Dear Coach,

If the thought of creating a web site, setting up your shopping cart, answering e-mails or publishing a newsletter gives you the "hives," please, read this letter. It reveals the "secret weapon" every successful coach uses in their business, and how you can do the same.

Are any of these statements true for you?

• You work more hours than you want
• You don’t feel productive or efficient
• You no longer enjoy your business
• Your business stopped growing

A virtual assistant (a VA) is a high level administrative assistant who can support you from any location in the world.  These home-based professionals help out with anything from presentation design, bookkeeping, web design, and travel arrangements, to publishing your newsletters, following up with clients, and handling your e-mail.

In the 1990's mostly medical practitioners, legal practitioners, realtors, public speakers and corporate trainers have used VAs.  But since recent growth of the coaching industry, virtual assistants are now a part of many successful coaching businesses.
 
 

Imagine having a huge "to-do" list on your desk.  No matter how many items you cross off the list, it continues to grow daily. You're beginning to feel overwhelmed, frustrated and exhausted from trying to catch up with your list.

This is how most "solo-preneurs" operate.

The good news is that you don't have to. With a click of a button, you can send your entire "to-do" list to your VA and forget about it!

The bad news, only a fraction of the coaching population actually use a VA in their business.

Years ago, I heard that hiring a VA can double or triple your income. I didn't believe it. Today, having three VAs on my team, I can tell you that's exactly what happened.

Instead of responding to an e-mail, returning a phone call, collecting data, or implementing an idea, I am able to focus on the things I truly enjoy.

While my VAs are working on my to-do list, I can....

• Write a book
• Attend a seminar
• Speak at a live event
• Create a new product
• Coach a client
• Write an important article
• Set up a profitable joint venture

At the ACCPOW Coaching Tele-summit, many coaches asked me about virtual assistants. So, I decided to partner with my own VA, Kathy Sparks, and create a guide for coaches on how to find, hire and work with virtual assistants.

Inside, we provide the answers to the questions below and much more so that you will be well prepared before you dive in and partner with a virtual assistant.

Here is what you'll learn:

1. Virtual Assistant Overview

• What is a virtual assistant?
• When do you know it's time to get a virtual assistant?
• How are they different from – or better than - administrative assistants you can hire locally?
• Can you give a general overview of how virtual assistants work?
• In general, what type of work do virtual assistants handle?

2. Finding a Virtual Assistant

• How do you begin your search for a VA?
• How do you narrow down your search to the top five you'd like to interview?
• What are the top 3 questions to ask a VA during an interview to make sure they're the best match for you? How do you determine if they’re qualified?
• How do you know if you can trust them (sensitive information, banking, accounts, etc.)?
• How do VAs manage their time and their clients projects, and what can we do to make referrals more comfortable?

3. Working with a Virtual Assistant

• How do you begin working with your VA in the most time and cost efficient way?
• What software and equipment do you need to have in place to work with a VA?
• Specifically what tasks can a virtual assistant do for a coach?
• Can a virtual assistant help you with filing, organizing, and reducing overall business clutter offsite? How to accomplish office-based tasks, such as billing, organizing receipts, processing credit cards, maintaining client database?
• How technologically savvy are most VAs? Can they handle web design, audio files, web casts and such?
• If there is a new tool a VA needs to learn to support you in your business, will they charge you for their learning curve, assuming they’ll be able to use this tool in working with other clients?

4. Pricing Structures

• What’s the hourly rate range for a virtual assistant?
• What are the different pricing structures that VAs use? (minimum hours, retainer, per project, percent of business, etc.)
• How do VAs handle client-related expenses?
• How do you pay your VA (PayPal, credit card, check, automatically, etc.)?
• What’s the best way to get a VA when you can’t afford their fees?
• How many clients does a virtual assistant usually have at any given time?
• How many hours per week is a VA willing to give each client?
• When it comes to virtual assistants, is it true that you get what you pay for?

5. Other Tips & Secrets

• International VAs?
• What pitfalls should coaches avoid in hiring and working with a VA?
• What are the typical complaints you hear from virtual assistants about their clients?

On a personal note, I absolutely love being able to press "Forward" button on my e-mail and send everything to one of my VAs.  Each of my virtual assistants is not just a "button pusher" - they're my friends and personal assistants in every area of my life - amazing partners to have by your side!

No matter where you want to take your coaching business, the only way to be truly effective and efficient is to partner with a virtual assistant. 
 
 

Warmly,
Milana Leshinsky

ACCPOW Founder & CEO
Association of Coaching & Consulting Professionals on the Web

P.S. I have also included an interview with Stacy Brice, the founder of AssistU.com, one of the top training schools for Virtual Assistants. She answers some tough questions from me and from the audience about how to find and work with THE "perfect" virtual assistant. Get it all here.