Hiring a VA is a Lot Like Potty Training

Hiring a VA is a Lot Like Potty Training when you think about it.

Typically when I write posts about my family, I start off by saying that I've got 6 kids.  That usually gives people quite a jolt so I like to say it first so that everyone can digest it and then get the shock out of their system.  (Yes, they're all mine.  Yes, they're all by my husband.)

One of our children is 2.5 years old.  He doesn't want to grow up - EVER. We had to forcibly remove all the pacifiers from the house in order to get him off of them.  We had to remove all bottles from the house in order to get him to drink from a cup.  We have to force him to put his own clothes and shoes on.  He wants to be carried around.  In spite of the fact that we have 1 year old twins, he insists that HE is the baby. (Just ask him.)

Well, the time has come that he shed the diapers.  As he sat on the potty chair, saying "I don't want to use the potty," it made me think of how getting to the point where you need assistance in your business is so much like being potty trained.

How Hiring a VA is a Lot Like Potty Training:

• You don't understand why things have to change. You may realize that operating your business has become increasingly difficult in keeping up with administrative and/or marketing tasks but that's just the way it is, right?
• You have a hard time figuring out just exactly what you're supposed to do.  The initial period of working with a new assistant is filled with uncertainty.  What can he/she actually do for me? How do I get tasks to them? What tasks should I turn over to them?
• You don't want to change because you've always done it this way.  Resistance to change is normal for everybody!  However, there's that old saying to consider: "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always gotten."
• It takes a little while before you start to figure it out.  Just as potty training doesn't typically happen over night, working with a Virtual Assistant does not become a synergystic relationship immediately.  It takes some figuring out to really get into a groove.
• There are accidents along the way.  The bumps in the road (or pull-up) are typical.  Starting your VA on tasks that you have never given them before is typically where the accidents happen.  However these are simply learning opportunities!
• Eventually, you figure out how this can be a good thing, a really good thing!  The lightbulb goes off and you realize that no matter how difficult and disruptive it may seem initially, this Virtual Assistance thing could be just the ticket!  Now you see that it will open up other possibilities for you and your business.
• Success means you're on to bigger and better things!  Once the transition is completed, you can set new and bigger goals for yourself and your business.  The possibilities become endless!

Just as potty training can be a stressful, frustrating, aggravating event, the end results bring entirely different emotions - satisfaction, joy, and pride!  Don't let your resistance of change stop you from getting to the end result.  If you've been on the fence about contracting with a Virtual Assistant, go ahead and give it a try.  It is so worth it and can change the potential for your business!

~Renae - Market 4 Real!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Need help with consistently marketing to your leads and your listings? Don't put it off! Contact us today for assistance and get started on the road to turning your leads into clients and your listings into SOLD properties!