You've probably heard or been told that a virtual assistant (VA) can be an invaluable resource for your business. For most, that's probably as far as the discussion went. What exactly does a virtual assistant do, how can they help me in my business, and where can I find them? Some VA's are generalists. Many are specialists in the services that they provide.
There are resources on the web that can answer these questions far better than I can. So, I've assembled some links to help you answer these questions for yourself:
Why and How to Use A Virtual Assistant
- How to Find and Use a Virtual Assistant to Get Ahead
- The International Virtual Assistants Association has a great webpage with 101 Ways to Use A Virtual Assistant. You can also download this list as a pdf file for printing
- Here is another list of 101 Ways to Use a Virtual Assistant
One place to find virtual assistants is right here on ActiveRain. Visit the virtual assistant groups here. Go to your home page and click on the link that shows your ActiveRain state ranking. Select "All States" from the state drop down list. Select "Virtual Assistants" from the drop down category list. You should get a list of virtual assistants on AR. Click their links to read the profile pages and read their blog posts.
Virtual Assistant associations and groups are a great source for learning more about the virtual assistant industry and finding virtual assistants that you can hire. Below are some of the better known or more established associations and groups. If they have public forums, it can be interesting to read some of the discussions and get a feel for the members who are posting. This list is by no means complete and I will add more links as I come across additional organizations.
Virtual Assistant Associations
- Administrative Consultants Association
- Alliance for Virtual Businesses
- Alliance of UK Virtual Assistants
- Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection
- Canadian Virtual Assistant Network
- Coaches, Authors, Speakers Professional Assistants Association
- Deleware Valley Virtual Assistants Association
- International Association of Virtual Assistants (UK-based)
- International Association of Virtual Author Assistants
- International Real Estate Virtual Assistant Association
- International Virtual Assistants Association
- International Virtual Assistants Association Facebook Page
- Real Estate Virtual Assistant Network
- Southeastern Virtual Assistants Group
- UK Association of Virtual Assistants
- Virtual Assistants Network
Linkedin Groups
Go to the Linkedin groups where virtual assistants network and read their discussions, blog posts, and comments. Some groups are public, some require logging into your Linkedin account. You can get a good feel for the VA's skills, interests, and personalities here.
- American Virtual Assistant Association
- Digital Marketing
- International Virtual Assistants Association
- Real Estate Virtual Assistant Rainmakers
- Small Business & Real Estate Virtual Assistants
- Small Business Marketing Forum
- Social Media Marketing Virtual Assistants
- Tech Savvy Virtual Assistants Networking
- VA Classroom
- Virtual Assistant
- Virtual Assistant Outfitters
- Virtual Assistant Tips & Tricks
Or simply type "Real Estate Virtual Assistants" into Google and see what individual VA websites come up.
Each virtual assistant brings different skills, abilities, and knowledge to your business. Here is a good post on Four Key Lessons I Learned from my Rotten Virtual Assistant Experience. Personally, I don't agree with the fourth point. Many top VA's get to choose who they want to work with and aren't accepting any more clients.
Take time to visit some of the links above and begin envisioning how a virtual assistant can help to accelerate your business plan. Think about tasks that you can delegate and projects that you'd like to get started or completed. Maybe contact one or more virtual assistants that intrigue you and begin exploring whether you'd like him or her to become a part of your professional team. Remember, VA's are professionals and business owners like you. They are independent contractors, not employees.
There are websites where you can post a job offer and receive bids from freelancers. Some of the better known ones are:
Bidders tend to compete by price and oftentimes you get what you pay for, so be careful with this approach. Sometimes the cheapest approach becomes the most expensive one for you.
If you know of any other links that should be included in this list, feel free to post them in the comments section.
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