Let’s go over the list of most common misconceptions, shall we?
- I can’t afford a virtual assistant. Here’s the thing. Figure the cost of overhead – space for the employee to work, a desk, PC and phone, office supplies, etc – then add in vacation and sick time and other benefits, and also add in payroll taxes too (and probably someone to do the payroll.) Next, take your own hourly rate and multiply it by the number of hours it takes you to perform tasks you’d like to delegate. Add all of that up. Big number, isn’t it?
- A virtual assistant for $4 an hour is the same as a virtual assistant for $40 an hour. That’s comparing pineapples to cucumbers. You can absolutely hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines to work for $4 an hour. And those assistants may be very good at what they do in the Philippines. The difference here is they are not, in most cases, native English speakers. Due to the language barrier, you probably won’t get what you asked for in the first place. This leads to frustration and more of your own valuable time lost. You also cannot expect them to know about United States laws or rules, which could get your business into a lot of hot water.
- It takes too much time to train someone. I get it. I really do. There have been many times I didn’t want to take the time to delegate. Quite simply, it was faster to just do it myself. However, small learning curves turn into big savings in time and money in a short amount of time. Training is an investment that reaps benefits each time your assistant completes the task. Or, you can choose not to train someone else and invest your time into doing that same task yourself over and over and over – until you retire.
- I need a local virtual assistant. Then a virtual assistant isn’t for you, especially if you need someone to physically come to your office and file papers. However, thanks to cloud-based technology and things like email, texts, and video and teleconferencing software, you can have a virtual assistant anywhere you’d like. You can even Skype lunch meetings together in case you miss watching someone else chew salad.
Our clients have found hiring a virtual assistant is an efficient and effective way to outsource certain tasks they don’t either want to do or aren’t suited for. They are not alone in these beliefs. Some huge corporations have already gotten on the train. Those include UnitedHealthcare, Amazon, UPS, and U-Haul. If these enormous companies are tapping into a virtual workforce, there must be a good a reason.
Ready to go? You know where to find me.
Yours in the adventure,
Angie
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