Don’t Hire A Virtual Assistant!



Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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We've all heard why you should hire a virtual assistant. It saves times, money, aggravation, and helps your business run smoother. However, we have never really heard why you shouldn't hire a virtual assistant, and I am here to change that.

Virtual assistants are small business owners who enjoy helping clients run their business smoothly and be a solution to their administrative challenges. They work on their own usually from a home office and they have the skills needed to get the job done. They can become a great asset to any business, however there are reasons that you should not hire a virtual assistant.

Watercooler-If you are the type of person who needs somebody to chat with about the latest TV show, the latest politics, and all around general gossip, a virtual assistant is not right for you. While some virtual assistants enjoy talking about family and other things like that for a brief time, they can not spend a long time chatting because that is taking away from their bottom line.  As long as they are on the phone with you just chatting takes away from doing work for other clients because they only charge for the time spent on projects.

Control Freak-If you are a person who needs to be in control of every aspect of your life and business, a virtual assistant is not for you.  Virtual assistants have gained much experience over their years in the corporate world that they have the skills and drive to get the projects done when needed and in a cost-effective way. They do not need somebody looking over their shoulder every second of every day. However, you should be updated at least weekly as to how things are going on your project.  If a virtual assistant is not doing this and is not getting your project to you on time, it may be time to find a different VA.

Beck and Call-This brings me to the thought of a movie called two weeks notice starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. In this movie, Hugh Grant could not even make a decision as to what to wear without consulting his assistant (Sandra Bullock). If you are looking for somebody who is just waiting for you to call them to get advice on something irrelevant to the projects they are doing for you, a virtual assistant is not right for you. They are there to discuss different aspects of your business such as marketing, handouts for trade shows, next step for your business etc but before you call your VA at midnight, you need to decide whether it is that important or if it can wait until morning. If you have a tendency to forget an idea, right it down in a notebook somewhere and use it for reference when you wish to speak to your VA.

Illegal- If you are looking for somebody to help you in a business that is illegal or handle a project hat is illegal, a virtual assistant is not for you. Virtual assistants have too much at stake to even consider doing things that are illegal. Besides the fact that it is unethical by any VAs standards, it can also do a lot of harm to their business and personal lives.  Most VAs are sole proprietors which means anything they do with their business also effects their personal lives. This could be anything from being sued to going to jail and I don't know of one VA who is willing to do that for any of their clients.

So there you have it, four reasons that you do not want to hire a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can be a life saver to any small business but if any of the previous qualities and requirements describe you, you may want to hire an employee instead of a VA.  VAs pride themselves on their business and their reputation and while they treat every client as if they are their only client, you can not take advantage of this because that particular VA may just kick you to the curb.

Tracy Collins, Confidential Virtual Assistant, owns/operates Collins-Admin Services, http://www.collins-admin.com a virtual assistance company based out of Pennsylvania. Offering confidential virtual administrative support services to entrepreneurs/small business owners who feel they need higher than average confidential assistance. For more great articles about business and confidential virtual assistance visit her blog at http://www.collins-admin.com/blog.

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Mitch
 3 years 86 days ago.
But what if a person wants a Virtual Assistant to do all of the above? It doesn't have to be for business only and that is a misconception.
» left by Tracy collins
 3 years 86 days ago.
If they want a virtual assistant to do all of the above then they want a playmate or an employee not a virtual assistant.
 
I guarantee, you hire a virtual assistant no matter what the reason and you start doing all the things I have listed, you will not have a virtual assistant for very long.
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