Source: https://www.fvaconsultancy.com/successful-virtual-assistant/
Chrissy Dean of LifeSetGo.com hit the nail on the head when it comes to being a successful virtual assistant. She discussed these ten tips in building a successful virtual assistant career.
10 Tips in Building a Successful Virtual Assistant Career
1. Assess your skills
A virtual assistant should have the following essential skills before looking for a virtual assistant position or client. If you have worked in an office atmosphere and have the following skills, you are in an excellent position to begin virtual assistance. However, if you are not, you must ensure that you are at least qualified with requirements like:
Type 45+ WPM
Work within a Windows or Mac environment comfortably
Use the Internet and search engines effectively
Use webmail and remote email services daily
Basic social media marketing practices background
Understand the basics of email marketing and newsletter creation
Have excellent organization and scheduling skills
2. Assess your equipment
Besides your skills, you should also ensure that you have the necessary equipment. While you can start with the basics and upgrade later, these pieces of equipment you must have can be:
Computer (Mac or PC) with at least 100 GB of storage and 1 MB of RAM
Two different up to date browsers
An email client such as Outlook or Thunderbird
A phone (cell or landline)
A printer and scanner
A high-speed Internet connection
3. Work with a company first
As virtual assistance has grown in popularity and seen steady growth each year, it is no surprise that several virtual assistance firms have been established. These firms hire virtual assistants worldwide who work remotely, offering clients the online support they need.
It’s excellent news for newbie virtual assistants because you can find steady work, a steady paycheck, and professional training in the field. Also, you can grow into a strong assistant very quickly, and then decide whether you want to work for the company or go out on your own. Remember never to sign a non-compete agreement if you plan to work independently as a freelancer.
4. Create a set schedule
Regardless of whether you work independently or for a company, you need to create a schedule and adhere to it. You don’t have to keep the same schedule every day. Many virtual assistants schedule themselves for evening or night shifts to fit around their families.
5. Train those around you
Not only will you need to get yourself into a work routine, but you will need to train those around you. Since you will be working at home, it does not mean you are always available.
It is vital to communicate your working days and hours to your family and friends not to bother you unless necessary. Although it is nice to be at home and quickly respond to bandages, it does not mean you can be reaching for a glass of water every ten minutes.
6. Get an office
Having a separate office will help you feel that you have an office and are not available to everyone when you are there. Having a noise-buffer room is also helpful when you are on client calls.
7. Have a plan
Several options for building a successful career as a virtual assistant have been presented in this article. Although some assistants will choose not to do any of these things, others will not be able to. For example, what if you don’t have an extra room to turn into an office? This is why you should develop a tentative plan at the very beginning of your career. Create a 1 – 2 year plan, and decide things like:
When will you work? How many hours per week?
Where will you work? How will you set up and add to your office or desk as you go?
Will you begin working with a company or freelance?
How will you secure health and business insurance when you need to?
Who will do your taxes?
As you begin to write (or type) this plan, you will most likely come up with other questions that should be answered before you even take on your first client. Cover all your bases to ensure everyone has the best experience possible.
8. Go the extra mile
Think of the last time you had a great customer. So good that you complimented the person providing the service and told friends or family members about it. This kind of reaction is rare because the type of service you experienced is rare. Thus, giving you a great memory.
Usually, it means that a person or company went out of their way to make you happy, give you the best deal, and make you feel important to them. They far exceeded your expectations and possibly even put up with your anger or bad attitude throughout the process like angels.
This is the type of service you always want to keep in mind when dealing with your clients. While you never have to take blatant abuse from someone, you should always work to put yourself in their shoes, understand what they want and why, or why they may be upset, and what you can do to provide top-notch service to make them love you.
9. Develop a specialty
The term “virtual assistant” has many definitions. Yet, it often boils down to “Jack (or Jill) of all trades.”
On the contrary, it is not exactly possible for an assistant, especially one just starting, to be an expert in all areas of online business. Therefore, it is beneficial to you and your clients to become an expert in a set skill, market, or set of programs. You can be:
Social Media Guru
Email Marketing Expert
Sales copy, SEO, and SEM
Affiliate and Ecommerce site creation/optimization
Travel and Schedule Organizer
Think of yourself as a business partner to your clients, and focus on becoming the best in one area of support to give them the kind of service they’ll pay you.
10. Be prompt and courteous
One thing that every virtual assistant will learn is that clients can sometimes be impatient. An emailed task sent at 9 AM might be followed by one at 10 AM asking why the task hasn’t been completed.
Before signing the contract, it is vital to understand you and your client about the deliverables clearly, and the expected time you will deliver the output.
The average goes something like this “All emails and calls are responded to within one business day, and tasks are usually completed within two business days unless they are very large or complex.” Then, you must stick to this statement. Respond to calls and emails quickly, but refrain from responding outside your usual business days and hours.
On top of that, complete tasks on time and always provide courteous responses when necessary. This will help to train the client on what to expect during the process of task completion. Believe it or not, responding on weekends and all night hours sets unrealistic expectations for the client and will create a customer service disaster later on.
Using these tips will enable you to set up and begin your virtual assistant career in the right manner. It is difficult to predict and avoid issues when you do not know exactly what they will be, but following the advice of those who have gone before can help put you on the right path.
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