The Gritty Virtual Assistant

Aw... Thanks!

Nothing does my heart better than to hear about how the products and information I've provided to the Virtual Assistant industry are helping folks. I get lovely messages all the time and I thought maybe I would start sharing those occasionally.

The other day, I got some nice feedback from two new Virtual Assistants who purchased the Virtual Assistant agreement templates.

Melody Hufford wrote...

"The Virtual Assistant Retainer Agreement saved me much time in creating my own. The client was pleased with the professionalism and clarity of the contract, and I appreciated the layout and presentation."

Natasha Rubin wrote...

"It was all laid out for me and I did not have to create something from scratch. I also took the forms to my attorney for feedback and he thought they were the best he had ever seen!"

I am so pleased to hear that, ladies! I wish you all the success in the world!

What Am I?

Dear Gritty VA:

I am contemplating starting my own virtual assistant service run from my home office and specializing in tax preparation and bookkeeping. I have been looking at software, namely Quicken, Quickbooks and Peachtree, and I can't decide on which one to use. Is there a popular one that is used by others in this profession? AC

The questions I focus on in the Gritty Virtual Assistant column have to do with helping folks understand business concepts and principles, particularly as those things relate to the Virtual Assistance business, which is a unique model in and of itself.

However, your question does bring to light the fact that you are not understanding what Virtual Assistance is.

The business you are thinking about opening isn't a Virtual Assistant business. It's exactly what you called it--an accounting/tax preparation/bookkeeping business. That's not the same thing as Virtual Assistance.

True Virtual Assistants (that is, those who practice the business as the model and profession was originally conceived) do not focus on one service. What they're "selling" isn't line-items services nor is it one specialized kind of service such as bookkeeping or transcription for example (those would be called Bookkeeper and Transcriptionist respectively).

The specialized service that Virtual Assistants are "selling" is an ongoing, continuous, collaborative (most often retained) relationship in which they support clients in some kind of across-the-board administrative capacity. So what makes something Virtual Assistance is that the service is:

• Administrative
• Ongoing, continuous
• A package of across-the-board administrative support
• Conducted within the framework of a collaborative relationship

From a marketing standpoint, it's very important to call yourself what you are. If your focus is on bookkeeping/accounting, then that's what you want to call yourself. That's how your prospective clients will find you and how they will know and understand exactly what you do.

PS: Get hooked up in the bookkeeping/accounting profession listservs, forums and organizations. Since that is the profession/specialized service you are talking about entering; they will be your best source for current industry knowledge regarding software and such. :)

What's My Guarantee?

Dear Gritty VA:

I am interested in hiring a Virtual Assistant. My ideas are getting clearer, but I still haven't completely thought through how it would work. I need to know that I can trust someone enough to give them access to my personal information and count on them to be reliable and competent enough to assign projects. My identity and reputation are at risk. What kind of references or assurances can I ask a candidate for? What can I do to safeguard myself if I do hire someone? --KP

You've got several question topics in here at once; I'll see if I can answer all of them in one shot...

As far as know how it works, that's the beauty of working with professionals. You don't have to figure out how it works. When you hire a Virtual Assistant, you are working with a professional, not an employee. As a business owner, your Virtual Assistant is going to have her (or his) own systems and processes for getting things started and helping you determine what can be delegated.

As you consult with Virtual Assistants to find the one who is right for you, they will explain how these things work and how they can help you get started with their service.

As far as what assurances or guarantees you can expect, much of that is going to depend on how you go about your selection process. Each Virtual Assistant is an independent business owner. That means, you are going to need to do your homework, review websites and then talk with those Virtual Assistants who pique your interest and present themselves as the best qualified to meet your needs.

None of us ever has any foolproof, 100% guarantee that we won't have any problems with a service provider we select. As a consumer, all any of us can do is try to make the most educated decision possible based on value, quality, competence and fit.

That requires us to do our homework. Beyond that, there simply will need to be a minimum level of trust extended or else there is no basis for the business relationship.

Of course, I don't advise any client to hand over vital, secure personal or business information right off the bat. Remember, Virtual Assistance is an ongoing, collaborative relationship. As you continue to work together, your relationship and trust level evolves. If at some point it makes sense to give your Virtual Assistant access to certain security informaiton in order to conduct work on your behalf, that's something you can decide then.

To help you select a qualified, competent and professional Virtual Assistant, I wrote a guide to help business owners know what to look for and why: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant.

Taxing on Services?

Dear Gritty VA:

As a Virtual Assistant, do I need to charge sales tax on my services? --AM

It's not really a good idea to ask other Virtual Assistants this type of question as their answer may or not be accurate, especially given that the laws and requirements in one country, state or locality are going to vary and not necessarily be the same as those where you operate. Your reliance on inaccurate information could then put you in noncompliance and cause you problems, maybe even get you into hot water.

What you want to do instead is ask the appropriate governing agencies in your state and locality. That might be your state's Department of Revenue (or equivalent) and your city or county tax and licensing departments. Whatever those agencies are, they will be the place to get the most accurate information on the matter.

What's Your Backup Plan

Dear Gritty VA:

There's a discussion happening on a coaching listserv where some coaches are wondering what a Virtual Assistant's backup plan is. How do you respond to this? --SA

Well, at the root of this is some miseducation of the marketplace. This is the kind of question that usually comes from a client who thinks he or she is hiring an employee when hiring a Virtual Assistant.

First, it's really important that you educate clients that when they hire a Virtual Assistant, they are hiring a service provider--a business--and not an employee they don't pay taxes on. If they want an employee, they need to hire an employee. Simple as that.

Virtual Assistants are an alternative to employees; not the same thing as employees. That means, there are necessarily gonig to be some differences in how you work together.

Now, when it comes to backup plans, I would say this:

A backup plan is a good thing to have for your business as a Virtual Assistant. That means, having some kind of risk management plan in place to mitigate issues, problems and unforeseen events and catastrophes from seriously interrupting or interfering with your ability to conduct your business and assist clients--and make money.

You might also want to formalize your vacation and minor emergency (such as illness) policies, as well as what happens if you are unable to fulfill any contractual obligations (e.g., partial refunds). That way, when you consult with clients, you can let them know right from the beginning that you periodically take vacations or that you try to give XX days advance notice; and that in the event of minor emergencies, you might be "closed" on occasion. Those are just simple client-friendly policies and courtesies to have, and let's them know what to expect.

All that said, it's very important that you understand the distinction between being a smart business owner and knowing what you are obligated to provide for clients:  It's not your job to have a backup plan in place for clients. You aren't their employee--you're a service provider to them.

No client's business should be so dependent upon your services that it can't run without you. Their business is never your responsibility; you are each responsible for your own businesses. So if they want a backup plan, then they are the ones who need to put that in place in their business--not you (although you might assist a client with that as their Virtual Assistant).

The Virtual Assistants I associate with are honorable and do all they can to fulfill their contractual obligations. If they can't, I am confident they will do whatever is fair in the situation. But that's where your responsibility ends as a Virtual Assistant and business owner. If for some reason you are unable to provide services to clients for any extended length of time, they have the same recource all of us has when we deal with any business that has closed or no longer meets our needs--which is to take their business elsewhere.

Where can I get a job?

Dear Gritty VA:

Hello. I am looking to do virtual work. Can you please share with me on how to get started in finding virtual positions please? --MA

No.

Hey, sorry to be flip, but that's the simple, undetailed answer to your simple, undetailed question.

I'm a Virtual Assistant, not a staffing agent. Have you read this column at all? What makes you think it has anything to do with staffing agencies or finding people jobs?

Virtual Assistance is a profession and a business. It's not a telecommuting position.

Many folks have been suckered into thinking they can "make millions from home working in your pajamas." Ain't gonna happen. At least not with as little critical thinking and effort as you've demonstrated in your question.

If you're interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant, I recommend you do a bit more homework first and learn about what that is and what it isn't, and then determine if you have a) the background and skills to offer those kind of professional services at a competent level, and b) the kind of ingenuity, determination, self-motivation and savvy to run your own business.

Look, I know it might sound like I'm being hard on you. And I am. But trust me, this is the greatest kindness I can extend to you.

It's one thing to reach out to others for help, but you need to be mindful of respecting peoples' time and attention. Part of being respectful of people's time is doing at least some small bit of your own research to make sure your question is not misplaced, and to ask in a way that demonstrates you've done at least some homework, for gosh sakes. If you aren't inclined to exert more initiative in your thinking and research first, there aren't going to be a whole lot of folks inclined to point you in the right direction.

Billing Hurts

Dear Gritty VA:

My billing is overwhelming me! Any suggestions? --PV

Well, a little more detail would have been helpful. ;)  You may as well ask me how to solve world hunger for as general as your question is, but a few thoughts do come to mind.

First thought is:  Hire someone to take care of that for you. Virtual Assistants are business owners, too, and every business owner should be handing off non-core, non revenue-generating duties to an employee or service provider. So get help, sooner rather than later.

Of course, that's the overly simplistic and obvious answer. And even if you get help, you still need to be involved in the analysis of the process and problems, and setting things up, at least initially, with the person who takes that work on for you.

In the meantime, I have a few questions of my own.

First, I'd want to know what your business model is. Because if you are running a Virtual Assistant practice, I can't imagine any easier kind of service to bill for; that is, a once a month retainer fee for X number of hours or services.

However, if you are running a secretarial type service where you work primarily by task-based project, rather than retained, basis and bill by line-item services, you are necessarily going to have more complex billing issues and a greater administrative burden.

The other drawback to billing by line-item hours is that the faster you work, the less money you make, while none of the value and benefits the client receives from that work is reduced. That's not fair nor profitable for you, is it? You didn't go into business to give things away for free, right?

The other thing I'd want to know is if you are working on retainer, what on earth are you billing for that is making things so complicated? Do you have overly complex fee structures and/or charge different rates for different admin work? Are you overly concerning yourself with reporting hours to clients? Are you charging different clients different rates? Are you making too many policy exceptions and creating counterproductive, unprofitable distraction for yourself in the process?

As an independent professional, and not an employee, it's not necessary to itemize every single minute of effort and time you've expended on behalf of a client. If you are doing that, you are making things a whole heck of a lot harder on yourself than need be. Personally, I don't report any hours to clients anymore (other than when I'm working for an attorney client on their billable client work, and that is just so they can bill their own clients for that work).

If you are a Virtual Assistant, it helps to remember that clients aren't paying for line-item tasks and projects; the value they are paying for is the overall service of having a smart, competent, right-hand administrative professional to work alongside them in their business. When that's the case, there's no need to bill or report all the minutiae. It can be as easy as setting some basic parameters, creating a package based on that, and putting a single pricetag on the value of that support.

One of my main rules of profitability is keep things Simple, Simple, Simple. Streamline. Get all your clients on the same page and bring everyone up to your current rates. Set your policies and don't be in the habit of making exceptions to them as that only increases your administration and reduces your profitability.

Beyond that, I really need more specific details to elaborate further.

Hope that helps a bit.

Don't Dither Around

Dear Gritty VA:

I have a prospective client I've been talking with for about two months now. He was supposed to have signed a contract and paid his first month's fee on the first of the year. We're now into February and he still hasn't done it! He keeps going back and forth, asking me to do this and that first. I'm not sure how to handle the situation at this point. What should I do? --BE

Two words: move on.

As a small business, you can't afford to have your time and energy wasted by ditherers. Save those precious resources for those clients who are ready to work with you.

This fellow isn't committing because by indulging in his whims, you are giving him permission to be indecisive and thereby waste your time. At this point, you need to get clear about how things work in your practice. Let him know you have all the information you need, you feel you can help him, but in order to move forward, here is what needs to happen (and then outline those things).

Be gracious. Thank him for his interest and tell him once he makes a decision, you'd be happy to talk with him again (if that is the case). Invite him to sign up for your newsletter or whatever other free offer you provide. Tell him you'd be happy to stay in touch with him through your mailing list if he'd like.

But do let him know that you can't guarantee there will be an open spot in your practice for him at a later date--because you can't. Your job is to fill your roster with right-fitting clients who are eager for your support and ready to work with you.

The ball is in his court now. Time for you to stop jumping through hoops.

Your best clients are right around the corner. But you make it twice as hard for them to reach when you allow the path to be blocked by not-quite-right-nor-ready clients. Likewise, if you don't expect a commitment, you won't get one.

So don't do that. Learn to recognize the point at which your time is being wasted. Save your energy and focus for your ideal clients.

Disappearing Act

Dear Gritty VA:

Last month I received an email from a business owner looking for a Virtual Assistant. She asked if we could schedule a consultation sometime during the second week of this month to talk. I gave her a few dates and times to choose from, and she emailed me back right away with the date she preferred, but didn't pick out a time. I emailed her back confirming the date, told her the time zone I was in and asked for the time she would prefer. I sent her another email the following week, asking if we could confirm a time. I also sent her my preliminary questionnaire to fill out prior to the consultation and asked that it be returned at least one day prior to our consultation. It's now one day before our consultation, and I still have not heard back from her. Should I try contacting her one more time or do I just let it go and wait to see how it plays out? --AV

If you want the business, then by all means contact her again so that you can pin down a specific time, and also get your preliminary questionnaire completed and returned to you in plenty of time.

However, there are a few things I would advise being mindful of that will help you build your business successfully and profitably.

First, I would reschedule the consultation entirely for a new date and time that allows for the client to return the completed preliminary questionnaire 24 hours before the consult so you have plenty of time to review it beforehand.

Clients who don't follow-through and then contact you at the ninth hour tend to put one in a "scrambling" mode instead of a calm and possessed, professionally prepared mode. Working that way also sets a bad precedent for the relationship right from the beginning.

Doesn't mean you have to write those folks off as a poor fit--people do get busy, especially those who need your help. But it's even important in this situation to honor your standards and processes; don't let them be sidestepped. You have them so that you can run your business and serve clients as skillfully and professionally as possible.

For example, when you go to the doctor's office and they give you a form to complete, you don't say to yourself, "Eh, I think I'll pass," do you? Of course not; you wouldn't get seen.

They aren't handing out forms for their health, and neither are you. Your questionnaire and other forms and systems are tools--the tools you use in your business to get the information you need to best serve clients while running as smoothly as possible. Insist that they be completed. If they aren't, simply don't schedule anything with that prospect until they are.

Pay attention to cues that tell you whether a client is a fit or not. It's true that it can take anywhere from seven to 10 "touches" before you really get a prospective client's attention. On the other hand, you can't bend over backwards for people who demonstrate they aren't a fit.

It's a matter of profitability. No solo business will stay alive if all its time and resources are wasted catering to those who can't work within the most basic of professional frameworks. If there are signals that this might be the case, you need to ask yourself whether the potential client fits the profile of someone who is really ready to be served, and is going to be able to extend mutual courtesy and respect.

As you grow in your business, your sense about who falls into what category will get keener and keener as well. Just be sure you pay attention to your red flags--your gut instincts will never let you down.

One of my #1 rules for profitability: Don't let clients rush your process or step over your standards. They are the chief things that will allow you to build a profitable practice, which in turns allows you to provide superior service to your ideal clients. That's a recipe for success AND living the life of your dreams.

Can the Visually Impaired be Virtual Assistants?

Dear Gritty VA:

I am with a state vocational commission that enhances employability, maximizes independence, and assists in the development of the capacities and strengths of people who are blind and visually impaired. Would it be possible for a person who is blind or visually impaired to do the job as a virtual assistant. Many of our consumers have the skills and desire that is needed for these types of jobs. With assistive technology, such as a screen reader for the computer, accessibility is not a problem.  --CD

Great question, and thanks for asking.

In talking about Virtual Assistance, there are some basic understandings that first need to be met. Virtual Assistance is not a “job.” Rather, Virtual Assistance is the profession of self-employed administrative professionals.

If you are asking in the context of whether someone with some physical challenges could be a self-employed administrative professional (a Virtual Assistant), and have their own business providing administrative support to clients, my answer would be absolutely! as long as they are masterfully skilled, have the extensive, necessary real-world administrative experience, and are equipped with whatever assistive technology they will need to communicate with clients and perform services.

If you are asking the question within the context of a “job,” then we aren’t talking about Virtual Assistance, but rather remote working/telecommuting. In that situation, the person is an employee of a company and is supervised, directed and paid a wage dictated by the employer. Since that is not Virtual Assistance, I cannot be of assistance there. My suggestion would be to search under the keywords “telecommuting.”

Caveat: Most telecommuting jobs advertised on the Internet are scams. Typically, they will require a fee upfront and the person never receives the materials. Or they might receive materials, and it turns out to be bunch of worthless information. Or, they take the "training" or jump through whatever other hoops they just paid their hard-earned money to jump through, and then are never given a job and/or never hear from the company again. If someone is interested in a telecommuting job and not going into business for themselves, my advice would be to contact virtual staffing agencies or larger brick-and-mortar companies and explore opportunities with them.