Virtual Assistants provide business to business services. They own and maintain their own businesses. So would you be surprised to find out that many of them are providing services in such a way that the IRS would actually classify them as ‘remote employees’ and as such their clients are in danger of owing taxes for them? Not only might you be surprised, I believe a large number of virtual assistants would be shocked to realize they fall in that group as well.

The IRS uses three main areas in which they look at control and independence in order to determine if you’re a contractor or an employee.  Those three areas are:

• Behavioral
• Financial
• Type of Relationship

Each area is examined for certain factors which I’ll explain below.

1. Behavioral

Behavioral control refers to facts that show whether there is a right to direct or control how the virtual assistant does the work. A VA is considered an employee when the client has the right to direct and control the worker. The client does not have to actually direct or control the way the work is done – as long as the client has the right to direct and control the work.

You’re an employee if you are subject to the business’s instructions about when, where, and how to work, what tools or equipment to use, what order or sequence to do the work in. Employees are given highly detailed instructions.  Employees are also subject to evaluation systems that measure the details of how the work is completed and are given detailed training on how to do the job, indicating that the job must be done in a particular way.

A contractor on the other hand receives less detailed instructions and is allowed to make the decisions regarding when, where and how the work is done. Any evaluation system used should measure only the end result of the work.

2. Financial

Financial control refers to facts that show whether or not the client has the right to control the economic aspects of the worker’s job.

When determining control and independence in the area of finances a number of items are looked at. Those items are significant investment, unreimbursed expenses, opportunity for profit or loss, method of payment and services available to the market.

For virtual assistants the services available to the market is something that should be looked at more closely, as many clients may not be clear about restrictions that they can impose.

An employee can be restricted from working for anyone other than the client or anyone else within the same field as the client.

As a contractor, a virtual assistant is free to seek out business opportunities, advertise and work in the relevant market.  This means you are free to take on other clients within the same field.

3. Type of relationship

Type of relationship refers to facts that show how the worker and business perceive their relationship to each other.

You may still be considered an employee even if you have a contract that states you’re a contractor if how you work together contradicts the role. An employee will enjoy benefits and a degree of permanency that a contractor will not have. You may also be considered an employee if the services that you provide are considered to be a key aspect of the business, since this makes it more likely that the client will have the right to direct and control your activities.

An example of this would be a law firm hiring an attorney with the intention that it will present the attorney’s work as its own and would have the right to control or direct that work.  This would indicate an employer-employee relationship.

As you can see, as a service provider it can be very easy to slip from contractor status to employee unknowingly, simply believing yourself to be providing good ‘customer service’.  It’s up to us as virtual assistants to understand and set the correct boundaries in order to maintain contractor status. It not only benefits our business, but that of our clients as well.

Related Posts:

• Do We Need More Than the Name Virtual Assistant?
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #6
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4

During my previous career there was a point in time when I was called upon to assist my employers in finding someone to replace me as I prepared to move on to another position.   I was asked to do several things, from sitting in on interviews to creating training materials to help with the transition.  One of the first things I was asked to help with was the help wanted ad that we placed online and in several local papers.

My supervisor drafted the advertisement and left it on my desk to proofread. An hour later he stood by my desk and asked me what I thought.   I was lucky enough to work in an environment where I knew that my honest opinion was appreciated so I blurted out, “If we place that ad, I’m going to be working in this position forever.”   It was true, he had written the ad completely from his perspective, completely focusing on what his needs were with nothing within the context that spoke to potential candidates.

I’m not saying he wouldn’t have gotten plenty of responses, but I could guarantee that none of the candidates would have possessed the skills and traits necessary to fill the position.  Even in the down economy we find ourselves in now, if you’re looking to fill high level, skilled positions, the most desirable candidates will never respond to the so-called ‘old-school’ help wanted ads.  You know the ones that pretty much say ‘..must know how to do this, that and the other, a jack of all trades and willing to put up with any bullshit that may come down the pike. ‘

Well, ok, maybe that’s not exactly how they are worded, but those of us with the type of experience needed are pretty good at reading between the lines.  And by the way, this applies to your search for a virtual assistant.

Many people advertise for a virtual assistant with that same ‘what can you do for me’ attitude.  And just like my supervisor, their chances of finding a good fit for them are probably pretty dismal.  As an example,below is an actual ad that I stumbled across online:

Virtual Assistant Needed Paid weekly

Looking for a good Virtual Assistant to start with, and looking for 10-20 hours per week, must have gtalk, and must complete tasks in a decent time frame, you will be paid weekly by paypal don’t as for escrow or pre payment because it won’t happen… (Budget: $30-250, Jobs: Data Entry, Virtual Assistant)

I believe my clients would describe me as a ‘good’ virtual assistant, and as such I definitely wouldn’t waste my time to respond to this ad.  Let me explain.

First, whoever wrote up the ad didn’t even take the time to proofread it so that it reads properly.  And although most ‘good’ virtual assistants may excuse poor grammar and misspellings to the fact that this business obviously needs someone to be the spelling/grammar police for them, in this case it’s just one glaring indication that the person writing this ad has no appreciation of either the position they are looking to fill or the individual they are looking for to fill it.

Next let’s talk about the line in this ad that just screams disrespect for virtual assistants.  If it didn’t jump out and bite you in the nose I’ll help you out.

you will be paid weekly by paypal don’t as(k) for escrow or pre payment because it won’t happen…

I certainly hope any self-respecting virtual assistant would see this statement as the red flag it is and pass this ‘opportunity’ by.  Newsflash: Good virtual assistants understand their value and usually will ask for escrow, retainers, deposits or some other pre-payment that covers at least a portion of their fee.  That’s usually because somewhere in their early days they were burnt numerous times after investing hours on a client project(s) only to either have to send constant reminders for payment or never get paid at all.  Smart business people (insert ‘good’ virtual assistants) recognize their value and realize that those businesses serious about working with a quality VA will expect to pay some up front and will also pay the remainder promptly.  And let’s face it, just the way this line of the ad is phrased is extremely condescending and shows a lack of respect for virtual assistants as a whole.

And then of course there’s the budget.  I’m not going to go into detail here because I covered virtual assistant rates in an earlier post.  Let’s just say that it’s insufficient and leave it at that.

The sad thing is that the businesses that advertise this way are the same ones that end up writing virtual assistant horror stories all over the web.  Working with a virtual assistant successfully starts with respecting what they do, their skills and their expertise. It means understanding that they are a business person, just like you, not an employee.

So how should you advertise in order to get a top notch virtual assistant to help you with your business?  The same way I told my former employer to rewrite his help wanted ad.  Don’t make it all about what you need.  Virtual assistants (and employees) with experience and expertise are aware of their value to your business and as such need to see your appreciation for that value in the way you communicate.  They want to know that the tasks you need them to do are important enough to your business that you’re taking the time to find the right candidate to get them done. And most of all they want to see that you’ll treat them with respect and fairness.

Related Posts:

• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4
• The Contractor Test; Do You Pass?
• Virtual Assistant Rates- You Want to Charge What?

Don’t let the title mislead you, this post is for both those of you that are interested in using a virtual assistant as well as virtual assistants themselves ( and those that want to be one).

I love hanging around the virtual assistant forums. It’s become just one of the ways that I try to give back to the virtual assistant community.  The forums were an important place for me when I was first starting my business and I got tons of great advice and information there.  But the one thing you don’t generally get is advice on what to charge.  That’s because a conversation about rates always seems to end up in some sort of pissing match, and that’s just not good for building a community.  I agree and understand completely why this subject is off limits on most forums.

But… (hey, with the title of this post you had to know there was a but.)

This lack of information can and does end up hurting both new virtual assistants and potential clients.

Without the type of guidance that new VA’s get in other areas, they are left to their own devices when setting their rates.  9 times out of 10 they’re going to set them all wrong., for several reasons.

First, they under estimate the amount of time ‘simple’ activities are going to take. Answering calls, uploading videos, managing e-mails and other administrative tasks may not be complicated, but they can be very time consuming.  Would you be shocked if I told you that the average time spent dealing with a business phone call (which includes all processing procedures such as getting caller information, etc.) is somewhere around 15 minutes?  So although the time spent actually in conversation may be more like 4 minutes, many people fail to figure in the time spent related to that call.  If you’re not figuring it in, not only are you giving the additional time away for free, but you’re seriously in danger of over-scheduling your time and not being able to handle everything you may have committed to.

Second, they fail to figure in the costs of self –employment.  While ten dollars an hour might sound like a great hourly pay, when you start taking away the costs of taxes, business supplies, internet services, phone services and other business costs, you’re most likely going to be operating in the red with that $10 hr. rate.   Remember, what may be a great pay rate as an employee isn’t going to cut it as your own boss.

Third, they set their rates based on 40 hours a week of client work.  The problem with this is that they are not figuring in time to do marketing, bookkeeping and other activities related to their virtual assistant business. Even if they don’t mind working 70 or 80 hours a week, getting a full client load can take years to develop, if it ever happens at all.

What does all of this mean to those of you who are looking to begin working with a virtual assistant? It means if the VA’s you’re interviewing are quoting low rates like this you might want to think twice before hiring them.  Now that may sound harsh to those VA’s out there that are trying to find clients at that rate, but in the interest of the potential clients out there I have to say it.  Chances are low rates mean that the VA you’re talking to may not have a realistic view of what it takes to run their own business.  And not just in terms of money, but also in terms of time management.

I find myself cringing whenever a new virtual assistant tells me they charge anything under thirty five dollars an hour.  While there may be some individuals out there in dual income households that can pull it off, the truth of the matter is that one of the biggest reasons of virtual assistant business failure is setting rates too low.

As a virtual assistant, be smart and take everything into consideration when calculating your rates.  As a potential client, understand that even at higher rates a virtual assistant is still a money saving (not to mention stress and time reducing) alternative when you understand that you aren’t responsible for all of those extraneous costs like taxes, insurance, equipment and supplies.

Related Posts:

• Do We Need More Than the Name Virtual Assistant?
• How to Work with a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #7
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4

I broke the rules.

When I consult clients on blogging for business, one of the first ‘rules’ is to post on a regular basis. I also suggest that if they are going to experience a particularly busy time or if they are going on vacation to write posts in advance and schedule them to publish during that time. Clearly I failed to follow my own advice.

It’s not that I don’t believe strongly in those things, and over the past four years I’ve followed them. So what happened this time?

Writer’s block? Burnout? A creative hiccup?

All of the above.

Except I didn’t want to admit it.

You see, writing has always been a passion of mine. In fact, I’ve had a love affair with writing since 4th grade when I penned my own version of a Nancy Drew mystery. Over the years when everything else in my life was out of balance, stressful or just plain horrible, I could always turn to writing as my therapy.I never pictured a point where I’d ever find myself struggling to write. My writing may not be worthy of a best-selling novel, but it made me happy. Especially when the words I shared on my blogs helped or resonated with others.

Until March of this year.

Maybe I spread myself too thin, writing here, at Girly Girl Geek, Blog for Profit, Home Office Warrior, My Boomer Community and assorted guest posts. But I loved writing for each and every one, enjoying the fact that they all allowed me to write from a slightly different perspective.

But starting in March I found myself procrastinating on my blog posts. Even though I had ideas galore, putting those ideas into a written blog post was almost painful. What used to take me a matter of an hour or two was now taking me days to complete. Granted, I was in the enviable position of having my business grow as well as being involved in Start Blogging Today, but I’d been busy before and never lost sight of my muse.

By the end of June it was painfully obvious that I was experiencing some sort of block, burn out or both. And for someone who’s bread and butter (not to mention marketing) is all tied into blogging, it left me feeling almost ashamed.

I kept telling myself that I’d ‘catch up’ while on my two week vacation to Maine. I pictured myself sitting on the beach with my netbook, typing up dozens of posts, maybe even work on another e-book. But three days into my vacation my netbook mocked me , making it clear that it wasn’t just my busy business that was keeping my muse away.

So rather than try to force the words to flow from my fingers, I decided that maybe it just made more sense to actually take a vacation from writing. My Kindle replaced my netbook on the beach and I read rather than wrote. I didn’t even read business books. Nope, pure fiction and nothing from the NY Times Bestsellers list either. Mindless, fun fiction.

At the end of the first book I was thankful for Whispernet and the fact that I could get the next book in the series immediately. Ahh, had I only had that when I was a teenager as I read the Chronicles of the Deryni.

And that’s when it happened. I connected the dots and came up with the solution to my problem. I’d forgotten the reason I’d always been drawn to write.

Because I loved to read.

But starting and running my business made me feel like everything I read had to somehow contribute to my business goals. I hadn’t picked up a fiction book in over a year until that day on the beach.

That’s not to say relaxing on the beach and losing myself in a book has solved all of my writing problems. But it’s getting better every day. I’m once again jotting down post ideas several times a day.

So what does this all mean to you? That it’s ok to break the ‘blogging rules’ sometimes.

In fact, sometimes it’s just what you need.

Related Posts:

• Find Clients Through Blogging? It’s NOT a Myth…Start Blogging Today
• Word of Mouth
• The Contractor Test; Do You Pass?

Occasionally I’m asked to do interviews related to my business. Most of them ask similar questions, how did you start, when did you get your first client, what you did for marketing… but recently one of these interviews asked me what I thought were the five keys to success.   That one made me stop and think.  Based on my experiences, just what were those five keys?

I came up with the following five items after some thought.

Determination

Preparation

Professionalism

Confidence

Vision

I then went on to explain why I felt these five elements were so important.  Sharing these particular keys to success here seemed only logical.  So here they are:

Determination: Some of the most amazing success stories come from people who began their businesses out of desperation.  I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. I believe that the desperation that these people experienced gave them a level of determination that many of us don’t have.

When running your own business you have to be able to push yourself even when things look bleak.  It can take a long time to get that first client, or enough clients to consider your business a success; you must have the determination to follow it through.

Preparation- There is a reason the Boy Scouts use the motto, “Be Prepared” and it extends well beyond merit badges and camping.   Prepare yourself and your business by doing things like writing a business plan and creating your business policies. Too many people don’t think ahead to things like how they will deal with late payments. I devote three whole chapters in my VA Survival Guide to some of the things that many virtual assistants (and others) fail to think about before they start doing business.

There is a down side to preparation though.  There are many businesses that never get off the ground because someone spent way too much time on the preparation.  It’s like anything in life, it requires balance.  Balance your preparation with action.

Professionalism- Just because you’re working from home and you’re the boss, it’s still extremely important to be professional.  This is one of the reasons that someone should have experience working in a traditional office setting in a position that included extensive responsibilities within the business.  Professionalism is something that is extremely difficult to teach, and is most often learned by both observing and experience.  It is crucial to the success of your business that you not only understand professionalism, but that you exhibit it in your interactions with others.

Confidence- You must have confidence in yourself, your abilities and your business. This is critical. You would be surprised how many small business owners answer the question “Do you believe you/your business will find success within the next few years?” with a half hearted “I hope so” response. It’s obvious they lack the confidence for success.  Confident people answer that same question much differently. For example, I once answered the question with “Not only do I believe I’ll find success, I see my business becoming the name everyone thinks of when the term Virtual Assistant” is mentioned.  And although that may not yet be a reality, I do know that the number of people who equate my name and my business name with the term has increased substantially.

If you don’t believe in yourself, how do expect someone else to do so?

Vision- In order to have determination and confidence in your business it requires that have a vision of what you want your business to be and where you want it to go.  If your vision isn’t there or if it’s not clear, it’s like driving blind.  That’s where the importance of a business plan of some sort comes into play.  Knowing what your vision is allows you to set goals and work toward them.

I’m sure other business people might give different answers to this same question, but for me, these five things have made a difference for me personally. And whether they are the five keys to success or simply five of many more keys, I think that most business owners who have found success would agree these particular points are important.  Do you agree or disagree?  Do you think I’m missing something more important?  Have these five things made a difference in your business or the business of someone you know?  I’d love to discuss it, so don’t be shy, let me know how you feel in the comments section.

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I have a Google Alert set up for the term Virtual Assistant, and today’s alert brought me a link to an ABC News story on, you guessed it, Virtual Assistants.  I was excited at the possibility of a major news network shedding some light on our industry.  That was, until the video began.

First, it was obvious that the tasks that the piece was focusing on were “Personal Assistant” tasks, not what I consider ‘Virtual Assistant’ services.  And second, once again the dirt cheap aspect of going virtual was focused on, this time quoting $2 a task.  The results of using three services offering these low rates and personal assistant services were mixed.

Of course, since I know the Ask Sunday service utilizes overseas virtual assistants, I would suspect at the pricing quoted in the video, the other services mentioned might be as well.  I could do an entire post on why that can cause potential problems. But that’s not the point of this post.

The truth is, this video got me wondering if it was time for me to call myself something other than a ‘Virtual Assistant’.  Should I add something to it like “Virtual Technology Assistant” or “Virtual Office Management Assistant”?  Or maybe I should call myself something else altogether and abandon Virtual Assistant completely?

To be honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve contemplated this same question.  It’s actually come up a few times before, for me and other VA’s.  The more mainstream news media uses the term to describe virtual assistants as providing low cost,  low expertise type services, is it actually hurting my business to include myself under the same banner?

The difficulty in renaming myself is two-fold.  First, just what am I?  I provide both executive office assistant type services as well as WordPress and social media assistance.  Trying to describe all of that in one umbrella title is daunting.  And the second? Well, all of my marketing over the past three years was done under that Virtual Assistant banner.  All of the SEO goodness in my website and blog have focused on that term.

So is there another option?  Nothing easy, that’s for sure.  Perhaps if we could explain to the media that they have been painting virtual assistants with a limited brush stroke. Maybe then they would begin showing just how many different types of services are offered under the term ‘Virtual Assistant’ and the fact that there are onshore as well as offshore VA’s.

The former would require all of us assaulting the newspapers, television stations and other media with the facts, and it still might not make a difference.

There is no easy answer I suppose.  Neither is ideal. But I do know that something is going to have to change.  Virtual assistance is growing and more and more professionals are going to be using our services rather than hiring employees as the benefits of working remotely begins to make major changes in the way everyone does business.  What do you think?  How do you think we should address the problem?

Below: The video that prompted this post.

Related Posts:

• The Contractor Test; Do You Pass?
• Virtual Assistant Rates- You Want to Charge What?
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4

In the seven prior posts in this series, we’ve covered the preparation and search for a virtual assistant.  We’ve also touched on how being an ‘ideal’ client for your virtual assistant can benefit the relationship as well.  Our next top secret tip actually expands on one of the items that we identified as being a mark of an ideal client.

Top Secret Tip #8- Communicate Effectively

I think most virtual assistants would agree that if they  could have just one ‘ideal’ trait it would be that our client were a good communicator.

When it comes to working with a virtual assistant, being a good communicator goes beyond just being able to talk or e-mail someone in an understandable manner. In fact, you could say it has three distinct parts.

1. Clear expectations

Don’t assume that your virtual assistant is going to know what your expectations are going to be.  You may know that the document you’re having them work on is a draft, but unless you tell them, they don’t.  You don’t want them spending hours of your time perfecting something that doesn’t need to be perfect.  On the other hand, if it’s something that needs special attention let them know.  One VA on the forums said, “It’s so much easier to do a quality job when you know what their ultimate goal is.”

2. Specific instructions

It may be difficult at first to think specifically as you assign tasks. Give as much detail as you possibly can.  If you have an example of how something should be formatted, include the sample. The more detailed your instructions, the better chances of having it done right the first time.  Trust me, neither you nor your virtual assistant want do overs. The longer you work with your VA, the easier it will get. Especially since the more repetitive projects are passed along, the less information you’ll have to pass along to have them completed.

3. Timely responses

Try to be as timely as you possibly can with your responses to inquiries from your VA.  Remember, the answers to their questions can mean the difference between an item completed quickly and correctly.

It could easily be said that the success of your relationship with your virtual assistant balances on how well the two of you communicate with one another.  If you are prepared to communicate effectively you can feel good about doing your part.

Related Posts:

• How to Work with a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #7
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #6
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4

Previously in this series we’ve been focused on preparing and finding a virtual assistant that fits your needs on several levels.  In this tip we’ll be exploring the experience after you’ve signed the contract.  We’ll start with:

Top Secret Tip #7: Ideal Clients get Ideal Service

In a previous post we talked about defining  what your expectations for your virtual assistant will be, the work they will perform, the time frame they will complete it in and other items related to providing your business with the help you need.  But what about the other side of the coin?

What is your virtual professional going to expect from you?

In the same way that you have a mental picture of the ideal client for your business, your virtual professional has a mental picture of their ideal client as well.  But just how do you know what they are expecting in order for this new relationship to go smoothly and develop into a truly beneficial situation?

You could try asking, but the same way you’d be reluctant to divulge that information to a potential client, it’s likely your virtual assistant is going to be uncomfortable discussing it.  Most clients never know just what your idea of ideal is.  But in a way, wouldn’t it be helpful if they did?  And how much easier might it be on you as the client, if you knew what virtual professionals consider their ideal.

As a virtual assistant I spend my fair share of time in the virtual assistant forums hearing from varied professionals on a wide variety of topics.  And one of those topics that eventually comes up is the Ideal Client.  Now I’m going to give you a top secret peek into just what traits a virtual assistant identifies in their ideal client.

The Ideal Client…

…has a vision for their business, allows their VA to see it and gives them the freedom to help bring it about

… values their virtual assistant as a business owner, doesn’t talk down to them or leave them out of the loop

…knows that I their virtual assistant is willing and eager to learn from them, but also values their VA’s  knowledge and experience

…understands they need to get their instructions and materials to their virtual assistant in a timely manner in order for their VA to complete their projects. They also understand that their virtual assistant is not going to track them down for those items, as they are a busy business owner too.

… is happy to pay their VA’s set rates, understands the value and respects their virtual assistant’s position in their growing business.

…brings joy and growth into their VA business and their personal human experience.

…pays their invoices on time,  the same way they expect their clients to do.

and the number one aspect of an ideal client?

…understands the importance of communication.

And why should it matter if you’re an ideal client or not?  Because of human nature.  Admit it, you’re much more likely to go the extra mile for an ideal client, than for the problem one.  Or at least you’re happier to do so.  A happy virtual professional is a flexible, attentive and superior virtual professional.

Related Posts:

• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully – Top Secret Tip #8
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #6
• How to Work With a Virtual Assistant Successfully- Top Secret Tip #4

When did people start thinking that they should be able to get everything for free? We used to EXPECT to pay for music, books & training. When did that change?

Jim Kukral demonstrated the topic of his upcoming book “Attention, This Book Will Make You Money” with this clever blog post “Attention, My Book is Free Today “.  Some of us saw the witty video post as a great way to emphasize just what his soon to be released book was all about.  But a large number of people were angered by the post.  They bemoaned the fact that Mr. Kukral didn’t actually give anything away for free.

I disagree on two points.  He found a way to show us exactly what we would be learning in his book and he taught us one of those lessons…free. Or at least for just the cost of a small snippet of our time.

He also managed to uncover the ugly truth that those of us involved in selling information are so painfully aware of.  A lot of people that could benefit from what we sell aren’t willing to pay for it.  Somewhere along the way they’ve developed an expectation that information should be given away.  They’ve cultivated the mindset and preached it to others; gaining a following of recruits that are hooked on the ‘info for free’ Kool-Aid.

I’ve had individuals review my “VA Survival Guide” , giving it high marks for the information shared, agreeing that it goes beyond what many virtual assistant guides include and then lower its value, not because of the content but because of the price.  Now, I’m convinced of the value in my information product.  I’ve paid three and four times as much for classes and seminars that didn’t share as much useful information.  Heck, I’ve paid as much or more for fiction and how to books.

But I suddenly found myself questioning my decision to sell my knowledge and experience.  I agonized for awhile, did some soul-searching and hashed it over with others.

Over the course of the past 3 months I’ve come to realize that it’s not me…it’s you.  Or rather it’s those of you who have jumped on the “I’m entitled to free” bandwagon.

I understand that many of us have offered a lot of information for free and I’m as guilty as the next guy.  I own my role in developing an entire demographic that believe they shouldn’t have to pay for any information when they can probably find it for free on the Internet.  And since I own some responsibility for cultivating that mindset, I feel it’s important for me to come out and share some truths that the ‘free’ flag wavers might not be disclosing or even aware of.

1. Free is never free.  It always costs you something.  It may be your valuable time, but shockingly it may be your reputation if you take free advice that either isn’t sound or incorrect in some way, shape or form.

2. Free can cost you a lot more than money.  How long is it going to take you to find your free information? Time is money, and how many of these so-called free information products are you going to spend time on, only to find there is very little value in what is being shared?  How many times is the information being shared unsound, and will you even know it until you somehow lose credibility or clients because of it?

I strongly believe it’s time that we realized that we had it right before, when our expectations were that we would be expected to pay for things.

It’s time we reminded ourselves and each other that things of value come with a price.

Do you agree or disagree? I’m interested in both sides of the coin, so let me know how you feel about free in the comments section below.

Related Posts:

• Virtual Assistants are Valuable

In my last post I discussed the importance of conducting consultations with in your search for a virtual assistant.

Top Secret Tip #6:  The Contract-

When you’ve found the virtual professional you feel comfortable and confident with, let them know that you’d like to work with them.  If they too feel that you’re a good match for their business they should then mention drafting a contract or agreement for you to sign.

Any virtual professional worth their rate is going to not only want to have a signed contract/agreement but they are going to have one of their own.  You should not be required to draft one.  If the professional you’ve chosen does not, my suggestion is to look elsewhere.  This is a sure sign of someone who is either new to the business or is not business savvy.

My contract has evolved as my business has.  I now have a General Services Agreement that I personalize for each project client, a Retainer Services contract for retainer clients and several specialized agreements/contracts for my packaged and project services like blog maintenance and blog creation.

If you see wording or sections you would like to see changed, ask for changes.  My clients have rarely asked for more than small wording changes, so I’ve never had a situation where I’ve refused to make changes.  I would however hold firm if it changed critical parts like my Limitation of Remedies and Liability sections.

This should also be the point where you agree on the method of communication, basic turnaround times, etc.  These items don’t necessarily have to be addressed within the contract, but should be outlined in writing somehow.

Does this mean if you’re a project by project client using the same virtual assistant each time you must have a contract?  Not necessarily.  Although it might be ideal, you might also find it unnecessarily repetitive. In situations where you’ve worked with the same virtual assistant repeatedly it may make more sense to use a contract that applies to current and future projects to avoid the repetition.

Working with a virtual assistant is a professional collaboration and should be entered into with that in mind. A binding contract serves to not only clarify services and their delivery, but it protects both you and your virtual assistant in the event that things go wrong.

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