please turn and run in the other direction.You get what you pay for in this life. A VA who is charging anything less than $25 to $30 (USD) per hour cannot possibly be running a profitable business and may not be the person you want to trust with your own small business and lifes work.

-> An online presence. Here is something that perhaps you havent considered. VAs operate, for the most part, in avirtual environment (thus the V in VA!). Before approaching a VA, do some research to see if he or she has an online presence anywhere else besides his or her website. (If the VA doesn’t have a website, that should make you take pause. How committed to this whole virtual thing is he or she anyway?) Many VAs are active in various online communities such as business blogs, forums, networks, etc. This is great way to get to know your VAs truec olors before committing to a partnership.

Those are just a few of the many things to consider when surveying the Internet landscape for your new Virtual Assistant.

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