FAQ

Learn more about how hiring a VA works

When it comes to hiring a virtual assistant or hiring out for a virtual project team I can solve your problems and I do all the work to find the perfect solution. I releasing clients from the time, overwhelm, and uncertainty of finding the right VA or VA project team on their own. I have the answers to your questions and answer the questions you didn’t know to ask such as:

What is a virtual assistant (VA)?

A virtual assistant is someone who works from wherever they are, not where you are, to perform administrative, technical, and organizational tasks which are not the best use of your time. Sure, you could do these things but if you’re doing this job who is doing yours?

What work can I hire a VA to perform?

I like to tell my clients, if you have a need I have a VA for you. We can’t bring you lunch, but we can order it and have it delivered to you. The key thing to remember is that very few things require a person to be present.

What are some different types of VAs? (These are some of the most common.)

  • General administrative VA - Responds to email inquiries, schedules travels, books appointments, document creation, online filing, invoicing, etc.
  • Executive VA - Responds to emails on your behalf, complex travel scheduling and serving as the liaison between you and your clients, makes/receives phone calls for you, presentation creation, complex report and spreadsheet assistance, etc. You should think of this type of individual as an extension of yourself and someone who is able to navigate your busy schedule and help keep you on task. This type of VA is most commonly used by international travelers, speakers, and entrepreneurs owning several companies.
  • Technical support VA - Extremely popular with coaches, consultants, branding/marketing experts. This type of VA will help you create online classes, automate your email drip campaign, update your website, and do research on the new products you wish to use to new a few duties.
  • Social media VA - Those looking to understand their audience, increase traffic, engagement, and convert to leads to sales hire a social media VA. This is more than posting and scheduling posts. A VA with this speciality can run analytics, run A/B testing, increase your reach and provide past examples. This type of VA is often great at being a Community Manager of your online group too.
  • Launch VA - Whether you are looking to launch a podcast, book, or online class there is a lot of work that goes into the process, including marketing. This VA is likely to have a team to provide a full-service option for you.
  • Marketing VA - There are content writers, editors, and VA proofreaders but a marketing person isn’t necessarily writing for you. They are marketing and often have a preferred platform they know well. Most clients who hire a VA marketer without any other services have already launched a project on their own and haven’t seen the traffic and conversions they desire.

Do I have to guarantee a certain number of hours a week?

Nope! While you often get a better rate if you use more hours in a month, it is not necessary. In fact, most clients only need a VA 5-10 hours a week (10 being on the high side). If you were to start out with more hours than that there is a very high probability you would not see an equal return on your investment.

Can I hire a VA for a project without a long-term contract?

Absolutely! One of the most common projects clients want to start is creating a newsletter. They may or may not know where to begin. You can hire a VA to simply make sure your list is together properly, followers have opted in, create a template you love, and then leave you to writing the content and finally sending it out to your audience.

What can I expect to pay?

The cost of VAs is widely dependent on skill and demand. Below is a generalization and does not include what you could save by paying a flat rate or project amount. Nor does it include a reduced rate option for buying hours in bulk.

  • General administrative VAs / $25-35 an hour
  • Executive VAs / $35-55 an hour
  • Technical support VAs / $45-60 an hour
  • Social media VAs / $35-55 an hour
  • Marketing VA / $50-60 an hour (does not include cost of ads)

These prices are for VAs based in the United States who can pass a background check and have a proven track record.

Can and when should I negotiate price?

Yes, negotiation is often an option. As long as the negotiation creates a win-win outcome you can feel comfortable. Most VAs don’t negotiate immediately so this is a conversation you would have to begin.

What is the market value for a beginning VA verses an experienced VA?

The general rates still apply for beginning VAs. An experienced with VA with stats of how she has helped her clients can be hard to find. Mostly, because the best VAs get booked up quickly and aren’t marketing themselves. This means the value for an experienced VA is quite high.

Where can I find the best virtual assistants?

Virtual assistant groups are a great place to find VAs. Also, where you spend time online is a good indicator or where your VA should be. If you never spend time on Pinterest don’t go looking there. Should your business have heavy LinkedIn presence your VA should too.

What are some red flags of a VA who would not be right for me?

There are many different factors for having a good VA. It’s more important that the VA you hire is the right VA for the job and you can communicate with her easily and seamlessly. Not being able to communicate well and easily is the biggest red flag and you should not proceed.

Initial indicators, beyond communication, are;

  • The types of questions your VA asks you. She should not just be taking orders. If when interviewing the VA has no questions that is a red flag.
  • Having only pre-packaged services. While you can be very similar to another client your potential VA may have, you are not the same. If the VA is using the same plan, package, templates, etc. for every client that is a red flag.
  • Being committed to only one software or platform. Sure, the VA can have a favorite but only committing to one means she might not be using the one that is best for you rather best for her. You need to also know if she is getting an affiliate kickback.
  • You are not her ideal client. This means she hasn’t gotten far enough in her career as a VA. Not necessarily a deal breaker but you don’t want to sign any long-term contracts and distance yourself too much from the day to day activities.

I had a virtual assistant before and it started off great, but then it didn’t last. What happened?

It’s very common to outgrow your VA. Especially, if your business is rapidly expanding. If this is the case, you don’t have to feel bad. What you’ll need to do is plan to hire a team that can keep up with your demand.

The number one reason that I find people don’t keep a long lasting working relationship with their VA is because their VA wasn’t onboarded properly. Onboarding is a two-way street. Your VA is going to onboard you and you have to onboard them as well. It is NOT an organic process. Know where you want to be in 12 weeks and work backward to keep a high-level plan for where you want to be.

Should I conduct background checks?

Yes. It’s a simple process and provides another piece of mind.

What questions do I ask during the interview process?

Depending on what type of VA you are interviewing you can get very specific. However, I have all my clients ask these three questions. HYPERLINK

How do you properly onboard a VA?

To properly onboard your VA have a 12 week plan to create a roadmap. Here is what I use with my clients. HYPERLINK

Why shouldn’t I automatically hire the same VA as one of my business colleagues?

I’ve seen this go wrong so many times. Remember communication strategy and ideal client are necessary for this to relationship to work.

Also, the VA may have taken you on as a client so she wouldn’t disappoint or seem unappreciative of the referral. However, she might not have the bandwidth and ultimately you, and other clients suffer.

I’ve never heard of a VA matchmaker before. What does a VA matchmaker do?

As a VA Matchmaker I take away the overwhelm for you. Being both a Virtual Assistant and Entrepreneur I know what good looks like and the real needs of my client. I know all the things you don’t even know to ask.

From uncovering your current and long-term needs, knowing if it’s time to hire a team, what type of VA will have the greatest immediate impact on your business, when it’s time to negotiate or ask for a flat rate, I can do it all.

I have services ranging from $250 - $2000 to answer your questions and/or provide you white glove service.

What is the market value of a VA Matchmaker?

For those who are just starting out and don’t have a steady income stream the market value is $250-$500. This is because this individual does have time to do the search, conduct interviews, and won’t typically have complex needs.

Entrepreneurs who are diversifying their income streams and splitting their time between clients, content, courses, book writing, speaking, etc. the market value is $3000-$4000. This is not only because of the time savings, but not having to miss out on opportunities which can be very costly. My services don’t take more of their time, clients can still conduct business while I am doing all the work. Additionally, the projects in their business that they wanted to implement can finally happen without sacrificing another area in their business. My one-time fee is easily recouped with a single signed contract.

How long does the process take?

The average time it takes to match a client with the right VA is 21 business days for the white glove package. I conduct and complete the initial interviews within five business days.

Most of the time it takes to match a client with a VA is highly dependent on their schedule. Final client/VA interviews often get delayed due to a busy work schedule.