Four tips for getting started with a virtual assistant
Many entrepreneurs consider working with a virtual assistant long before they pull the trigger and start one. Often, they stop because they are nervous about the process of starting. But it is not necessary, there are several steps that you can follow so that the process of starting with one, or moving from one to another is easier. I have outlined four of them below:
- Organize passwords. Spend some time thinking about all the online systems you are on and off every day. Make a list of them and then put together a document or spreadsheet. Be sure to include the login URLs, the email address you’ve associated with each one, the username (if different from the email address), and of course, the password. Having all of this information in one place will be a great first step in getting ready to work with a virtual assistant.
- Collect assets. No doubt your VA will need access to identity and business assets. Put the following together and you’ll reduce back and forth between the two of you, making more efficient use of your VA dollars: logo (all sizes and file types you have), website/ezine/newsletter headers – never you know how or when these are useful, photographs of faces, previously used advertising graphics, additional website graphics and any language you frequently use to describe your services.
- Document templates or examples. You’ll ask your VA to make things for you and assume you already have an idea of what you’d like them to look like, but everyone has different tastes. Find examples or templates that you have made in the past, or that others have used and liked. Provide them to your VA. It will save you a lot of time and frustration.
- Provide general schedule. Do you know what your schedule looks like for the next few days, weeks, months, or even years? Providing this information to your VA can be invaluable when it comes to planning your work and time with her. Describe as much as you can and keep her informed, it will reduce scheduling conflicts and help you both plan when you can work together on longer-term projects.
Assignment:Make one of these a day for the next four days, then comment below and let me know how good it feels to have this stuff ready to go!