Take the time to establish clear processes and expectations up front with your VA and your working relationship will be productive and rewarding from the very beginning. Here are my three top tips to manage a relationship with a VA.
Know what you want. To create clear expectations for a VA, you need to have a good understanding of what you need, when you need it, and why you need it. Even if you don’t have a clear process in place (let’s face it, maybe you need the VA to help you establish a clear process in the first place), if you can articulate the “what, when, why” clearly to your VA, this gives them a good idea of how important the task is to your business. If you are overloaded but struggling to work out what you can outsource, consider having a VA visit your office to ‘shadow’ you for a day so you can work out an outsourcing plan.
Clear Communication. Pretty simple, but important. Set up the right communication processes so that you can use your time effectively. If your VA is working on an ongoing project and you don’t need to check in with each other regularly, set up a daily/weekly communication meeting to go through progress updates and address any questions. If your work is more urgent and you need to communicate often through-out the day, consider using instant messaging software so you can communicate easily. Find the right balance for you and your VA so that your working relationship is efficient and productive.
Be open to feedback. If you’ve been working in your business for a while on your own, there can be a familiar comfort in doing things a certain way. It helps us to feel productive and that we have things under control. Recognise that your VA has vast experience and many skills to offer. They may be full of ideas to help streamline your processes and remove duplication. This is the ‘value-add’ that a VA offers and is an opportunity for you to take advantage of their expertise to improve your business! Be open to new ideas and don’t be afraid to try something different.
Working with a VA can be a significant milestone in growing your business. With some careful planning and open communication in the early stages of your working relationship, you’ll be off to a great start!
Till next time,
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