Upload
others
View
8
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
2
Table Of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
FEELING LIKE A PRISONER OF THEIR OWN BUSINESS ..................................................................................... 4
HAVING NO TIME TO FOCUS ON THEIR ZONE OF GENIUS ................................................................................ 4
IT’S YOUR JOB TO FIND THE RIGHT VA FOR YOUR BUSINESS ............................................................................ 8
IT’S YOUR JOB TO KNOW HOW TO DELEGATE TO YOUR VA ............................................................................. 10
THREE PROVEN INDICATORS THAT YOU ARE READY FOR A VA ...................................................................... 11
INDICATOR #1: YOU ARE OVERWHELMED ......................................................................................................... 12
INDICATOR #2: YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO GROW AND AUTOMATE.............................................................. 14
INDICATOR #3: INVESTING YOUR TIME INTO MANAGEMENT OF YOUR AUTOMATION SYSTEMS .............. 14
HAVE YOU EVER HAD THESE CHALLENGES WHEN TRYING TO FIND AND HIRE THE RIGHT VA FOR YOUR BUSINESS?................................................................................................................................................................. 16
YOU JUST REALISED YOU ARE READY TO HIRE A VA – NOW WHAT? WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? .... 20
1. KNOWING WHEN YOU ARE READY TO HIRE A VA. ....................................................................................... 20
2. KNOWING WHAT TYPE OF VA IS RIGHT FOR YOU? A PROJECT BASED VA OR A RELIABLE PARTNER
VA? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 22
3. UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE A SYSTEM FOR HIRING THE VA. ....................................... 23
YOU JUST HIRED AN EXCELLENT VA, BUT NOW WHAT? HOW DO YOU GET HER “IN” AND HOW AND WHAT DO YOU DELEGATE?..................................................................................................................................... 25
WE GOT DELEGATION COVERED – WHAT ABOUT MANAGING YOUR TIME ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR VA UP AND RUNNING? ......................................................................................................................................................... 28
WHAT RESULTS CAN YOU EXPECT IF YOU HAVE A GREAT VA SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS? ................ 31
3 MYTHS THAT ARE KEEPING YOU FROM HIRING AN AWESOME VA AND GROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH EASE ........................................................................................................................................................................... 34
MYTH # 1: IT’S DIFFICULT TO TRUST A VA ........................................................................................................ 35
MYTH # 2: RUNNING OUT OF TASKS TO ASSIGN TO YOUR VA ....................................................................... 36
MYTH # 3: HIRING A VA WILL NOT BOOST MY PRODUCTIVITY OR REDUCE COSTS .................................... 37
WHAT TO DO NEXT? ................................................................................................................................................. 38
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
3
Introduction
My name is Franciska. As a Virtual Assistant, I help Coaches and Brand Strategists grow
their business by removing administrative, social media and email marketing daily tasks
within the regular work schedule.
If you're a Coach or a Brand Strategist and you are in the phase of growing your business
– then your time is your biggest asset in and out of your business.
You want to have more time to work on the things that will give you 80% of the revenue,
and mundane, daily tasks are probably not something you want to do.
Let's be honest – these small, repetitive daily tasks can be frustrating, time-consuming,
but the fact is they need to get done for your business to run smoothly – otherwise, you
won't be able to grow it.
Again, but…
You want to spend your day coaching clients, creating new services and courses…
You want to concentrate on what you do best and simultaneously grow your business,
right?
So how can you do that?
Hello again, Franciska here keeping you company.
I'm a Canadian born and raised in the vibrant city of Toronto where I completed two
college degrees (Travel & Tourism & Legal Assistant) and worked longer in the legal
industry as a Legal Assistant.
Several years ago I moved to Croatia to a small island where I live with my kids today.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
4
Not to backtrack too far, but five years ago I was working for the Chamber of Commerce
where I was informing business owners about new legal business regulations relevant to
their business industry, bylaws, trade show participations, etc.
I was their one-stop shop for assistance and suggestions about business compliances
within their business industry.
While working with business owners on a daily basis, I had the opportunity to talk to them
about the many challenges they experienced in their business.
I noticed that even though they were required to comply with legal changes within their
industry (and were on top of the changes), their biggest source of frustration laid
somewhere else.
To my surprise, most of them were frustrated by:
Feeling like a prisoner of their own business They were working long hours to complete the small but required daily business tasks.
Spending too much time on the mundane, repetitive tasks that didn't bring significant
revenue, but needed to get done for their business to survive.
Spending time on the wrong tasks resulted in not having time to focus on expanding their
business at the speed they wanted or keep up with all the prosperity ideas brewing in
their entrepreneurial mind.
Having no time to focus on their zone of genius They were busy completing ALL the required business tasks themselves, so they had
little time to focus on their zone of genius in their business.
Little time to focus on tasks they:
◉ Are best at.
◉ Enjoy working on the most.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
5
I watched them struggle while working in the Chamber of Commerce, and I felt a huge
urge to help them out beyond just advising them about the legal compliances.
Why?
Because I knew being a business owner is demanding, but also rewarding, and deep
down inside – at that time I started to realise I had a strong desire to build my own
business, as well.
To be honest, I was miserable while working at my 8-2 job.
Owning my business has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and I
wanted to experience the entrepreneurial freedom of setting my hours, being accountable
for my successes and improve from my failures.
While working with the entrepreneurs in the Chamber of Commerce, I started to realise
my strengths – I was excellent at solving small problems that others struggled with, or
didn't have the patience or time to address.
As time went by, things started to click - I realised that I could help business owners and
their businesses by accomplishing tasks and details that are easy and flow naturally for
me - but are tedious and frustrating for them.
So, the more I listened as to how miserable they were and what distressed them, the more I became aware that I found a potential for my own business.
I still was not quite sure if helping with daily tasks is something that they would need, if
it’s a viable service or if anyone would even pay for such a service.
So I kept listening to what they were saying – and with time got an even better picture of
the problems they were experiencing.
I listened to situations such as:
“I'm working long hours accomplishing the never-ending amount of tasks and not focusing
on what I do best.”
“I’m scaling my business and need to implement changes that I don’t have the time to
learn how to do.”
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
6
“I’m not consistent on publishing content out to my fans on social media or email list
because I don’t have the time.”
“I just need someone to work closely with in my business to delegate new segments of
projects. I feel so overwhelmed right now.”
The more I was listening to their problems, the more I was convinced that I needed to
follow my gut feeling and open my VA business because everything they were
complaining about…
…Well, it was just easy for me to do.
So, one spring day I decided to quit my full-time, stable, secure paying job and like a
fearful, single mom of 2 kids, I decided to rely on my singing career to bring in income
until I got my company off the ground.
Even though I love to sing, what I wanted to do was open up my own VA business.
I wanted to continue assisting business owners with my skills and knowledge.
I wanted to help them with eliminating those small, time-consuming little tasks that were
frustrating for them - and fun for me.
I wanted to help them accomplish things that would lead to their success and business
growth.
And not only that...
Another great motivator to make this bold move were my kids.
As a single mom, I wanted to set an example for my children to go after their dreams and
learn that you can accomplish whatever they set their minds to.
If you tune into your gut feeling – you can make your dreams a reality.
So, I practiced what I preached and explored the tingles a bit further.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
7
I knew that time-management flows smoothly for me since time’s always of the essence
in my life.
While working for others, I needed to learn what tasks I had to accomplish on a daily basis
to progress and get things accomplished.
Also, while working in the Chamber of Commerce, I learned how to correctly follow
processes and where to find things so I can get tasks done quicker.
I learned to think outside of the box.
And personally, technology was always something I had a considerable interest for - so I
learned to stay on top of new technological trends and use them to save time and
accomplish goals easier and more efficiently.
Knowing my skills can help business owners, I became aware that I would be able to
assist and help them to focus on what they love to do in their business - whether it’s
creating courses, working with clients or something else.
And since I quit my job, this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the VA
business concept and bring it to life.
And I did just that….
I enrolled in Marie Forleo’s B-School online business course to develop my VA online
business.
After three months of being in the course, my very first client found me in the B-School
Facebook group and took me on as her first ever VA.
And – boom!
My VA career started – which was the hardest part.
Enough about me.
Let’s focus on YOU.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
8
It’s your job to find the right VA for your business
If you are 2-3 years in business, overwhelmed with work and know that you want to
outsource certain business tasks to a virtual assistant – I'd like to show you how you can
find the right VA for your business.
Now, let me just say that if you are at that stage in your business - hiring a VA is imperative.
Knowing that you NEED to work with a VA, and finding the right person for the job is
tricky, but crucial.
Why? Think of your virtual assistant as being a reliable partner, a key player in your
business, instead of an intern who’s looking for the next opportunity.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
9
She is going to be handling all of those small, repetitive but necessary tasks that make
your business run smoothly and, mostly – she will be fine-tuning your business.
So, how do you find the right person a VA that can be a reliable partner?
Someone you can trust with your baby – your business?
What skills do YOU need to have as a business owner to get the absolute best out of her
and feel you have invested in the right person?
Stay with me until the end of this e-book as I’m going to give you some valuable advice and tips on how to find and delegate to your VA to get the best out of her time and skills.
You see, finding the right VA and outsourcing to your VA are two completely different
things, but both are crucial if you want a partner to work with you and be present in your
business in the long run.
Most business owners make a mistake of just “finding someone who can do the job”, but
most of the time these individuals are not that invested in the business and therefore –
make mistakes.
Keep in mind that virtual assistants are also business owners and professionals, and not
just someone who “ gets the job done”.
An excellent VA has aspirations and is reliable not only to take on the workload but keep
your business and hers well balanced.
Being a virtual assistant is a very responsible role. (Otherwise, you are hiring a freelancer,
not a VA.) Keeping this in mind, you probably need to know that a freelancer, in this
context, is a person who will get the tasks done, but will probably leave one day as soon
she gets a better opportunity.
On the other hand, an excellent VA is almost like your business partner who will put all her efforts into your business to help you grow so she can grow her business as well. Now that you have a small insight into what a trusted advisor and
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
10
freelance virtual assistant are (I will talk more about it in the pages to come) – what about
you?
Even if you find the right person – how do you delegate to her?
It’s your job to know what to delegate to your VA
Honestly, delegating to a VA is less
complicated than you might think.
I can give you one small tip right
now, and it might change everything
for you.
(And even if you say “duh” to this
one, you would not believe how
many business owners get this
wrong.)
So, what’s the tip?
Delegating non-income tasks to your VA will save you time and will make you money.
How?
Well, all the small, repetitive, non-income tasks that you need to do but don't have time
to do are tasks that NEED to get done and are crucial for your business to flow and grow.
If you delegate it to someone reliable and professional, you'll MAKE money while doing
what you love to do – which will be your high-income generating tasks.
It’s as easy as that.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
11
Okay, now when you know what your responsibilities are - let's go a bit deeper into how
do you know that you are ready for a VA, how to hire her and what you need to do to
delegate the right things to her.
Three proven indicators that you are ready for a VA
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
12
While working as a VA for the last 2.5 years, I started to specialise by working with
coaches and brand strategists – and I came across many roadblocks and mistakes that
coaches ran into when hiring a VA.
For example, even though they knew that a VA would free up 25% of their time on a daily
basis - they still had hesitations about working with a VA.
Don’t get me wrong.
It's no wonder they are reluctant to do so because the VA has access to your documents,
logins to various software, website, social media platforms, email - all sensitive
information. And also who knows and loves your business more than you do.
As a VA, and a business owner, I understand the fears.
It's scary to give your business access and permission to a person that you don't know,
haven't met in person and basically – someone that's not you.
(But again, please keep in mind that there is a difference between a freelancer VA and a
VA that is your reliable partner.)
So, what do you do?
You try to keep working on it all by yourself until you come to the point of burnout, or you
take someone on just to “fix the holes” – and this may result in you having a horrible
experience when it comes to having a VA work for you.
But, how do you know that you are ready for a VA?
How do you know that it’s the right time to take a reliable partner to ride the
entrepreneurial journey with you?
Well, if you are experiencing any of these phases below, then it's time to hire a VA.
INDICATOR #1: You are overwhelmed My very first client was ready for a VA as she was OVERWHELMED in her business.
When she started working with me, Wilson was 3 years in her business.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
13
She was a business coach helping entrepreneurs develop and clarify their branding
presence in their online business.
At that time she was still a solopreneur, and soon her business started to grow fast.
Within a year she left the start-up phase.
In her second year of business, she started to feel that her primary asset in her business
and life was her time.
She realised that she was accomplishing small tasks that were eating away at her hours
in the day and she couldn't focus on her clients.
She was creating and posting her social media posts, scheduling, editing newsletters,
posting blogs, responding to customer emails, updating her client information in her online
CRM, sending out agreements and invoices.
She was trying to do everything by herself and her body started sending signals of fatigue and stress.
She felt overwhelmed, dissatisfied.
Even frustrated but worst of all she ended up in the hospital a few times due to exhaustion.
She was working long hours and all the daily, repetitive daily task completions were
draining her energy level.
She did not have time to do the things that she wanted, inside and outside of the business.
She started to burn out – emotionally and mentally.
And that was the point that she realised that she needed to prioritise and that she can't
do everything by herself anymore.
She needed help.
She needed a VA.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
14
INDICATOR #2: You are struggling to grow and automate As my client's business was growing, it was starting to eat her up.
She was investing herself in the right tasks, such as customer relationships.
But a new problem arose within her business.
She needed to turn potential leads into clients while nurturing the existing ones.
That meant that if she wanted to scale her business, she needed to have systems in place
and automate certain tasks.
For example, she knew she needed to shift her focus to EMAIL MARKETING to automate
her sales, but she had little knowledge of how to do it and where to start.
Moreover, she didn't have the time or the desire to learn all of this, even though she knew
it was going to be a big part of her automating her business and getting a lot of her time
back while keeping the sales.
She realised that if she doesn't have the time or willingness to learn new software and
processes, which were crucial for her business (email automation certainly was) – she
needed to find someone reliable who would do the job.
INDICATOR #3: Investing your time into management of your automation systems As Wilson was trying to automate her business, she still felt super-overwhelmed.
All she wanted was to own a piece of mind, a sense of moving forward instead of investing
her time on managing the automation system.
Even though she was automating her tasks bit by bit, she still needed to spend her time
and effort into reviewing, managing and monitoring the systems that were put in place.
The time she invested in maintaining her systems was taking her focus away from what
she needed to be doing - moving her business forward.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
15
Shifting her focus from the things that mattered in her business – like coaching clients,
for example.
She realised that monitoring and managing systems was NOT what drove sales, yet
something she needed to "outsource".
Why?
She knew that all this could be done by someone else, unlike working with her clients,
where she was not only irreplaceable, but this is what she loved to do.
That’s why she started her business in the first place - to work with people.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
16
Have you ever had these challenges when trying to find and hire the right VA for your business?
How Wilson knew she was ready of a VA, what did she struggle with -
and how she solved it
As you can see, Wilson had all of these problems.
She was scared, but also knew she needed to do things differently and not do all the
tasks herself; otherwise, her business would start to suffer.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
17
So, she decided to hire a virtual assistant to help her with her business.
Wilson, as many business owners, chose to work with a VA at a cheaper rate (the ones
you can hire for 10$ an hour), focusing on what she'll SPEND for help, instead of what
kind of service and help she'll GET.
(And this is one of the biggest mistakes most business owners do when they want to hire
a VA.)
So, what did she do?
She did her homework, reviewed the potential VA's website in detail, and set up an
interview.
And what happened next?
Well, the “VA” never showed up for the meeting!
To be honest, when she told me this story a while back, I was not that surprised.
There is a HUGE difference between a freelancer and a professional VA, but
unfortunately – most business owners that hire a VA for the first time don't know this.
Most of solopreneurs want to or just hire "someone to do the job" at a cheaper rate and
then feel frustrated when they find themselves having to spend so much time
micromanaging their "VA" or worse – correcting the "VA's" mistakes.
But, why does this happen in the first place?
Well, the problem is that most "VA's" that you can find for a cheaper rate have many
different clients and at the end of the day – they are not so invested in your business.
They will "do the job", but they will not invest their time in your business or make an effort
to see YOUR bigger picture.
They also probably won't be there to give you advice or come up with new solutions that
might give your business better results.
In other words – they won’t be devoted.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
18
They will just do the job.
And that’s why a lot of times I see the “VA” industry getting a bad wrap because most
business owners actually hire freelancers, not VAs’.
But, let me give you a piece of mind.
There are professional virtual assistants whose job is to not only "do the job", but to
advise, help, make suggestions to help you grow your business and make YOUR life
easier.
To come up with solutions.
To think outside of the box and see what might come up as a problem two months down
the road, warn and prepare your business, so it doesn't suffer.
VAs’ that don’t need micromanagement.
VAs’ who truly are your trusted advisors, and NOT freelancers.
So, what about Wilson, and how did I come into the picture?
Since the VA didn't show up for the interview, Wilson crossed her off the list of potential
VA's.
I was next in line. It was my time to shine!
I:
◉ Arrived on time for the Skype interview
◉ Researched my potential client's website to learn more about her
(which is the least your VA could do before getting on the interview with you.)
After the Skype consultation, Wilson hired me, and I got my first client.
But…
I was not getting paid.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
19
I still didn't have the skill set to help Wilson entirely, rather had so much more to learn -
but we were going through the same course, so we were on the same page when it came
to building an online business.
I worked for Wilson for a few months for free, and in exchange, I learned LOADS.
After those few months, Wilson was happy to pay the higher rate for me to be her VA as
she realised that I was an asset that is a growing partner in her business.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
20
You just realised you are ready to hire a VA Now what? What do you need to know?
Let me go over some of the things you should have in mind before hiring a VA.
1. Knowing when you are ready to hire a VA. Most business owners get stuck with the question if they need a VA, or if they should just
continue to work as they have so far.
Let me try and help you here.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
21
If you are:
◉ Overwhelmed with your tasks
◉ Require assistance, digging yourself away from the administrative, social media
never-ending tasks,
◉ Understand that you could “move the needle in your business” if you only had the
time to focus on tasks that “only you could do”,
◉ Desire to be more efficient and less stressed out
◉ Understand that you need assistance in your business but can’t afford to pay for a
full-time employee
◉ Want to live your life to the fullest by working in a business you love and life you
desire
If you are answering yes to all the above points or at least one, then you know why you
want to work with a VA and are ready to WORK with one.
But, being ready is not enough!
You also need to ask yourself questions such as:
1. Are you willing to let go of your tasks and outsource them? Can you let go or will
you be freaking out?
2. Do you know what tasks you want to outsource? You should be aware exactly
what tasks they are and prioritise them.
3. Are you ready to transfer your knowledge onto your VA in as least time as
possible? Create instructions or be prepared to train your VA on how you execute
those tasks you will be outsourcing.
Knowing the answers to all the listed points will help hire a VA that meets your needs and whose skill set meet your requirements.
In other words, you have less chances of making mistakes and getting disappointed.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
22
Also you won’t waste your precious time on the wrong people.
I know hiring is stressful, and so many things can go wrong, especially if you are hiring
for a particular position for the first time.
But that’s why I want to give you a full blueprint of what you need to do, so your hiring process goes as smoothly as possible.
Even though it might seem like a lot of work now when you are reading it – trust me – it
will save you A LOT of problems and heartaches later on.
Okay, now there’s one more question to ask yourself before you are completely ready to
work with a VA.
2. Knowing what type of VA is right for you? A project based VA or a reliable partner VA? Once again, knowing what tasks you want and need to outsource will help you determine
what type of VA you need.
Do you need a long-term invested partner to grow with you as your business grows or a
one-time project based VA?
Knowing what type of VA you’d like to work with will prevent under utilising the VA.
A Project based VA is valuable for one time tasks such as:
◉ Logo creation
◉ Writing a series of articles, emails, posts
◉ Tax returns
◉ Website design
◉ Amazon research etc.
A Reliable Partner VA is extremely valuable for the long run:
◉ Is ALWAYS there to help when you need it and will grow with your business
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
23
because she’s learning about your business, your ICA needs, wants and desires,
and especially want’s you to succeed so her VA business can flourish as well.
◉ The tasks a reliable partner VA assist’s you with are:
o Administrative tasks (organising agreements, templates, surveys, forms…
communicate via emails with your clients, research competitors, products,
ideas… send out recordings, agreements to your clients, simple accounting:
sending out receipts, recording expenses…. Team management)
o Email marketing (proofreading, edits to blogs and scheduling blog posts,
creating email sequences, adding tags, funnels, landing pages….)
o Maintaining consistent Social Media presence (curating content, creating
posts, scheduling posts, tracking analytics of social channels)
o Maintaining, creating Standard operations manual
3. Understanding that you need to have a system for hiring the VA. To make it easier for you, I broke this into 4 simple steps:
STEP #1
Depending on what type of VA you want to work with – a reliable partner VA or a
freelancer VA, a good place to start looking for a VA is asking other business owners for
referrals and recommendations.
(Remember - word of mouth is the best marketing!)
STEP #2
Reviewing the VA's website is a must, but keep in mind - if you are looking for technical
assistance, be sure to see if the particular VA you are considering to hire has the technical
skills listed on her website.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
24
If not, look at her testimonials to see if she worked with business owners from your
particular niche?
Also, review her LinkedIn recommendations and see what others have to say about her.
Here's a piece of advice; don't expect feedback that a particular VA was excellent for one
business owner and think that automatically - she'll be a great fit for you.
Different business owners have different needs and are looking for a different type of skills
from their VA.
Do your homework.
It’s the best way for the whole process to go smoothly.
STEP #3
Have an interview with the VA, preferably a visual interview over Zoom or Skype for
example.
These meetings will give you loads of feedback on the person's character, and you'll get
"the vibe" if she's the one.
STEP #4
Have the VA take a technical skill test or a character test if you feel the need.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
25
You just hired an excellent VA but now what? How do you get her “in” and how and what do you
delegate?
The beginnings are usually the hardest.
But they don't need to be.
My client approached me having an idea as to where I can help her, but she wasn't quite
sure how to delegate.
We discussed the areas of her business where she needed the most assistance, primarily
what tasks she wanted off her plate.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
26
So, I advised her to complete her daily tasks and to record them, speak out her steps
while executing them.
As a VA, this helped me to perform the outsourced tasks correctly and precisely the first time around. By not allowing any room for error, I saved time for my client - and myself.
I suggest you do the same, as it will help your VA to get the “hang of things” much faster.
Then, I'd propose that you upload the random videos to Dropbox, or G Suite into a "How
To" folder and name the videos with the appropriate titles; for example "Uploading blogs
to WP", "Active Campaign newsletter creation" etc.
That’s how Wilson and I did it.
The uploaded "How To" video instructions not only become instructions for me as a VA
to execute specific tasks and learn exactly how to complete them, but they also become
precedents for our online SOP (Standard Operations Procedure) manual.
Looking back at our beginning of our working relationship, Wilson was slightly nervous
letting me into her business.
She was sharing her logins to her WP, FreshBooks, PayPal, G Suite accounts, etc.
Though she was the only person to depend on in order to get things done, and correctly,
she nevertheless followed her gut instinct that working with me was the right solution.
If you don’t know how to get her “on speed of things” I suggest you use this exact
framework Wilson and I used, because it just – works.
Okay, you just got your VA “in” - how you should delegate?
Welcome delegation!
Don’t turn your back on it. How you and what you delegate is super important!
Delegation is an affordable high-payback process assisting you to scale your business as
well as concentrate on the core of your business
But don’t get me wrong.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
27
By delegating I don’t mean micromanaging your VA.
Delegating means giving specific tasks to your VA – not overseeing her every step.
She needs to be able to handle tasks and perform even when things get hectic.
You will need to review the completed tasks, though, and I suggest you do – especially
in the beginning.
There will be a period where the VA will need a bit of time to accommodate your specific
way of working – and that's okay.
So, how to quickly and easily delegate to your VA?
1. Journal your steps of completing a task that you want to outsource
2. Save those instructions (I recommend videos as they are quick and precise) in
DropBox, Google Drive.
3. Share those videos with your VA
4. Make sure you do review the completed tasks. Now that you are delegating does
not mean that you are walking away from those tasks. The VA is completing them
– doing 80% of the job; you are managing them – doing the remaining 20% of the
job.
The results of delegating will astonish - and you will quickly learn how simple and efficient
delegating is.
The VA is responsible for completing the tasks EXACTLY as you want it on the days and
times you want the task completed.
A no-error proof system.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
28
We got delegation covered what about managing YOUR time once you have your VA up and running?
“The bad news is TIME FLIES; the good news is YOU’RE THE PILOT.”
– Michael Altshuler
Now that you are considering having a VA on your team, got her in the door and
understand how to delegate to her - it's time to focus on how to best structure your day
and manage your time.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
29
I found that time-management goes “hand in hand” with delegating, so you should keep
that in mind.
Sometimes, we as humans are not that good at managing our time, and then when
someone else gets in the picture…
Well, it can get messy.
So, here are some tips on managing your time that will surely help:
1. Organise your week on the weekends. Create an outline of what your week will
be like.
2. Take 15 min. to half an hour daily to arrange your outline of your following workday in detail. Try to get into the habit of doing this the evening before and
stick to your planned action outline.
3. Prioritise your tasks. At this stage when you have a VA in your business your
primary focus should be on income generating tasks. What are those tasks? Here
are a few examples:
◉ You might be expanding into new markets
◉ Branding, positioning, marketing your message
◉ Creating new products, services, offers
◉ Servicing new clients
◉ Mapping out sale funnels
◉ Getting into public speaking
◉ Creating webinar content
Hiring a VA is an investment and will allow you to free up your day of repetitive
tasks and target those more important tasks for you to complete.
Give the VA the work that will eat up your time and focus on high-income tasks.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
30
Group your tasks into:
◉ Tasks that you need to address: Important tasks but not urgent. You can
group them into categories; marketing, accounting, PR….For example if
you have a new lead you need to address it, but it’s not and urgent tasks
rather an important one.
◉ Tasks that your VA can address: Important but not urgent. For example,
responding to your client's emails, web site & system tweaks, social media
posting…
Consistency is key to your success. So if your newsletter needs to get scheduled
on a particular day and time, then prioritise that specific task for that day to maintain
that consistency.
4. Use a Pomodoro technique to help you complete prioritised tasks. A
Pomodoro technique is a well known method of:
a. Working in 20 minute intervals on a particular task, then moving on to the
next one.
b. Take a 5 /10 min. break and continuing to work on the same task for another
20 min.
c. If you haven't completed the particular task within the 20 / 40 min. interval
schedule to work on it again tomorrow for another 20 min. This working
method strengthens your focus to work and accomplish scheduled tasks.
Keep in mind if you’re busy it doesn’t mean you’re successful. Use your time wisely.
Also be mindful of the fact that having a VA does not liberate you from responsibilities.
Hiring a VA will enable you to have more time to focus on income generating tasks.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
31
What results can you expect if you have a great VA supporting your business?
My results are the results my clients have – the time that I've saved them, the freedom I
gave them by taking away the things they disliked or didn't have a chance to do…And the
joy that they felt while being able to focus on what they want to do in their business.
I’ll let my clients speak about the results they had while working with me.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
32
“Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to scale the
business. I’ve been able to hand over substantial amounts
of customer service work to you and know that our
customers are in great hands.
SUPKids wouldn't have been able to grow at the rate that
it is increasing without your support. You are a key player
in the team and your work has enabled me to free up my
time and focus on strategy & sales”.
Linzi Hawkin Branding Strategist
“I have an organised social media plan. You schedule and create posts.
I have peace of mind because I know you are taking care of that as well as other tasks
that need to get done that you know how to do.
I feel like because of you; I have a “real” business rather
than when I was doing it trying to piecemeal things. You
have added structure to my business, focus like sorting
the Twitter accounts to find my ideal clients.
You are willing to create systems that help make things
run more smoothly, and more professionally. Get
Response, finding new programs like your Spinwriter to
make everything we do better.
You help me understand how to do tasks I don’t know how to do. It makes things flow
more easily”.
Dottie Hager, Personal Development Coach
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
33
“Quite simply, Franciska is amazing!
I think her title should be' multi-tasker, mind reader, life
saver, time maker, profit booster'. I could go on!
The highest quality VA does all of these things about
administrative tasks.
Franciska is so effective and efficient that her value
soars from day 1.
I give my highest recommendation for Franciska.
You will know her quality from the first 15 minutes of your interaction. She truly is a
miracle worker!”
Scott Lee Stevenson, Educational Consultant, Leadership Training
“I have known Franciska as a colleague first then hired
her to be my Online Business assistant.
She is amazing, focused and organ
ised. She keeps me on track.
I would not know what to do without her. I could not
recommend her enough.”
Amanda Maynard – Intuitive Strategist, Coach
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
34
3 myths that are keeping you from hiring an awesome VA and growing your business with ease
Even though you know now that you need a VA and are thinking about hiring one, there
are may be misbeliefs and myths that you believe are holding you back and keeping you
in the position of being so overwhelmed and stuck.
But those beliefs are not necessarily true.
Let me go over some of them here.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
35
Myth # 1: It’s difficult to trust a VA Building a relationship with your VA is very similar to maintaining any relationship, even
long distance ones.
Communication and transparency where the hours of work are invested are essential.
There has to be a consistent interaction between you and the VA.
So, how do you build trust with your VA?
With today's innovations, you just need to set aside days for communicating with your VA.
Here are some tips how those interactions can flow:
1. First of all, your VA should provide you with a Non-Disclosure agreement
stipulating the services she’ll execute, the cost and oath to keep your information
confidential.
2. At the beginning of a workweek - have a Skype chat and review the week's goals
and tasks (have an agenda prepared for your meeting in your shared workspace).
3. At the end of the week - have another Skype recap of the week, or if you prefer to
have your VA send an email with a recap of the weeks summary of tasks and time
spent on the tasks.
4. However, if you've decided that your VA is to work on a daily basis on your tasks,
then you will see daily accomplishments in your workspace area.
“Only those who do not work do not make mistakes” V. Platonov
Now, we all make mistakes as we complete tasks, and some should be understood and
forgiven if responsibility is taken for them.
But when do mistakes become red flags?
During your working relationship with your VA if you are noticing that the VA is:
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
36
◉ Not taking responsibility for her mistakes
◉ Is sloppy in completing the tasks (they’re not executed as in the training steps)
◉ Not meeting deadlines
◉ Looking for excuses why tasks are not completed
◉ Not communicating or not being in touch (with no given explanation)
◉ Can not reach her
If you are coming across any of these red flags, then it’s time to have a chat with your VA
as maybe she has too much on her plate or some serious changes need to be made.
Myth # 2: Running out of tasks to assign to your VA To optimise your working relationship with a VA; think of her as not ONLY a service
provider but, as a strategic partner in your business.
After all, she wants you to succeed in your business so she can succeed in hers.
A virtual assistant is not a fresh graduate with no experience; many have corporate, legal,
brick and mortar experience.
A VA has the experience and also knows what it takes to reach goals as well as keep up
with success.
A virtual assistant is very much like you - a business owner.
She has her very own revenue purposes and also has the passion of expanding her
business.
So don't limit yourself by simply designating tasks to your VA.
Keep in touch with your VA on a regular basis and enable her to share experiences as
well as valuable input.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
37
This way, you'll never run out of tasks for your VA, because if your business is growing
and if you let her give you guidelines in some regions of the business that she handles –
a number of tasks she'll need to do will be constant.
Myth # 3: Hiring a VA will not Boost my productivity or reduce costs As an entrepreneur, a VA is accountable for her health insurance, the Internet, software,
computer costs, utilities...just like you.
You only pay the VA for the hours of work required to complete a task.
By outsourcing tasks to a reliable partner VA, you can significantly enhance your
efficiency and effectiveness by focusing on the key areas of your business since the VA
will be automatically completing your repetitive tasks.
No further time will be needed on your behalf to advise your VA as to what jobs will need
to be done unless they are new ones. You also tap into a new pool of skills and talents,
develop an important essential collaboration, and enjoy the opportunity of developing your
business to new levels. By outsourcing tasks to a project based VA, you will complete
one particular project, and the relationship comes to a halt.
To summarise hiring a reliable partner VA will be invested in your business helping you
run your business offering greater profitableness for you.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
38
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
I hope you enjoyed this E-book, and that I have been able to give you a better insight in
what you need to do, and how – if you are in the stage in your business where you need
a VA.
I also hope that you now have more
information about how to hire and
delegate to your VA and that you’re on
your way to hire your perfect one.
If you are in the phase of growing your
business right now but are struggling
with issues such as:
◉ Trying to do everything yourself,
but feeling like your business is
eating you up
◉ Not being sure where to start in
creating systems and
automation because your day is
jam packed with responsibilities
◉ Wanting to hire a VA but you are
not sure what the next steps are,
or what VA would be a good fit for your business…
…then, I’d like to invite you for a free 30-minute strategy call with me.
What can you expect out of the call?
Clarity.
How to Automate and Grow Your Business with the help of a VA
39
I guarantee I will help you determine what your next steps should be – whether you are
looking to hire a VA but don't know how, whether you are seeking to automate your
business but don't know where to start…
…Even if you currently have a VA, but are not satisfied with her work, or just don’t know
how to make a switch from a freelancer to finding a reliable VA that will truly be an asset
for your business.
You can schedule a completely free 30-minute strategy session with me here:
Choose your day and time for a free 30-minute strategy call with me
Looking forward to it,