How do I prepare for a Virtual Assistant?
So, you’ve decided to hire a VA? Congratulations! This is one of the smartest business decisions you can make.
Apart from reducing overwhelm and freeing up your time, it also gives you the ability to focus on growing your business.
But before you welcome them with open arms, there are a few things you’ll need to prepare first.
In order to make hiring a VA a success for your business, you will need to:
Document the repeatable tasks you perform regularly
Develop a clear mindset
Create a plan for moving forward
Be clear about your requirements
Select the right VA
To help you achieve all of these things, let’s take a look into what’s involved for each one in detail …
5 key things to achieve before you hire a VA
To prepare for a VA, it’s important that you have everything organised at your end first. This includes having systems in place which clearly state how things are done, so everyone involved knows what the plan moving forward is.
Let’s take a look at five of the key things you’ll need to do before hiring a VA:
#1. Document your business systems
This involves documenting step by step instructions on how you do the repeatable tasks for your business.
Not only will this assist your virtual assistant to do the work, but it can also help form part of your business contingency plan providing details of what needs doing if you can’t be there.
Rather than being fixed, this is a living breathing document which will evolve as your business grows. For this reason, it will need to be revised regularly.
Having your systems documented beforehand also saves you money, as once your VA starts work, they are not waiting around for you to show them what to do.
#2. Develop a clear mindset
You need to be 100% certain that using the services of a VA will be helpful for your business.
You’ll also need to be prepared to let go of the tasks you are requiring them to do. Small business owners are used to doing everything themselves and can find it challenging to allocate tasks to others.
This means literally analysing the tasks you are currently doing or putting off doing, and then identifying the ones that it would be more productive for you to allocate to the VA.
#3. Create a plan for moving forward
If you haven’t got one already, create yourself a plan of what you want your business to achieve. This could be included within your business or marketing plan, or be a specific plan created for the VA.
By being able to see the bigger picture, virtual assistants such as ourselves will then understand the best ways we can help you.
#4. Be clear about your requirements
This also fits within the area of a plan.
You specifically identify what you want the VA to do and how you want them to do it. Including examples of fully completed tasks would be very helpful.
Understanding your specific requirements will save you time and money once your VA starts work, as well as helping you during the selection and hiring process too.
#5. Select the right VA
All virtual assistants are not created equal.
Some have strengths in bookkeeping and administration tasks, with others having their capabilities in data entry or filing.
Like you, each VA has a unique personality and background. The way in which they communicate will differ, as will their availability.
Taking the time to research and get to know the VA company you are considering hiring at the start can save you heartache later down the path.
You should also be making a list of the qualities you require in a virtual assistant, and even writing a job description would be helpful for you for this process. This can include such things such as industry experience, software knowledge and availability to work.
Now at first skim that may seem like a lot of work, but it isn’t really. We promise you it’s absolutely worth the prep time. Trust us - we’ve done this more than a few times ;)
Ready to start your search?
The Virtual Assistant Network NZ has made it really easy for business owners to find a great-fit, New Zealand VA to outsource to.
Simply head over to our online directory and search for a VA via their location and/or services they provide.
Or if you’re a busy business owner who just doesn’t have the time (or inclination) to search yourself, then take advantage of our VA ‘Matchmaking’ service :)
A bit about the Author
Louise Deed is the owner/operator of Indeed We Can - a boutique VA Agency based in Waiuku.
It wasn’t until becoming a VA that Louise found her true passion … helping others so they can provide an income for their families WITHOUT sacrificing their time to make it happen.
Because creating a successful business whilst balancing your personal life shouldn’t be hard.