The Gritty Virtual Assistant Blog

Here’s an article published today in “The Portable Business.” If you’d like to subscribe, go here…

Virtual Assistants are administrative experts. They are in the business of providing ongoing, right-hand administrative support to business owners who don’t have the time or space for employees.

They’re the perfect alternative to employees for those folks, and since they are consultants of a sort in their own right, they bring a whole other level of business knowledge and administrative know-how to their clients that you just don’t find in an employee.

But did you know that just like you, many Virtual Assistants focus on supporting specific target markets? Yup, they do!

For example, Virtual Author’s Assistants are administrative experts who specialize in supporting authors, speakers and others who write and publish books.

Virtual Legal Assistants are those who have the experience and special paralegal training to support attorneys.

Other Virtual Assistants specialize in supporting coaches. Some focus on the real estate industry. Wherever there is a specific industry, chances are there is at least one Virtual Assistant who caters exclusively to that group.

There are so many advantages to working with a Virtual Assistant who specializes in supporting your industry. For one thing, she comes to the table with a ready understanding of the unique aspects of your field, how things work, and what your singular goals and obstacles are.

She makes it her business to learn specifically about your particular field so that she knows the work inside and out and can structure her offerings to best suit your unique support needs. She becomes an expert at the special software and tools used to get that work done and can advise you on your best options.

Need an example? Well, let’s take real estate. A real estate agent is going to have many areas of highly specialized administrative work that just aren’t going to be done in any other kinds of business. Much of the work requires specialized skills and knowledge to perform it which means not just anyone can do it without specific training and understanding. But Real Estate Virtual Assistants specialize in that work. They get to know it exclusively and better than any other kind of Virtual Assistant out there.

In another example, there are a million different practice areas that attorneys specialize in. One area of law may have a high level of litigation whereas another may not entail any at all. The work can be so vastly different that even someone with a college degree can seem incompetent if they don’t have any knowledge or experience with the intricasies of that practice area. But you find a Virtual Legal Assistant who specializes in working with attorneys in a particular practice area, and that attorney just cloned him or herself once or twice over.

You get the same kind of difference between, say, a consulting or professional services business, and a business that is retail or sales-based. They are completely different business models that are going to have very different objectives, operations and administrative work involved. A Virtual Assistant who specializes in a specific target market is going to have a greater, in-depth level of understanding, knowledge, and specific skills needed to best care for clients within that field.

So if you’re between Virtual Assistants or just beginning to seek out your first Virtual Assistant, try looking for one who specializes in your industry. Look for Virtual Assistants who focus on your field in the Virtual Assistant directories you utilize. Or, type “Virtual Assistant” + “your industry” in the search engine bar of your browser. It’s going to greatly narrow the field and make your search much quicker and easier. And you’ll find end up finding someone who’s going to make working together that much more effortless and beneficial to your business.

RESOURCE: The VACOC Virtual Assistant Directory allows you to search specifically by target market. Check out our awesome Virtual Assistants (all of whom have been screened to meet our standards of competence and excellence) at the Virtual Assistant Directory.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Danielle Keister is a business advisor, innovator and thought leader in the Virtual Assistance profession. A veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her logical, no-nonsense approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of the leaders in the field. Her business acumen is a hot commodity among the Virtual Assistants who regularly consult her. She loves what she does and is passionate about sharing her knowledge and know-how with the world. She’s all about inspiring others to reach for their highest excellence. When not taking care of clients in her own Virtual Assistant practice, The Relief Virtual Assistance, she is busy leading the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce.

© Copyright 2009, The Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights reserved. You are granted permission to republish this article only if used in its entirety with this copyright notice and title, article content, resource, author’s bio and links left intact.