Virtual Buzz Assistant

Are you looking for a virtual assistant job?

First, what are you really good at as a virtual assistant?  Do not go out and look for anything that is a virtual assistant job.

I looked over Virtual Assistant Jobs on oDesk and many different kinds of things come up.

• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Outbound call center.
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Joomla Expert
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Data Entry
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Web Design
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Blog Writer
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Video Production
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Executive Assistant
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – ASP/PHP/IIS/APACHE/Windows/Eclipse BIRT manager to oversee several ongoing projects
• Virtual Assistant Wanted – Spanish Language PR

As you can see from this list, just going out and looking for a Virtual Assistant Job is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.  Forget calling yourself a virtual assistant and start thinking about what your special skills are.  Market those skills  – and provide services virtually.

The reason that people are trying to hire “Virtual Assistants” is the perception that they should be much cheaper than consultants.  BEFORE YOU LEAVE ME AN ANGRY COMMENT – That is not my opinion.  I am telling you this because it is important to understand how the marketplace precieves you.

Instead of calling yourself a virtual assistant, call yourself something that shows you have a specialty.

• Virtual Executive Assistant
• Virtual Marketing Assistant
• Virtual Web Manager
• Affiliate Manager
• Virtual Blog Writer
• Freelance Copywriter
• Virtual PR Specialist
• ETC

I know some readers do not agree and vigorously defend the title Virtual Assistant, but it is not about what Virtual Assistants want, it is about the perception from buyers in the marketplace.  And yes, there are plenty of exceptions to this.  A good virtual assistant is worth a lot, I agree.

If you are trying to find a virtual assistant job, you will find fewer opportunities, but much better opportunities, if you focus on your best skills.

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.

How to find Virtual Assistant Job Openings

Many people do not even know what a virtual assistant is.  That means that you need help people understand why hiring a virtual assistant, especially to do Internet Marketing, is a better value.

With that in mind, where can you look for job openings?

1. Want Ads – It might be old fashion, but have you thought of looking for people that are trying to hire employees and offering them your services?
2. Internet Marketing Forums – Did you know that Internet Marketing forums are full of Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs that are always complaining about how hard it is to find a good Virtual Assistant?
3. Cold Call Specific Industries – Did you know that many Realtors hire Virtual Assistants to help them keep all the real estate listings up to date?  It is a lot of work that a Virtual Marketing Assistant can really help out with.  Might be bad timing this year, but the need is out there.
4. Support for Marketing Agencies – Did you know that many marketing agencies need marketing support services and a Virtual Assistant is a great way for them to scale up their business without hiring more people.

Want the rest of the tips on finding Virtual Assistant Job Openings?  Then you really need to join this community.  We made it super affordable and there are always a few Virtual Assistant Job requests in the job board.

This builds on the Virtual Assistant Jobs article.

How do you improve your chance of getting a virtual assistant job that you see on a virtual assistant job posting?  These tips for getting the job are valid for the virtual buzz assistant network job postings as well as virtual assistant job postings at places like odesk.com, guru.com and elance.com.

Tips for Rocking Virtual Assistant Job Postings

1. Watch for opportunities every day and contact people right away.
2. If you have a phone number, call them and discuss what their needs are.
3. Focus on the client’s need and how you will meet them in the call and email.
4. Find virtual assistant job opportunities that are great fits for your specialization.
5. Follow up quickly.  If you send a proposal, make sure you follow up to see if they got it and if they have questions.
6. Use testimonials from past clients.
7. Have professional contracts prepared.
8. Have a system for managing projects and let them know how the system works before you ever close the deal.  This builds confidence in your professionalism.
9. Have a blog to demonstrate your skills in writing and other tasks.
10. When talking about a past project, word it in such a way that you say, “When I was helping xyz grow his business, we …”
11. Talk 20% – 30% of the time.
12. Ask good questions.
13. Know how to look for someone that has unrealistic expectations and decline to work with them.
14. Have a system that you follow daily for checking for new Virtual Assistant Job Opportunities among the places that post virtual assistant job postings.
    Example: a) Log into Virtual Buzz Assistant Network and Check Job/Project Postings.  b) Search oDesk.com and bid on at least one project daily.  c)  If you are technical, look for opportunities as a more technical virtual assistant on guru.com each day.
15. Have professional profiles online like LinkedIn.
16. Have a clean and professional website.  Do not make things blink, multi-colors, etc.
17. Write and communicate with the intention to get the client and make money.  This is not a personal call/email.
18. Follow up when you do not get a project and offer to help if the person selected does not work out.  Keep in touch if you have built a relationship with the person and look for future opportunities with them.
19. Do not respond to virtual assistant job postings that are asking for people to do unethical things, like fake reviews or spam message boards.
20. Be confident about your offer, your pricing and your results.
21. Do not put the burden on the client to take the next step.  After a conversation, say…”I will send you the contract with this outlined.  All you need to do is review it, sign it and send the charge card information and we will get it scheduled….”  Or something like that.  Clients hire a virtual assistant so that they have less work, not more.
22. Send support materials.  If you are waiting on a project to close, go find some articles of other companies in the potential client’s industry that are doing similar things and send them the link along with a note saying, “Thought this might interest you….”
23. Stay engaged until you get a yes or a no.
24. Put a reasonable deadline/expiration date in your proposal.

To get better results when responding to a virtual assistant job posting, you must understand that the job posting is not for a virtual assistant to fill a vacant virtual seat that the client has.  It is because they need help executing their plan and building their business.  If you approach the client as if you are interested in helping them solve problems and execute thier plan, then you are going to get a lot more clients from the virtual assistant job postings and make a lot more money.

Join the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network to access members-only project requests

Virtual Assistant Jobs are everywhere.  But that does not mean they are easy to get.  To land great virtual assistant jobs you have to be able to think like the business owner that is hiring you as a virtual assitant.  Here are the kinds of things you need to consider to improve your chances of getting a va job.

1. Specialize in something that has high demand.  For example, here at the virtual buzz assistant network we specialize in Internet Marketing because of the high demand.  No business owner wants to hear that you will do a laundry list of things because they know you cannot be good at all those things.
2. Own an industry or two.  It is actually easier to get virtual assistant jobs if you know one or two industries extremely well.  For example, you could specialize in helping authors promote their books.  Not only will authors want to hire you as their internet marketing virtual assistant because you are a specialist, but it will also be easier for you to hone your pitch and focus on a specific group of people.
3. Package your services – You will get more virtual assistant jobs if you package your services in a way that is easy for people to understand.  For example, you may have a $500 per month internet promotions package that involves blog writing and website promotion.
4. Use testimonials – If you really want to get more virtual assistant jobs, be ready with testimonials and contact information of your past clients.  Send these things to prospective clients along with proposals and use them on your website if appropriate.
5. Blog – Blogging is a great way to show off your competency.  Use your blog to demonstrate your virtual assistant skills.
6. Learn how to upsell.  There is a good chance someone is going to start out with a small project with you and then decide if they want to do more with you after the trial period.  Practice selling the trial package and get good at upselling after you have demonstrated your virtual assistant value.
7. Ask for referrals – if you have happy clients, there is a good chance they will be able to help you land more virtual assistant jobs if you simply ask for a referral.

These tips will help you find virtual assistant jobs that pay better and can lead to long term virtual assistant work in the future.

Related articles

• Internet Marketing Virtual Assistants
• Virtual Assistant Salary
• Virtual Assistant Skills
• Hire a Virtual Assistant

What are Virtual Jobs?

Virtual Jobs are jobs that you can do from anywhere – as long as you have web access.

Virtual Assistants are people that work virtually on specific jobs that assist the full time staff or the individual entrepreneur.  A virtual job provides more flexibility but also requires good communication, discipline and organization.

Of course, the advantages of virtual jobs are that you are in business for yourself and that means you will be able to take advantage of some important things.

• Tax Advantages for Virtual Assistant Business
• Schedule Flexibility
• Set hours and pay
• Take working vacations

Some disadvantages of a virtual job are:

• Not in the office, so not as tightly part of the team
• Sometimes working in isolation
• Must be very clear on communications to avoid costly errors
• Cannot get distracted by surroundings easily – keep twitter turned off
• Distrust – you may have to work harder to overcome distrust of not being in office
• Jealousy – Employees that cannot work from home may be jealous of other people’s virtual jobs

Virtual Jobs are the wave of the future, but remember that you are really going to have to prove your value and ability to do a great job working virtually from your home.

First, I have to say that this post is not typical of every member of our Virtual Buzz Assistant Network.

How did one member launch a business and generate $4,000 per month in clients within the first 3 months?

When you join this virtual assistant network, it is not like eLance or Guru.com where you are competing with everyone in the world.  It is far fewer projects and far fewer marekting assistants.  So if you are proactive you can get some nice projects.  Generally I find that the active people do well, and other people sign up intending to use it but do not find the time and do not get the benefits.

So the story:  Four months ago one of our members quit his job.  He could not take it anymore.  (I would never advise doing that unless you already have other income.)

He asked me questions, formed his company, set up his website and used the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network to find clients and sharpen his skills.  Even though the summer was slow, he just closed his third client.  All three clients together are over $4,000 per month in reoccuring revenue as long as he does a good job with them.

I have started a few companies in my years, and I think his expereience has been exceptional.  His costs are low, his income is better than ever and now he is turning down projects.

The one thing he has not learned yet is how to scale the business.  He needs to stop turning down projects and outsource (after his cut) to other members of the network.  Otherwise his income will not stay consistant as clients come and go.

I am highlighting his success because it truly is exceptional and shows that you can do it with some luck and hard work.

Making Money as a virtual assistant is not easier than making money in a job.  But it can be more rewarding and more profitable.