What tasks can I outsource to a Virtual Assistant?
The most common question I get after “What is a Virtual Assistant?” is “What tasks can I outsource to a Virtual Assistant?”. The short answer is “well pretty much everything” and the long answer…well read on for that.
If I client approaches me, and they are not sure what to outsource then I ask them to do this simple exercise.
Monitor the tasks that they do on a regular basis that take them over 30 minutes. Then keep a list of these over the course of a week. At the end of the week, look at the list and put a tick next to the ones they like doing and – this is important – can do well! Then put a cross next to the ones they don’t enjoy doing and are..quite frankly a bit rubbish at. Being honest here is the key!
You can probably guess where I am going here now.
The list of tasks with a cross is the start of the list of things to outsource. But before they even think of handing all of this over, I ask them to look again as chances are there are tasks on the list that they can stop doing or can do in a much more efficient way. It really is a worthwhile exercise.
When the revised list is whittled down not every client just says, “ok takes these things off my hands”. Often what happens is they pick one or 2 things as a starter and we go from there.
Some clients have never worked with a Virtual Assistant or even a PA before, so delegating can be uncomfortable at first. It does get easier, especially when I remind them of all the reasons they contacted me in the first place – not enough hours in the day, working weekends, missing deadlines, not maxing out sales opportunities, no quality family time etc.
So, here’s a list of some of the tasks I’m doing for a bunch of my clients right now:
- Co-ordinating diaries for meetings
- Screening and replying to emails
- Liaising with customers before and after a sale
- Online consumer and competitor research
- Recruiting new team members
- Building relationships with suppliers and professional trades
- Writing content for social media, newsletters and blogs
- Curating images for use online
- Advising on marketing strategies
- Tracking payments and raising invoices
- Booking travel and events
- Sorting out their life
Why not start making your list today and see how many crosses you come up with and if they are a match to any of the above – then bingo – get in touch!