Virtual Buzz Assistant

I just had a nice conversation with someone that was on the Virtual Assistant Network and gave me a call.

She was very excited because she got the need right away.  She’d experienced the same frustration I had when trying to hire virtual assistants and finding then lacking even basic Internet Marketing skills despite advertising services such as web design and marketing.

She happened to already be a Virtual Buzz Assistant in everything but official title.  She does daily work with client with social media, blogging, web design and PR.

She asked me an interesting question:  Is there work in the virtual assistant network for people that are Internet Marketing Strategy oriented?  That question  made me realize we really have two types of people in the Virtual Buzz Assistant network.  We have virtual assistants that are task oriented and we have virtual assistants that are strategy oriented.

Clients just want to hire a Virtual Assistant that is very good and not expensive.  But what they really need to ask themselves first is, Do I need a Virtual Internet Marketing Strategist or do I need someone to do exactly the tasks I train them to do?

Either is fine.  Someone that just completes tasks will be less expensive, but you should not hold them responsible if the strategy fails.  They are only executing your strategy.

If a Virtual Assistant is hired as an Internet Strategist, then they are responsible for the outcome of the tasks as well.  Higher risk, and higher reward in the form of a higher paying virtual assistant job.

Also, there is a good chance that your Internet Marketing Strategy-Oriented Virtual Assistant is going to need to hire Internet Marketing Task-Oriented Virtual Assistants to complete the work.  Strategists rarely enjoy doing the tasks every day.

Ultimately, the answer to the question is that we have both.  There are strategists and there are task-oriented virtual assistants.  Just be clear which one you are looking for and ask them the right questions when you are hiring your Virtual Assistant.

The problem with a trend becoming popular is that everyone starts doing it.

For example, I liked Shakira before she ever did an English song.  Years before.  With Hips Don’t Lie how can anyone not like her?  I am just a part of the masses now.

Virtual Assistants have been around for a long time.  However, with the The 4-Hour Workweek, hiring virtual assistants became in vogue.  The company specifically mentioned in that best selling book became so busy that they could not handle the rush to hire their services and lost a lot of opportunities.

Now I see a trend for Virtual Assistants, and if you are one of the pre-4 hours work week virtual assistants, you should be mad as hell.  (Although maybe not, since you cannot do anything about it.)

Everyone is a virtual assistant.

Here are just a few of the careers of people that I know that are calling themselves virtual assistants but still doing the other work as well.

• Business Consultants
• Life Coaches
• Business Coaches
• Freelance Writers
• Internet Marketers
• Graphic Designers
• Web Designers
• Accountants/Book keepers

I am sure the list is much bigger, but you get the idea.  If you are a Virtual Assistant and that is all you do, you are now competing with everyone.  You might ask yourself WHY?

The answer is simple.  Virtual Assistants are people that work remotely and help businesses or people achieve particular goals by completing specific tasks.  Many activities can be done virtually, including most of the jobs I mentioned above.

The reason that people are calling themselves virtual assistants is because it is a gateway into a client.  In Internet marketing, we know that a client that is willing to pay $10 today has a good chance of paying $100 tomorrow.  So a business consultant or coach may begin by assisting a client with a few tasks, all the while offering valuable advice.  Later, that client may chose to upgrade and become a coaching client.

For this same reason, general Virtual Assistants should specialize and up-sell their specialized skills.  For example, a virtual assistant might do general tasks at $25 an hour, but charge $50 an hour for copyrighting or website design.

Oddly enough, a VA that has specialized skills will find it easier to sell their services as well.  Sure, not everyone will need the specialized skill, but when someone does, it is much easier to get that work.  Think about it from the client perspective.

Client: Do you do Internet Marketing?

VA: Sure, we do everything.

- Yeah, I am going to hire this VA.  NOT!

Client: Do you do Internet Marketing?

VA: Absolutely.  That is my specialty.  I help people with adword management and conversion analysis.  I am also quit good at SEO (Search engine optimization).  I do not design HTML, but I have a partner that does that.

- Wow, that VA has got her act together.  And yes, I will pay her much more per hour than the generalist.

So let me propose something.  The term Virtual Assistant is dead.  It is as general as saying you are a Worker.  Imagine someone asking what you do and you replying, “I am a worker.  I work.  I do whatever I am told.”

The good news is you just have to become good at something by focusing on it for a while.  Here we do Internet Marketing and call the virtual assistants Virtual Buzz Assistants.  You could also do accounting, technology, design, sales support – there are a ton of things.  But don’t try to do them all.