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Looking To Hire A Virtual Assitant And Need Some Advice

by alphalife
27 replies
Hello Everyone,

After seeking some advice on here and doing some research of my own, I decided that getting a Virtual Assistant may be a good idea and wanted to get your thoughts on it.

Some of the tasks I am considering getting a VA for include

1. Writing unique content for my blog
2. Social Media Marketing and SEO
3. Video Content Creation like Did You Know style videos found on YouTube
4. keyword research
5. Link Building
6. Copywriting
7. Product Creation
8. Some minor web design

I should note that we are a startup and thus far have not generated income (launched site on March 1st)

My monthly budget at the moment is $200 but of course that will increase as we start to generate income.

My question for you guys is:

1. Is there a point where getting a VA is more advantageous? Would it beneficial for a startup?

2. Would a 200 dollar monthly budget be sufficient for getting a VA (perhaps in the Philippines)

3. Does a VA help your company generate income quicker?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
#advice #assitant #hire #virtual
  • Profile picture of the author JOSourcing
    Banned
    Originally Posted by alphalife View Post

    1. Is there a point where getting a VA is more advantageous? Would it beneficial for a startup?
    Advantageous compared to...? The benefits will depend on your goals -- not just for your business, but for your outsourcing efforts as well. What is it that you want outsourcing to accomplish?

    Originally Posted by alphalife View Post

    2. Would a 200 dollar monthly budget be sufficient for getting a VA (perhaps in the Philippines)
    In the Philippines and in other emerging economies, more than likely.

    Originally Posted by alphalife View Post

    3. Does a VA help your company generate income quicker?
    No. It could, in fact, slow things down if training is involved. Only your proven sales methods and doubling-down on required tasks will help generate an income quicker. Merely passing off tasks to another party is just that: merely passing off tasks to another party.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasono
    Be careful who you hire. Remember you get what you pay for. I suggest you do some screening as per your standards every time you interview a VA.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
    Hiring a VA is essential to any business if they are working hands on. You must work on your business, not in your business or else you'll be another labored worker running a business while doing the dirty work. So it's a great decision you made on hiring a VA, as long as you're confident in your business plan.

    Your budget and expectations are high though. Although you can find VAs at $200/month, they are usually not the best workers. I usually put aside at least $250/month when hiring a VA, and would recommend you do too. As for the skills, the VA would probably not know how to do video creation and would need at least a month to learn that (unless they specialize in it, in which case they don't specialize in your other requirements such as writing) and copywriting.

    Remember that even though they speak English there, it does not mean that they speak it well. I've hired some VAs who were fluent speakers that could write well, but they were certainly not as good as American speakers, and definitely did not have the skill to write good copy. They would need at least a few months of training to master copywriting to the extent that they can write copy that converts. Even if you do choose to take that path and are able to afford it, you never know what happens with VAs. They might quit any day, or do something stupid.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elluminati
      Originally Posted by Ben Gordon View Post

      Even if you do choose to take that path and are able to afford it, you never know what happens with VAs. They might quit any day, or do something stupid.
      This is the most BS statement in regards to hiring a VA that I've heard thus far. I mean, yeah, if you are lazy enough to hire just anybody, underqualified, no contract, no credibility, yes, this is highly likely. You're talking as if a VA is an employess when you say, " They might quit any day, or do something stupid." What is the "something stupid?" Tell us your experience of the "something stupid."

      See, this is why I just said that there are misunderstandings of what a VA is or is supposed to be, and what a VA is not is an employee; at least not in the US or UK. And this is why within this industry many of us don't use the term assistant in our title because we are nobody's assistant (in a subordinate way) although we may assist you by helping you to free up time to focus on what's more important. Get your research game up and get to know a real VA before you get on here implying that VAs are stupid. There are VAs/VACs making 6-figure incomes, ya heard?
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      • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
        Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

        I mean, yeah, if you are lazy enough to hire just anybody, underqualified, no contract, no credibility, yes, this is highly likely
        The problem is that to get a well qualified VA it doesn't cost $200 per month; more towards the amount of $400 per month which many can't afford. And most don't work for $200/month in a fixed contract, you simply work monthly. If you want a contract, they usually twist it up a bit and make it more expensive. Even if they are qualified, who says they're not going to bail on you any day? These Filipinos come and go. If they get a better offer from another company, they'll say "see ya later loser", I'm being completely honest.

        Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

        What is the "something stupid?" Tell us your experience of the "something stupid."
        Alright, I'll provide an example. I told one of my programmers to make some adjustments to one of my websites (it's a popular website making me $150-$200/day). He told me that he needed the cPanel information to adjust some settings and look at what he has. The next thing I know he took down the whole website and started experimenting on the server, not his own computer. I lost over $600 and tons of credibility in that niche because of him -- not to mention unhappy customers.

        Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

        See, this is why I just said that there are misunderstandings of what a VA is or is supposed to be, and what a VA is not is an employee; at least not in the US or UK. And this is why within this industry many of us don't use the term assistant in our title because we are nobody's assistant (in a subordinate way) although we may assist you by helping you to free up time to focus on what's more important. Get your research game up and get to know a real VA before you get on here implying that VAs are stupid. There are VAs/VACs making 6-figure incomes, ya heard?
        What's your point? I never used anybody as an employee; I only use my VAs as assistants. But they can still screw up your business, or at least part of it, using the power you give them.

        I never implied that VAs are stupid, where'd you hear that? I just said that it is a tough game, and that not everybody is great -- or at least as great as they seem. You can hit a pot of gold, or you can find somebody that's below 50 pounds of crap. I use many VAs in my business, and I well know them. I've had over 40 VAs so far, and only 5 of them have proven to be good and productive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Miles Kral
    There's pros and cons to outsourcing any part of your business. What you need to determine is where will your talents be of most use to your company. When you figure out which areas to focus your skills on then you also know which tasks you need to outsource. Outsourcing tasks just for the sake of not having to do them yourself is just being lazy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
      Originally Posted by Miles Kral View Post

      There's pros and cons to outsourcing any part of your business. What you need to determine is where will your talents be of most use to your company. When you figure out which areas to focus your skills on then you also know which tasks you need to outsource. Outsourcing tasks just for the sake of not having to do them yourself is just being lazy.
      Nope, it's called being productive and lucrative.
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      • Profile picture of the author javi1024
        If I where you I`ll look for software that could help you automate some of your work. I use Hootsuite for most of my social media updates and is great. I helps you pre-post all your tweets and and Facebook status and schedule them trough the day.

        Another great software is IBP or Internet Business Product. Is great for backlinking and it tels you exactly what your website needs to be on the big G`

        If you need more help send me a DM and I`ll be happy to help you.

        God Bless
        javi
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  • Profile picture of the author thekaver
    the best bit of advice i can give from my personal experience is do go for cheapest!

    If you pay cheap, you pay twice!

    Thats a moto i have heard alot in the past and boy did i find out the hard way its true!

    the other bit of advice i can give is, when you find a good VA treat him like gold dust and give him a few perfomance related bonuses!

    thanks

    TheKaver
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  • Profile picture of the author WhiteDove
    Interview them with your specifics, then ask them to send you some copy some proof. Hire them for a few hours to test them. I just did that and this person did not work out. So after just one day's experience I had to let him go. Specify exactly what you want, and ask them if they've had the experience.
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    Dianne
    WhiteDove
    War Room Member

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  • Profile picture of the author Devon Brown
    1. Writing unique content for my blog
    2. Social Media Marketing and SEO
    3. Video Content Creation like Did You Know style videos found on YouTube
    4. keyword research
    5. Link Building
    6. Copywriting
    7. Product Creation
    8. Some minor web design

    That's a HUGE list for $200 a month.. and I agree with what the others say. You will get exactly what you pay for. And it seems you just outsourced your entire business - will you be doing any work yourself? .. and you want it to go to the Philippines? English isn't their 1st language... and you're asking them to do a good bit of writing for you.
    Start off with easy tasks such as link building, SEO, web design. And stick to some of the stuff yourself... then you can outsource the other stuff.
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  • Profile picture of the author specialized
    The idea that you would outsource your product creation strikes me as very strange. That's core creative work... the heart of your business... why would you want to leave that to someone else? And especially for small money? Moreover, if they were creative enough to do product creation, wouldn't they already be doing it for themselves?

    Product creation is the #1 task in this game in my view. All of my own mental energy that I've been expending on IM study for the past 5 months has been focused on this area. I have two written and four more in the pipe.

    What about this idea: I'd love to create products for you... I mean 'US'... because you would have to make me a partner. See, the product creation is the core intellectual property and most valuable part in the whole thing.

    Wanting a VA to come up with your product creative work is kind of like the CEO of a big corporation saying to his secretary or word processing girl "Hey, how about designing one of our flagship products? It won't pay you any extra, and we'll get rich off your IP, but it'll look good on your resume... how about it?"
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
    1. Writing unique content for my blog
    2. Social Media Marketing and SEO
    3. Video Content Creation like Did You Know style videos found on YouTube
    4. keyword research
    5. Link Building
    6. Copywriting
    7. Product Creation
    8. Some minor web design

    That is super VA to say the least lol. If they can do all of that .. they are not going to work for you.

    Have you ever considered using a true assistant instead of a VA? There are a lot of people out of work in your local community .. train them. You won't get it for $200 a month but .. you do get what you pay for.

    We have several local colleges in our area .. we use English majors for a lot of content creation.

    You should only hire work out if it is going to profit you. If you can set up a system yourself and take it to profit .. hire someone to do it for you at that point .. the ROI will be lower but it frees you up to start money stream 2.
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  • Profile picture of the author candres79
    If you are looking for more information about VA's here is a AWESOME book that is a must read for anyone considering a virtual assistant.... The 4-Hour Workweek and Timothy Ferriss

    here are a few reliable resources....
    Virtual Assistant | Virtual Secretary | Executive Assistants | Research Services | IT Services - Brickwork India
    http://yourmaninindia.com

    I use... Online Workers - TasksEveryday | Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistant India they are very reliable!

    using a VA company has a huge benefit over using just a single VA from somewhere like Odesk, Elance, Vworker, etc...

    The reason why is... if you Va gets sick, quits, becomes unreliable, etc.... you are screwed!

    With any of the URLs I posted above, they have many VA's at your disposal for many, many different tasks. So if your main Va gets sick and can work for a week, someone will immediately take their place. Not only that your not just limited to what that one Va can do. You have a whole team of VA's that you can use.

    I hope this helps
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    Regards,
    Candres
    Powerful Internet MarketingPowerful Internet Maketing

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    • Profile picture of the author gvsridhar171
      I had similar requirement a few months ago. I wanted to post one ad in WF when I realized, why not I search in WF for VAs. There were number of threads which was posted in the "Paid Section" and sent PMs to those who had responded to those ads.

      I found one VA from Antartica who is doing a fabulous job for me. Ofcourse I am not utilizing his services for all the tasks that you had mentioned. He takes care of link building and SEO of my site. Beyond call of duty, he has got me more than 800 twitter followers in less than 30 days and I am extremely happy with his services.

      Before hiring him, I had no clue what VA would ask for such a service. But I got this VA through WF Search and for a price which is definitely affordable. He is sincere and reliable and has delivered so far what he promised in the beginning.

      Why don't you look for VAs who have responded to ads earlier ? Check it out and you may get someone if you are lucky like me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    I will be honest with you: getting a reliable VA is a nightmare. You can easily go through 10 VAs (wasting time training them, etc) before you find anyone half reliable.

    My advice? once you find someone who's actually worth his/her salt, treat him/her like GOLD! And no, $200/month won't do.
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  • Profile picture of the author bo4610
    Originally Posted by alphalife View Post

    Hello Everyone,

    After seeking some advice on here and doing some research of my own, I decided that getting a Virtual Assistant may be a good idea and wanted to get your thoughts on it.

    Some of the tasks I am considering getting a VA for include

    1. Writing unique content for my blog
    2. Social Media Marketing and SEO
    3. Video Content Creation like Did You Know style videos found on YouTube
    4. keyword research
    5. Link Building
    6. Copywriting
    7. Product Creation
    8. Some minor web design

    I should note that we are a startup and thus far have not generated income (launched site on March 1st)

    My monthly budget at the moment is $200 but of course that will increase as we start to generate income.

    My question for you guys is:

    1. Is there a point where getting a VA is more advantageous? Would it beneficial for a startup?

    2. Would a 200 dollar monthly budget be sufficient for getting a VA (perhaps in the Philippines)

    3. Does a VA help your company generate income quicker?

    Any advice is greatly appreciated.
    Dude you should consider touching base with Chris Ducker if you are relly in need of a VA, he is the expert.

    But if you hav been thinking about hiring a Filipino VA I can help you with any questions you may have a bout it.

    -You have a great day fellow Warrior!
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    Hire me as your Virtual Assistant, or my team if you need more workforce. Be they big or small projects we’ve got your back. That is a promise! Me and my team has been around since 2010. Our clients vary from SEO experts to Pastors and from Internet Marketers to Bloggers. CLICK HERE to connect with me.
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  • Profile picture of the author BODH
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    according on my experience, pls be careful abt selecting workers from fiverr.com

    thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author BurtL
    I don't think you're going to find a VA to do all of that for $200 and do it well. That's virtually your whole business model? what are you going to take on if they do all that?
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    Aphasia: Loss of Language NOT Intelligence.

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    • Profile picture of the author bo4610
      Originally Posted by pncllc View Post

      I don't think you're going to find a VA to do all of that for $200 and do it well. That's virtually your whole business model? what are you going to take on if they do all that?
      I. Must agree with you. There are score of IM that see VAs specially from the Philippines as "cheap labors" and it's sad.
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      Hire me as your Virtual Assistant, or my team if you need more workforce. Be they big or small projects we’ve got your back. That is a promise! Me and my team has been around since 2010. Our clients vary from SEO experts to Pastors and from Internet Marketers to Bloggers. CLICK HERE to connect with me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Usmile
    3. Does a VA help your company generate income quicker?


    For sure it does, especially when you're able to get an experienced VA but I can't assure you that he/she won't demand a high fee for that.
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  • Profile picture of the author piinc
    Ben, based on your experience, what source do you use to find a an internet marketing VA? I've had a not so good experience with a VA last year. Good but not reliable. Thinking of attempting again. In this Post Panda era I believe a content writer may be the best investments.

    Anybody's thoughts accepted as I don't believe there's a consensus here on a fairly reliable source for an online marketing VA.
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    • Profile picture of the author mrsvirtualassistant
      There are many virtual assistants who provide quality services at an affordable price. A virtual assistant can help you promote your online business, write articles for your website, and handle customer inquiries. To answer your last question, a VA can help you generate income quicker. By performing a number of administrative tasks, she will save you time and money while bringing you more customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Hansen
    You can choose from a variety of possible virtual assistants. But you need to choose the best for you, Be sure to get one with skills and someone you can trust to.

    Let me know if I can help you Warrior to Warrior.

    Good luck
    Peter
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  • Profile picture of the author CaliGuy
    Business owners can become extremely more leveraged in their day-to-day operations by hiring a VA company. I would always caution to use a VA company rather than 1 individual person. If that person is a flake or decides they don't want to do the work, you're stuck with unfulfilled orders/deadlines that must be met.

    I can talk to you more about this if you'd like. I have a company with over 300 qualified VA's in all areas. I can also provide you with native English speakers.

    Skype- dannymilea
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    Virtual Assistants & Quality Offshore Telemarketing Services.

    Be more productive in less time. PM me.
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