How To Hire A Virtual Assistant: A Guide To Outsourcing
There is no better time to assess your business than at the start of a brand new year. It’s a fantastic time for reflecting on the high’s and low’s of the previous year along with realising what you did right, and what you could have done better.
As a business owner, you’ve done an amazing job so far. You’ve really started to fall into a good groove in your business knowing where your strengths lay and also knowing what tasks you don’t particularly like consuming your time. If you really want to take your business to the next level this year and grow it properly, now is the time to start outsourcing the tasks that hold you back.
“Do what you do best, and outsource the rest”
The best way to do this is by hiring a Virtual Assistant, but not just any Virtual Assistant, the right Virtual Assistant. I’m going to show you a simple 5 step strategy that you can use as a guide to outsourcing in 2019.
Step 1 - Make a list of what tasks you want to outsource.
Before you can even begin to find the perfect Virtual Assistant to hire and outsource work to, you need to know what you’re going to be outsourcing. The best way to do this is to make a list of all of the tasks that you typically do each week or month, and then organise the tasks by those that you need to do yourself and those in which you can outsource.
Step 2 - Look for a Virtual Assistant who offers exactly what you’re looking for.
Now that you’ve made your list of tasks that you want to outsource each week or month, you can start searching for a Virtual Assistant who offers these specific services. The best way to do this is to search on Google or ask around and see if anyone knows a good Virtual Assistant that they would recommend.
Step 3 - Do your research and check out their online presence.
Once you have found the name of someone that you may want to work with, or their business name, check them out online. Look to see if they have a LinkedIn profile, a website, a Facebook page, Instagram account etc. You can check to see what type of content they are putting out and from checking out their social media and website you can also get a good indication if they are going to the type of person you want to work with.
Step 4 - Look for references and testimonials.
Once you’ve checked out their social media and website, you need to check if they have any references online or any testimonials from previous clients. The reason for this is because anyone can put anything online about themselves, however, if they have recommendations on their LinkedIn or testimonials on their Facebook business page or website, this builds more trust.
Step 5 - See if you’re a good fit before committing.
Before jumping in and committing 100% just from what you have seen online, schedule a consultation or discovery call with them. This way you get an opportunity to speak to them one on one and ask them any questions you may have, and really get a feel for if they will be a good fit for you and your business.
If you have followed each of these steps and you’re happy with what you’ve read and heard, then you should go with your gut feeling and hire them. However if you’ve followed all of the above steps but something still isn’t sitting quite right with you, keep looking for another person.
My name is Selina Johnson and I'm a Business Support Expert providing Virtual Business Support to businesses. We help SME's with administrative, technical and creative support so you are free to grow your business and increase your profits.
Contact us today to discuss how we can add value to your business.
01234 602596
hello@selinajohnson.com
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