One of the #1 complaints Virtual Assistants commonly commiserate with each other about are clients who think they are their employers. This leads to all kinds of problems in the business relationship because the expectations each has of the other aren’t aligned when this is the case.
This can result in, for example, a business owner who thinks his or her Virtual Assistant should be reporting hours or available every hour of the day, while the Virtual Assistant is justly indignant that the client thinks she or he is at their beck and call.
Virtual Assistants are administrative experts, and not every Virtual Assistant is necessarily skilled when it comes to marketing. For this reason, they often find this situation difficult to navigate. They want to properly educate clients about what they are, what they do and how they work with clients so that they are setting the right expectations from the start–which is critical to the success of the relationship. However, they often struggle in articulating that information without feeling like they are coming across harshly.
We at the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce are helping to solve this problem of misaligned expectations and better educate our marketplace with our Client’s Guide to Virtual Assistance.
This online guide explains the benefits of support, and gives business owners the skinny on how to work with a Virtual Assistant, how to hire a Virtual Assistant, understanding the difference between an employee and a contractor, and a wealth of other helpful information and resources.
Business owners are also provided a platform to tell us about their needs and perceptions with regard to Virtual Assistants, as well as any unsatisfactory experiences. This information is helping our industry improve its services and better understand its marketplace.
If you are a Virtual Assistant who struggles with educating your clients and prospects, send them over to our Client Guide. We say the tough stuff (in a professional way, of course) so you don’t have to.
One Comment
Good Morning Danielle,
I really love reading your column when it comes out.
Most of what you write about are true to life experiences that all; if not most, Virtual Assistants have gone through.
I love referring my Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant colleagues to your website.
You write about situations, issues and inspiring stories they truly can relate to!
Thank you so much,
Vikki Watanabe
Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant