7 Signs That You Were Made To Be A Virtual Assistant
Should you become a VA? That can be a tricky question. Becoming a virtual assistant is a great opportunity to be your own boss and make money from home doing tasks you enjoy.
As more and more people are owning and managing their own blogs and websites, virtual assistants are in higher demand than ever before, and it just keeps growing. More and more people are realizing how outsourcing administrative needs can help their business grow.
It’s a career choice that provides variety, challenges, and freedom. However, it’s not the right choice for everyone.
Here are the essential skills for being a great VA.
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You manage your time well
As a virtual assistant, you need to be able to balance multiple tasks at once and prioritize well. You’ll also have to balance client work and managing your own business as well as theirs. You’ll also need time to market and grow your business. Of course, the day to day responsibilities like caring for your own home doesn’t go away either. Sometimes it will feel like you are being pulled from several different directions at once.
If you’re already good at managing your time, then great. Your focus and productivity mean that you have what it takes to be a VA. Don’t worry though, if your time management skills aren’t great, there’s still hope for you. Start adopting habits now to better manage your time. Learn to schedule and prioritize. Learn what’s important and must be done, and what can wait until a better time.
You’re reliable
There’s nothing worse than to rely on someone to help you grow something as personal as your business, only to have them flake out on you.
Reliability is a must as a VA. Your clients expect you to follow through on what you say. I have talked with business owners who were scared to hire a VA simply because of bad experiences in the past. They worked with a VA who just never delivered, and were never heard from again.
The thing about becoming a VA is that it is highly based on reputation and word of mouth. You would be surprised how quickly word of mouth gets around in different business communities. Don’t be that person. If you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it.
Your Enthusiastic & Self Motivated
Being a VA takes a lot of positive energy. You’ll need to be self motivated to make sure that you are able to get up every morning and focus on your business. Of course, there will be low energy days, everyone has them. But in order to succeed as a VA, you’ll want to be oozing with energy and enthusiasm to start, grow, and manage your business. All of your success will depend on your ability to spot problems and find solutions, from finding clients to helping them with their pain points.
You’re organized
In addition to organizing your own business needs and tasks, you’ll also need to organize your client’s. That’s a huge part of being a VA. Most clients need your help getting and keeping them organized. Better organization means better productivity.
Not the organized type? Start finding working systems right now. You can still be successful, but you’ll have to pay extra attention to your systems and practices. Find ways to get organized and commit to staying that way!
You’re sociable
Okay, so you don’t have to be a social butterfly to succeed as a VA. Becoming a VA is actually a great job for introverts. However, you still need to have great communication skills. Most clients will communicate with you via email, but some may want to talk via telephone or video messenger.
Most clients will start as strangers so you need to have the skills to strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know. Also, the more social you are, the more likely you’ll find clients online and off. Networking is a great way to build up trust with people and grow your business. People can tell when you’re genuinely interested in talking to them.
If talking to people doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s okay too. Most of these skills can be learned and tamed with practice. I personally struggle with social anxiety but have overcome a lot of that out of sheer practice. The more you force yourself to talk to people, the more natural it becomes.
If you want to start a VA business that desire is the first step. The rest will fall into place.
Also able to be a loner
It may seem strange to talk about working alone right after the importance of being sociable, but the fact is working from home as a VA means working mostly alone. Most of the tasks you’ll be performing are solo tasks given to you simply because your client doesn’t have the time or desire to work on those tasks.
If you’re great at working by yourself, you’re all set then!
Have good business etiquette
When you become a virtual assistant you are building your business and brand 100% on you. When someone pays for your assistance, they are paying for you. Your time, your service. Having good business etiquette will not only keep your business afloat but keep it thriving.
Some good business etiquette means:
♥ Transparency: If something isn’t going as planned, you need to communicate that with your client as soon as possible, and clearly.
♥ The desire to Overdeliver: Whenever your working with clients, try to give them more than asked for. You want your clients to be overly impressed with you, not just “ok” with your work.
♥ Know you Capabilities: Don’t promise to do something your not sure you can follow through with. No matter how much you “want” to be able to do it, know if your actually capable of it before you agree.
♥ Great Communication: Again, this is so important! It’s your job to clarify everything discussed between you and your clients. If they are unhappy with something, it’s often because of unclear communication and expectations, meaning there’s a good chance it’s your fault.
Starting Your Own Virtual Assistant Business
If you know you have several of the qualities listed above, you may want to consider starting your own VA business. Here’s a fantastic article on how to become a virtual assistant .
