Comments on: Hello, Please Take Advantage of Me http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/ Saucy business savvy from an industry veteran Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:03:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Danielle Keister http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49427 Danielle Keister Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:54:15 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49427 I personally don't recommend worrying about offshore (third world?) providers. When it comes down to it, they simply aren't providing the same kind of solution as true Virtual Assistants. They are a fit for clients who are only looking for immediate, transaction based tasks and projects. So it's like comparing apples to oranges. I also know people who've used these services expecting to get the kind of support that true Virtual Assistants provide, but what they got instead are difficulties with communication and cultural understandings, a lack of independent thinking and initiative and lots of handholding required. The two attract completely different kinds of clientele. I personally don’t recommend worrying about offshore (third world?) providers. When it comes down to it, they simply aren’t providing the same kind of solution as true Virtual Assistants. They are a fit for clients who are only looking for immediate, transaction based tasks and projects. So it’s like comparing apples to oranges. I also know people who’ve used these services expecting to get the kind of support that true Virtual Assistants provide, but what they got instead are difficulties with communication and cultural understandings, a lack of independent thinking and initiative and lots of handholding required. The two attract completely different kinds of clientele.

]]> By: Danielle http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49426 Danielle Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:42:19 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49426 What about offshore VA services (probably in India) that are offered from $7 to $12 per hour? It seems we are seeing more and more of these. Thank you for your excellent posts! What about offshore VA services (probably in India) that are offered from $7 to $12 per hour? It seems we are seeing more and more of these. Thank you for your excellent posts!

]]> By: Danielle Keister http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49425 Danielle Keister Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:50:48 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49425 Donna, when you say ping, are you talking about tags and stuff? Donna, when you say ping, are you talking about tags and stuff?

]]> By: Donna Caissie http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49424 Donna Caissie Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:24:57 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49424 Will it never end? Not only has this newbie obviously not done her research, but she's hung out her shingle way too soon in the startup process. She's going to attract every whinny, energy-sucking, demanding cheapskate on the world wide web and then wonder why being a VA so difficult and demeaning. Danielle, did you ping the subject VA on this post so she can take advantage of the industry's collective wisdom in spite of the fact that she denigrates us :-)? Will it never end?

Not only has this newbie obviously not done her research, but she’s hung out her shingle way too soon in the startup process. She’s going to attract every whinny, energy-sucking, demanding cheapskate on the world wide web and then wonder why being a VA so difficult and demeaning.

Danielle, did you ping the subject VA on this post so she can take advantage of the industry’s collective wisdom in spite of the fact that she denigrates us :-) ?

]]> By: Shannon Kuykendall http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49423 Shannon Kuykendall Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:28:12 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49423 Kudos to you Gritty VA! I have your blog in my Google reader and every time I log on, there you are, with another great article. Thank you for the links to the information in this article. I have doing this for 3 years, and I have to admit, I too under charged for my services. After about a year of doing this and having quite a few people tell me I was not charging enough, I did my research (which I admit I should have done from the get go) and found that most VA who where doing what I do, were charging $35 to $70. So I did it, I raised my rates, and brought in some new clients and my bottom line has been better for it :-). Kudos to you Gritty VA! I have your blog in my Google reader and every time I log on, there you are, with another great article.

Thank you for the links to the information in this article. I have doing this for 3 years, and I have to admit, I too under charged for my services. After about a year of doing this and having quite a few people tell me I was not charging enough, I did my research (which I admit I should have done from the get go) and found that most VA who where doing what I do, were charging $35 to $70. So I did it, I raised my rates, and brought in some new clients and my bottom line has been better for it :-) .

]]> By: Kate LaFrance http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49419 Kate LaFrance Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:48:31 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49419 Brilliant, as usual, Danielle! Another point I like to make about being a "cheap" Virtual Assistant is that we are an industry that can be seen (rightly or wrongly) as taking jobs away from traditionally female employees in companies with benefits and other security that working moms need. If the VA industry races to the bottom of the labor pool we would be doing a big disservice to those women who need those jobs to support families. We can be competitive but thinking we'd be winning by undercutting current corporate pay and benefit rates would be unethical as well as hastening our own financial ruin. Brilliant, as usual, Danielle! Another point I like to make about being a “cheap” Virtual Assistant is that we are an industry that can be seen (rightly or wrongly) as taking jobs away from traditionally female employees in companies with benefits and other security that working moms need. If the VA industry races to the bottom of the labor pool we would be doing a big disservice to those women who need those jobs to support families. We can be competitive but thinking we’d be winning by undercutting current corporate pay and benefit rates would be unethical as well as hastening our own financial ruin.

]]> By: Kittie http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49420 Kittie Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:47:12 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49420 It's not even funny, I saw someone offering to provide services for $7 yesterday. I worry not only about the pricing but the level of professionalism that they are providing. Reputation is everything in this business. Thanks for the link to Mikelann Valterra. I haven't come across her before. It’s not even funny, I saw someone offering to provide services for $7 yesterday.

I worry not only about the pricing but the level of professionalism that they are providing. Reputation is everything in this business.

Thanks for the link to Mikelann Valterra. I haven’t come across her before.

]]> By: Julia LIlly http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49421 Julia LIlly Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:26:00 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49421 Danielle Thank you for this post. As a kinda new VA, this is great advice and gives me a lot to think about. In my life as a Executive Assistant in office, I definitely made more than I am making now, but I save money by working at home so I felt like it was a good trade off. After reading this I am rethinking some of my decisions. I have been following you since I started in July 2008 and at this point you are my idol. Thank you for all your dedication and advice to the newbies out here. We are better because of you. Danielle

Thank you for this post. As a kinda new VA, this is great advice and gives me a lot to think about. In my life as a Executive Assistant in office, I definitely made more than I am making now, but I save money by working at home so I felt like it was a good trade off. After reading this I am rethinking some of my decisions.

I have been following you since I started in July 2008 and at this point you are my idol. Thank you for all your dedication and advice to the newbies out here. We are better because of you.

]]> By: Tina Hilton http://www.grittyva.com/2009/01/13/hello-please-take-advantage-of-me/comment-page-1/#comment-49422 Tina Hilton Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:10:01 +0000 http://www.grittyva.com/?p=1337#comment-49422 Bravo! It's not that I don't understand the frantic newbie to virtual assistance and their desperation to get that first client, but everything you've said here is dead on. I would hope a new VA started their business because they felt they were expert enough to provide a value to a client. Low-ball rates scream just the opposite. If new virtual assistants think that $12 hr. rates are sending a message to potential client they are right. But it's not the message they believe it to be. It tells the potential client, "I don't have enough confidence in my abilities to charge what everyone else is and believe I'll get clients." This is just what the nightmare clients are looking for...someone to exploit. Thanks for a great post yet again!! Bravo! It’s not that I don’t understand the frantic newbie to virtual assistance and their desperation to get that first client, but everything you’ve said here is dead on. I would hope a new VA started their business because they felt they were expert enough to provide a value to a client. Low-ball rates scream just the opposite. If new virtual assistants think that $12 hr. rates are sending a message to potential client they are right. But it’s not the message they believe it to be. It tells the potential client, “I don’t have enough confidence in my abilities to charge what everyone else is and believe I’ll get clients.” This is just what the nightmare clients are looking for…someone to exploit.
Thanks for a great post yet again!!

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