The Verbs, a Pronoun publication
  • Data Smackdown
  • Marketing Madness
  • Tinker Tailor
  • Industry Whatsit
  • Writing (Life) & Hijinks
  • Ready? Publish Your Book on Pronoun
  • Data Smackdown
  • Marketing Madness
  • Tinker Tailor
  • Industry Whatsit
  • Writing (Life) & Hijinks

The Verbs, a Pronoun publication

Marketing Madness

How to Choose Your Virtual Assistant

written by Erica Monroe October 14, 2016

In the first post of this series, we discussed what services a virtual assistant can provide. In the second, we talked about how to budget for an assistant. of this series, we talked about identifying your need for a virtual assistant and budgeting for services. Now, we are down to the final questions you’ll want to ask when you are researching potential candidates.

Earlier, when you were identifying what you need a virtual assistant for, you may have decided you only need to hire someone for special projects. If that’s true, you can probably stop your research after you’ve created your budget and found an assistant that is in your price range and can handle the work you want done.

But if you’ve discovered that you need a virtual assistant in a more formal capacity, then you’ve still got some preliminary work to do before you can choose a candidate. For the sake of clarity, we’re going to assume that you decided you need a virtual assistant on a regular, ongoing basis. I refer to these types of clients as “retainer clients,” because our contracts are rolling and end whenever the client or the virtual assistant gives a month’s notice of termination. (I’ll talk more about contracts below.) I have six retainer clients at this time, so my operation is relatively small.

Which leads me to the next question you should ask—do you want to work exclusively with one virtual assistant, or would you prefer a larger firm?

Exclusivity versus multiplicity

For Quillfire Author Services, I look at my business as a boutique-type agency. I am the only employee who interacts directly with my clients, and this is a part-time job for me, so my operation is small by necessity and design. I work certain days of the week and hold office hours when my clients can expect that I am around with my inbox open. Because my firm is so small, my clients know that they will receive intimate, dedicated service from someone who knows their business inside out.

But small may not necessarily be the best thing for you. Perhaps it’s more important to you that someone answers your inquiry immediately, and you want to know that there’s someone on standby for you at all hours of the day. You may want to seek a larger virtual assistance firm then, where there are several assistants available to you. The advantage of a larger firm is that you may have a wider diversity of knowledge—just as each author is different, every assistant brings a different set of experiences to the table. You do want to make sure that these assistants are all fully briefed on your career, so that you always have someone who can jump right in on your projects.

How many hours do you need per month?

With my clients, I have a standard minimum amount of work required to be done every month to keep our contract valid. I also have a maximum, which is a set number of hours the client has agreed is acceptable to work every month. If we are approaching that maximum number of hours for the month yet there’s still work to be done, I contact the client and give them a few options. We can either stop work for the month there; we can add the extra work to next month’s bill; we can raise the maximum for this month alone. Either way, the client knows how much they’re going to be paying ahead of time and can figure that expense into their budget.

Because you already established with your candidate the work that you’ll need help with, the virtual assistant should be able to give you an estimate of how many hours per month you would need. Some virtual assistant companies allow you to purchase a bunch of hours ahead of time, and the VA then just works off that balance. Other virtual assistants allow you to change your number of hours per month, or per billing cycle. This works well when you know that some months you will have a lot of work for them to do (like in release months) but in other months, there won’t much you need done. You may want a certain amount of flexibility in your contracts, or you may find that paying in advance is better for your budget. All these are things you can discuss with your future VA.

You keep saying “contract.” Do I really need one of those?

For my retainer clients, I insist upon a contract, tailored to that specific client’s needs. (If it’s just a Facebook party I’m hosting, or a special project, there’s no contract.) Basically, the contract outlines my fee schedule and my hourly rate, the minimum amount of time required, and the maximum agreed upon. It gives a brief outline of the services I’m expected to render (though in reality, I often end up doing work outside of those parameters), and also outlines a termination clause and billing structure for unpaid invoices.

You may be saying, “but I know my virtual assistant and we’re friends,” or thinking that you don’t really need a contract. I advocate for a contract for any ongoing business, especially among friends, because it gives clear parameters to what may be an unclear relationship. Remember that this is your career on the line—you want to make sure that you are protected legally, and that there’s no confusion on payment schedules or responsibilities.

You also want a contract because the virtual assistant will now most likely have access to confidential data that you do not want revealed to the public. You’ll want to put a nondisclosure agreement in your contract, which specifies that the virtual assistant cannot reveal specific details about your business. The virtual assistant may also have copyrighted material – worksheets, promotional plans, various gathered research—that needs to be protected. The contract is for your security and for the virtual assistant’s.

Above all, the best advice I can give you is to communicate with your new virtual assistant. Be clear on what you want done, and your expectations going forward. Eventually, you’ll function as a team, with the assistant anticipating your needs. It may take time to get there, but in the end you should have an assistant that is the perfect fit for you, who blends so seamlessly into your business you can imagine working without them.

How to Choose Your Virtual Assistant was last modified: October 19th, 2016 by Erica Monroe
virtual assistants
1 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Erica Monroe

Erica Monroe is a USA Today Bestselling Author of suspenseful historical romance. She’s an independent author who believes her books are her business, so over the last three years she has learned promotion, book production, and sales. For the last seven years, she worked as an administrative assistant in a variety of fields: banking, grants management, and engineering, where she was responsible for many administrative projects and assisted with event planning and promotion. Those marketing and management skills have carried over to her work as a virtual assistant. Now she is committed to running her own small business, Quillfire Publishing. Quillfire Author Services is a subset of that.

previous post
Pre-NaNoWriMo Tips for October
next post
Book Descriptions That Sell!

You may also like

Is a Virtual Assistant Right for You? (Part 2)

September 9, 2016

Is a Virtual Assistant Right for You? (Part 1)

September 2, 2016

What Does a Virtual Assistant Do? (Part 1)

September 19, 2016

1 comment

Vienna Tomps November 7, 2016 at 3:42 am

I totally agree with you, Erica. It’s really a bad idea working with a virtual assistant without a contract. Yes, your friend can be your virtual assistant but imagine how it can affect your relationship and what catastrophe it can bring to your business.

Choosing the right, perfect assistant for you is a difficult process but it’s definitely worth it.

Vienna Tomps,
http://www.routinetasks.net/

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Drill Down

agents Amazon bestsellers blogs book pages book trailer budgeting conferences copy editing copyright cover design covers discoverability editing end matter experience facebook first year goodreads holiday releases keywords & categories marketing nanowrimo newsletters personal appearances pinterest plagiarism pointedly pronoun press kit pricing punctuation readings retail reviews rwa SEO social media taxes timing twitter virtual assistants website writing writing is hard your business

Pointedly Pronoun

  • Get Found on Amazon. Discoverability is Key(word).

    January 3, 2017
  • How to Stop Guessing About Your Book’s Perfect Price

    December 22, 2016
  • Thankful for Books!

    November 24, 2016

Recent Posts

  • Take a Break!

    January 6, 2017
  • Judging You: Top Indie Book Covers for December

    January 5, 2017
  • What Are Your Goals for 2017?

    January 4, 2017
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Notice

Back To Top