This list is not exhaustive. You may be surprised at how creative some entrepreneurs have become in using VA to make their own lives easier. Some entrepreneurs have a team of VAs that specialize in different niches, which is understandable. Very few individuals are experts in all areas … you find many Jacks of all trades, Masters of none, but every now and then you do find a Master, and if the price fits … well, would it be foolish to let it go? not?
Think of your average VA like you would your secretary / personal assistant, because basically, that’s what they are. You will find some who specialize in website design and maintenance, and some who specialize in accounting, and some who may also offer writing / editing services. Regardless of your specialty, you will find that they all offer the “VA Basics.”
With VAs, one size doesn’t fit all, but with a little pinch and crease, you can find one or more VAs that are perfect for your business. Here are some ideas you can use when you’re pinching and poking …
1. Your VA can handle your email, respond to routine requests and instigate action, forward information to others to handle, or forward very important email that only you can handle or should know about.
2. Going on Vacation – Let your VA handle your email in your absence. What she can’t handle, she can forward to consider for her next cold drink under the nearest palm tree.
3. Mail – Again, depending on where you both live, you can have your VA collect and handle your mail as well. You can have this as a daily service or just when you are out and about.
4. You may be a genius at marketing or creating “cool gadgets”, but you have no hope of configuring your email program to modify your time zone indicators, your signature, your autoresponder … Relax! ! If your VA doesn’t know right away, they know how to find out and will help you.
5. If you leave, you will probably use some form of voicemail / messaging service to alert callers of your absence. Instead of going out of business, provide them with your VA number or email address so you can contact them in their absence. It’s so much more reassuring and professional and YOU don’t lose business!
6. Depending on where you live in relation to your VA, you can forward your calls to your phone so that you can answer them like a receptionist in real time. You can do the same with your faxes.
7. You need help with your journal and appointments. VAs are commonly used for this purpose. Let them schedule your appointments and keep you up to date with their schedule. Let them communicate with your customers, business partners, journalists, talks, etc.
8. Liaison with the customer. You can’t always be there for your important clients, but your VA can. Let your VA handle inquiries, information requests, appointments, rescheduling, etc.
9. Maybe you travel a lot. Let your VA arrange the best airfare for you, book accommodations, and rent cars. Your VA can also arrange places to speak for you, if you like to talk! Let them organize the venue, meals and snacks, hotel discounts, necessary equipment, etc.
10. This is so basic it’s not worth mentioning … word processing. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson … Doh! On the other hand, if you are Homer Simpson, here is what your VA can do for you: Write and prepare notes, reports, articles, memos, letters, brochures (drafts or originals). In fact, any VA can do it for you.
11. Take your scruffy meeting notes and turn them into Business Minutes.
12. VA can even produce Manuals for you and return them to you on floppy disk or by email. The same goes for special reports, textbooks, and professional documents.
13. Are meetings and presentations held? Do you need Powerpoint? Look no further than your VA!
14. Even if your VA doesn’t use MS Access, you can count on her to use MS Excel. When it comes to databases, you want a system that you can manage yourself if necessary. If you can use Access, welcome! If not, make arrangements with your VA to set up databases in Excel. This is simple and anyone can use it. You’ll want to keep your business card customer information, credit card information, prospects, survey information, item lists and who they have been sent to … just a few ideas to get you started.
15. Mass sending of emails. Some VAs will have their own special software to send bulk emails to their many clients and allow emails to be addressed individually, or perhaps you are a member of an online company that allows you to send bulk emails. Either way, your VA can handle this for you.
16. Sign up and keep track of your login IDs and passwords for everything from affiliate status, online article submission, memberships and free lists, and more. Your virtual assistant can do this with her eyes closed!
17. Desktop publishing. Brochures, newsletters, brochures, postcards, menus, price lists, schedules, calendars, certificates … generally all of these things can be done just as easily in MS Word, but MS Publisher provides ready templates. Either way, your VA has you covered. Just tell him what you want … with or without graphics or photos.
18. Transcription of tapes and CDs. These days, there are different types of equipment to handle the different types of tapes that are used for recordings. VAs who specialize in this area can generally handle whatever tape or CD you use. You send it to your VA, she writes it down and returns it to you. Is it a mess and it’s all over the place and you can’t or don’t have time to clean it up? Yes, you can hire an expensive professional to clean and edit it for you, or you can find a VA that specializes in this and let them do it for you.
19. Newsletter … there are different ways online to send newsletters, and depending on how much you want to spend, your VA may find something to suit your budget preferences. She can handle all subscription and unsubscribe requests, put together your newsletter and send it as needed, even handle all advertising requests and billing arrangements.
20. Your VA may also review and edit your bulletin and other documents, if you have this ability. There is nothing worse than receiving a newsletter from a supposed professional full of typographical errors.
21. Some VAs with writing experience may ghost-write their articles for posting to magazine publishers, online article sites, or for use in their own newsletter. You DO NOT want someone to take something you found on the internet and add your name and the following you know, you will be sued for plagiarism! Or failing that, your readers think it is a fraud because that same article appears in various other places on the Internet by various other authors. (Don’t laugh! This happens!)
22. Research – either for an article or information or an article that you have trouble finding. You may be writing a book and want information … you may want to buy some software to help you with a particular challenge or project you have … you may just want to keep up with what your competitors are up to. .. your VA can become a super detective and get the information you are looking for.
23. Buying gifts … how much do you want to spend? Give your VA and your gift recipient list your ideas and she can handle this for you and make sure your special clients (and even your family) are never forgotten.
24. Website. Do you need a website designed for you or maintained? Even if you already have a website, the pages need to be updated frequently. Some VAs specialize in websites and can do this for you and keep you up to date. A virtual assistant specialized in this area can also monitor your website traffic and recommend ways to improve online traffic and sales.
25. Bookkeeping. Shudder! Well, it’s like some who think bookkeeping is cool … there are those who don’t really care to do bookkeeping. You will find them: they can keep your books, send your invoices, do the billing, balance your accounts, etc. The weird thing is that they enjoy it!
26. Writing and editing services. Generally speaking, writing and editing are areas covered by professional writers and editors, usually trained at Uni. Just because you can spell and know where the full stop goes doesn’t make you a “qualified” editor or writer. So if you just want simple things to be managed, some VAs can do this for you, but if you’re looking for some heavy-duty writing or editing work, consider a professional or make sure you use a VA that has a background and experience with this. type of job.
27. Marketing. Some VAs offer experience in marketing and advertising. Look for one with a background and experience in this area. They can help you implement an ad campaign, monitor the campaign, etc.
28. Your VA can distribute your marketing materials to the locations and recipients of your choice, either online or by mail.
29. Do you hire other staff? It is not a problem. Your VA can help you remember special dates like birthdays, annual performance reviews, income, manage reference checks …
30. Simply put, you can use a virtual assistant in the same way that you would use any secretary or personal assistant. You’ll find that what she can’t do is make your coffee and make your file, unless she lives nearby and is happy to travel and do this for you!
