If you're an entrepreneur, hiring a virtual assistant is a great path to freedom but you have to do it the right way. It's about having constant communication, clear expectations, and many more.
That's why in this episode, I have my own VA, Bobbie Clark, to be on the show to share how to have a successful working relationship with your virtual assistant. We share our method on how we document our business processes or SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) properly and how to properly hand off these tasks to a VA to ensure the tasks are done successfully so you can focus on the "$10,000 per hour tasks" in your business.
Show notes:
[03:10] How Bobbie got into becoming a VA
- Prior to becoming a VA, Bobbie has been working as an Executive Assistant while her husband is in the army and they move around every 3 years.
- She decided to step back and settled with her kids.
- She searched for some virtual work and worked at ChatterBoss for 2 years where she can still do what she loves while working virtually.
[05:46] If someone has never worked with a VA before, what should they be prepared for?
- Communication is the key point in building a relationship with your VA. Expect to chat with your VA every day
- It may be hard to let tasks go if you've never worked with a VA before.
- Let the VAs know what's in your head so they can identify the tasks, and bottlenecks that are holding you back.
[09:25] What kind of guidance should an entrepreneur give to a VA?
- It's really important to give a pitch of your business for them to know how they can support you.
- Get the processes out of your brain and share it with your VA.
- Start with one task and use it as a practice run with your VA to make sure all the necessary steps and resources are given and to see what a true given successful task looks like.
[13:50] How to start documenting Standard Operating Procedures
- Start with basic tasks (making payments, sending invoices, etc) and write it exactly how you do it step by step.
- Do a screen-record of how you do a specific task or process because it will show the intricacies that might not be able to be properly conveyed if the tasks will just be written.
- Give your VA time to master the first tasks and they'll eventually match the time and quality of how you do those tasks.
- In my experience, I record a screencast of a specific task and I'll have Bobbie create an SOP based on it.
[24:50] The difference between a good and bad VA
- It's very important that a VA should adjust to how you work.
- Set the expectations that you have for the VA to accomplish.
- If you're seeing errors with tasks, take the time to let your VA know and address the issue. If you're still seeing issues, look for other options.
[32:26] What are the indications that an entrepreneur might need to hire a VA
- If you want to focus on expanding the business while not sacrificing the quality of communication that you have with your current clients.
- If you have an expanding to-do list in your business where it's already taking your personal time.
[43:30] What do you wish that entrepreneurs knew about working with a VA
- VAs are here to make our lives easier and they want to take things off your plate.
- It takes time for a VA to master every process that you want to handoff.
- Set time-bound goals with your VA so you can both identify where you want to be at a specific date.
