ReAnn Rothwell’s Money Saving Ideas, Tax & Organizing Tips

 What is their hourly rate?

You will want to determine what you can afford to outsource and how much you are willing to pay.  A virtual assistant is a business professional who has years of administrative experience.  They are far more skilled than the average temp or hourly hire, and can do the tasks you delegate quicker, and more efficiently.  Faster and more powerful than your average Joe or Jane, they’ll end up saving you money just in hours alone.

What are their payment terms?

Some VAs will accept payments only through PayPal while others will accept a wide range of payment options. Most require payment upfront on a retainer basis.  With a virtual assistant, you will not be required to pay employee taxes, provide a healthcare plan, cover for sick or vacation time, pay for onsite insurance, or conform to any human resource codes or standards.  The virtual assistant is an independent contractor that already takes care of taxes, insurance and such.  When all you have to do is submit one 1099 form to the IRS at the end of the year, you are saving all kinds of time and money compared to the time and energy it takes for employee upkeep.

Do they have a sample contract available?

When you are entering into a long term working relationship, it is important to get the terms in writing so that everyone understands their role and responsibilities.  Remember that with an employee, (and sometimes when you are forced to do administrative tasks on your own), time is wasted if there are interruptions, office gossip or politics, breaks, downtime, internet use, etc.  A virtual assistant will only charge you for the actual time spent working on your projects.  Also, because you develop an ongoing professional relationship with a VA, your VA will know you, what you are striving for and can provide other ideas, direction and feedback to bring your business goals to fruition. 

Do they have experience in _______?

You may come across some VAs who are new to the industry and are still learning many new things. This may not be a problem for you since you can train your VA to do things the way you like them done. Decide on how much experience is acceptable for you. (A virtual assistant can be another professional set of eyes that can catch possible errors or make improvements in your marketing, correspondence and presentations.  You could otherwise lose business over your hard work that had an error or lacked the impact you deserved.)

How long have they been in business?

There’s certainly nothing wrong with hiring a Virtual Assistant who is new but it’s important that you know what stage of business your VA is in so that you know how much direction the VA will need when given new or complicated tasks.

What is their typical turn around time for what you need done?

Of course this will depend on the project but it’s a good idea to ask and see how long your potential VA typically gives for turn around on projects.

How do they prefer to communicate?

Communication plays a big role in the effectiveness of your relationship with your VA. It’s important that your preference for communication match up.

What type of work do they really enjoy doing?

There’s no doubt that people who love what they do, do it better than things they are doing just to go through the motions. If you can find a VA with a passion for the work you need completed then you’re much more likely to get high quality results.

Do they have a specialty?

Again, some Virtual Assistant’s prefer to focus on one certain task or area of expertise.  There is nothing wrong with having a couple of VAs, each one specializing in a certain area of your business. For example: Do you want coverage for your very own vacation time?

Can you see samples of their work or a portfolio?

If you are working together for the first time on a project such as article writing, website design or sales page creation then you’ll want to see examples of the VAs work to determine if it is a good fit for your business. Everyone has a different style so find out if their style fits your business.

Do they have testimonials you can read/view?

It’s great to hear the feedback from other clients who’ve been happy with your potential VA’s work. A Virtual Assistant may have testimonials on her website, or may be able to refer you to other business owners who can give honest feedback on the service.