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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant table of contents legal disclaimer 2 about the author 5 introduction 7 chapter 1 ­ the basics 9 what is a virtual assistant 6 why hire a virtual assistant 6 how a virtual assistant will save you money 7 how do virtual assistants charge 8 how to hire a virtual assistant 8 prepare a job description 9 sample job descriptions 10 where to find a va to hire 11 interviewing a potential candidate 12 checking references 22 signing the contract and confidentiality agreement 23 employee or independent contractor 24 what rate will you pay 26 paying your virtual assistant 26

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant retainer basis vs one-time project 27 benefits of hiring a virtual assistant ­ a recap 27 chapter 2 ­ expectations 29 recommended hardware software 30 communication 30 assigning work 31 time tracking 32 software 32 turnaround time for work requested 32 conflicts of interest 33 availability 34 subcontracting 34 is the va task-oriented or time-oriented 35 conclusion 36 chapter 3 business smarts 37 invoice policies 38 how to track the work your va does 39 feedback is important 41 how to delegate tasks 42 what you ll need to effectively delegate to your virtual assistant 43

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant creating a workspace 44 records for tax purposes and bookkeeping 45 chapter 4 checklists 47 what kind of work can you assign to your virtual assistant 48 job lists 54 a to-do list 55 useful websites 60 signs of success 64

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant about the author ann brown is a freelance writer professional virtual assistant and president and ceo of http virtualadminsplus.com a virtual assisting company serving clients all over the united states and the uk ann has been regular contributor to the women s council of realtors® national online magazine e-connections for the last three years and is also a published author of a series of children s books she has over twenty years of business customer service and marketing experience and she brings a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to the virtual assisting world she is also the founder and president of the national association of christian virtual assistants http nacvas.org

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant what is a virtual assistant the concept of virtual assistance has been around for only a few years and as technology develops virtual assistants or va are rapidly gaining acceptance so who and what exactly is a virtual assistant in order to understand what a virtual assistant is let us break down the two words and define them individually if we look at the definitions provided by dictionary.com you ll see that virtual means existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact form or name and assistant means a person who assists or gives aid and support helper the breakdown of the two words and their definitions should now paint a somewhat comprehensible image of what a virtual assistant is an independent contractor who performs an array of administrative marketing and sales-related tasks from a remote location why hire a virtual assistant there are several reasons as to why you should hire a virtual assistant firstly a virtual assistant works from his or her own office or home and this means no provision for a physical workspace at your location has to be made this is particularly beneficial and convenient if you work out of a home office it ensures that your privacy is protected since virtual assistants use their own personal equipment like computers and printers you save money by not having to purchase and maintain more costly office equipment this helps to cut down on your expenses and puts more money in your pocket just as you would hire an independent contractor to build your house you hire a virtual assistant in a similar fashion this will save you from the headaches of payroll tax calculation employee medical insurance vacation pay and more you have the flexibility of getting a virtual assistant to work on your projects without having to care for their future employment.

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant your business equipment is safe from being misuse i.e using your company phone for personal calls making non-work related copies on your printer etc you ll soon find these seemingly minor cost savings really begin to add up your virtual assistant can also handle tasks which you re not particularly skilled in for example let s say you re a busy real estate agent your talents and profits lie in showing and selling houses not in maintaining your website yet you know you have to keep your site updated with new listings news and blog entries hiring a virtual assistant enables you to make sure your website looks fantastic and has fresh content and it leaves you more time to sell homes let s face it hiring a virtual assistant will save you both time and money how a virtual assistant will save you money this is the cost comparison of a virtual assistant to a traditional on-site employee cost comparison pay rate hour overhead expenses rates 50 total payrate number of hours worked per month total monthly cost traditional on-site employee $20 $10 $30/per hour 160 $4,800 virtual assistant $30 n/a $30/per hour 80 $2,400 the overhead expense rate has been taken to be 50 of the hourly pay because it covers rent for office space office equipment such as computer printer lights air conditioner and heater electricity holiday pay sick leave administration costs and idle time none of this has to be provided to the virtual assistant obviously there is a big difference in the number of paid hours worked by an employee and a virtual assistant for a va you only pay for the hours that have been worked.

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant on the other hand you are paying an employee the hourly rate even when they are socializing during work hours take frequent bathroom trips or even long lunch break in an average 8hour work day a traditional employee will actually work 5-6 hours these are the five solid hours you pay a virtual assistant for yet in a traditional work environment you are paying for an additional 2-3 hours per day ­ during which time no work is done for you how do virtual assistants charge there are three types of rates a virtual assistant can charge you for the services offered the best method can be adopted by looking at the tasks to be dealt with · hourly these work best for those who need routine assistance but are unsure of how much work is to be delegated at any given time · monthly retainer a monthly retainer can be similar to the rates offered to an onsite/in-house employee retainer rates are used to secure an initially determined number of hours to be worked in a given time period usually on a monthly basis in most cases a va will offer a discounted hourly rate when you contract with them for a certain number of hours each month this is an excellent option if you need to work with someone on a regular basis · per project this type of rate is best for work that is either a one-time task such as designing a website or a recurring one such as mailing out monthly newsletters how to hire a virtual assistant location is usually not a hindrance when looking to hire a virtual assistant unless you need that person for on-site work once or twice a month ­ for instance to do filing in most cases however neither party will meet in person therefore hiring the right person is crucial the procedure for hiring a virtual assistant is similar to that of hiring an on-site employee but there are few other steps to be taken.

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant prepare a job description the first and foremost thing to do when starting the process of hiring a va is to determine the tasks you want your virtual assistant to do as this will set the foundation for your job description when writing a job description it is important to be as detailed and specific as possible think of it as sketching on an art pad with a pencil it portrays an image of the person you are looking for ­ the ideal result being your finding the closest possible match · describe clearly the tasks to be done this gives the potential va a sense of what they will be doing plus it allows the va to determine if his/her skill set matches your specifications · indicate the time period for which you ll need help is this a one-time project that can be completed within two weeks or will you need help on an on-going basis decide if your va will be working hours weeks or indefinitely this also helps in deciding which type of billing will be used and it will give the va an opportunity to determine if his/her workload can handle your time requirements · be specific on skills/experience you require this can include computer skills should the va be proficient in microsoft office use a mac or pc etc interpersonal skills will you need your va to talk to/email your customers or colleagues etc · what are you willing to pay your va this is not a necessity in posting your job description however you may want to mention the rate you will pay if your budget is

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant tight or you do not want to go through the process of negotiation of course you may add as much detail as you deem important sample job descriptions short description or rfp request for proposal name bob jones company down home realty email bob@downhomerealty.com url downhomerealty.com va job description we are a residential real estate company and need help with maintaining our website posting new listings on craigslist and customer follow-up via email skills required html coding ftp uploads constant contact creative writing for listing descriptions good grammar and customer service skills experience in real estate helpful rate $25/hour respond by february 1 2010 project length 1 month trial if all goes well position will be ongoing we estimate about 20 hours per month long description we are looking for a virtual assistant professional who has some experience working with real estate agents preferred and an attitude for effective customer service you ll be working approximately 5 hours per week can fluctuate tasks to be carried out include 1 interaction with customers via email as needed 2 website updates and changes

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant 3 send out promotional material via email via constant contact we will provide info 4 enhance and post our company s listings on craigslist you need to have 1 proficiency in ftp and html coding 2 computer and internet skills 3 experience in writing descriptions for residential real estate listings preferred 4 good listening skills and grammatically correct written english 5 a good dsl connection microsoft office a printer and a long distance phone line 6 experience in real estate helpful and preferred but not necessary for the right person we do not require any professional qualifications as long as you can effectively fulfill the demands of the job the starting pay will be $25/hour please respond by february 1 2010 to bob@downhomerealty.com having written up a job description the next step is to find places to post it where to find a va to hire you now need to reach those virtual assistants who are looking for jobs your objective should be to reach out to as many as you can so that you may find the best candidate for the job here are a few ideas · use a search engine such as google to help you search for general terms such as virtual assistant or a specific term like real estate support since these websites on the internet have a global outreach you are bound to receive resumes from all corners

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant of the globe · there are many different organizations in which you can visit to find a va elance.com will let you post your need for va help at no cost in many different areas such as admin support website design and marketing/sales another group is the national association of christian virtual assistants http nacvas.org they not only allow you to post your rfp at no cost but they also have a directory of virtual assistants their skills set etc · don t discount the power of social networking sites most virtual assistants have a presence on facebook twitter etc and normally they will have a link to their website where you can gather more details about the va to determine if you d like to pursue them further · do you have a colleague or friend who uses a va ask them who they use or who they d recommend this helps you find someone who is trustworthy and knowledgeable in the va field once you are done with the process of posting your job description in several places your inbox should get flooded with responses pay critical attention as you go along each of them pick out the ones which you think would be the best fit and then the next step of the recruitment process can begin interviewing a potential candidate interviews for virtual assistants are rarely conducted face-to-face this is because of the vast geographical distances that may exist between the two parties however with the growing

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant popularity of video chatting through services such as skype meeting face-to-face in the virtual world is not that uncommon anymore since you have already narrowed down your selection to the best proposals received here are the next few steps that should be used for the interview process 1 a good virtual assistant will have a website you will be able to collect more information about a potential candidate through their website so take the time to visit the site once there ask yourself these questions · does the website have a professional look is it free of typing errors do they have good and relevant content if you see little errors here and there it is a sign that the virtual assistant doesn t care too much about their professional appearance look for someone better · is navigation on the website easy this shows that the owner of the website has thought about the visitors who come to the website and it is a sign of an excellent business-oriented approach · are testimonials present although this is not a necessity it important you check them out if they have them testimonials give you an idea of how a third person feels about virtual assistant in question do not blindly rely on testimonials too verify their genuineness testimonials normally have the writer s website address too check if they are real people and what they have to say · is the necessary company and personal information provided a virtual assistant should reveal enough company and personal information for a client to be in position to judge and decide whether to hire or not if you can t tell who they are where they are or how to contact them move on.

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secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant read the rest of secrets revealed how to find hire utilize and build your business using a virtual assistant by purchasing your instant download now click here http www.hiringavirtualassistantiseasy.com/order over 60 pages of useful information including the 3-page phone interview score sheet not sure what work to give to your va over 100 job ideas are included to get you thinking and on the right job the interview checklist ­ keep all your potential va s information easily organized and lots more order today http www.hiringavirtualassistantiseasy.com/order

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