What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?

VAnetworking.com: ""A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a highly-trained independent entrepreneur who provides a myriad of business support services virtually via phone, fax and internet based technology to support and meet the growing needs of businesses worldwide.

Partnering with a VA reduces stress, protects cash flow, eliminates administrative hassles, and enables business people to find the success they originally set out to achieve.

A VA is your right hand person helping you to succeed in your business. The irony is you may never meet your VA as odds are they live nowhere near you!"

10 Things A VA Can Do For Your Business

Have you ever wondered, “What exactly is that Virtual Assistant that you keep hearing so much about?” The answer is simple. A Virtual Assistant, or VA, is an administrative professional who provides immediate professional support, services, and skills to busy entrepreneurs and business managers via the Internet.

But “What can a Virtual Assistant do for me?” is a little more complicated. The ways in which a VA can help you and your business are as unique and diverse as the individual VAs are themselves. To help narrow down the possibilities, the Virtual Assistants at the Virtual Assistant Networking Association Forum, were asked to list the top 10 things they could do for their clients. This is what they said.

1. A VA can assist you with marketing support, increasing you clientele and freeing up valuable time to service your customers. They also can handle all your marketing and publicity helping you to spread the word about your product or services.

2. Many Virtual Assistants specialize in web design and search engine optimization. Once you work with a VA, they know your business inside and out, who better to help you prepare your website.

3. A Virtual Assistant can make your next presentation shine by giving it that polished professional presentation which is sure to capture your audience and promote all your products and services.

4. A Virtual Assistant can be instrumental in proofing, editing, and typing all your correspondence, pleadings, manuscripts, etc., thus allowing a more professional edge to all your business communications.

5. A Virtual Assistant can take over all your bookkeeping, bills and accounts payable. Let them worry about payroll so you can worry about the important tasks of running your business.

6. A Virtual Assistant can plan your next company event or outing providing for an enjoyable and memorable time for all. Think how much more enjoyable it can be when the burden of planning is removed.

7. Because VAs work on an “as needed basis” and only when you have work, hiring a VA can save you money. Clients only pay for the work done, and don’t have to pay for benefits, equipment, or supplies. What a cost savings that can be.

8. A VA can save you space because s/he work from his/her office as an independent contractor.

9. Hiring a VA can save you time because you will not have to spend time hiring an employee or temporary help, as well as training the new staff.

10. A Virtual Assistant can schedule your appointments, manage your calendar, organize your desk, and make running a business that much smoother.

Full-time Employee vs a Virtual Assistant Cost Comparison

Want to SAVE over $60,000 in business expenses this year? If you answered yes, read on ...

A cost comparison for a full-time employee versus a Virtual Assistant

Difference = $60,160.00 per year

By hiring a Virtual Assistant...
You SAVE over $60,000.00 per year!

Although the Virtual Assistant's hourly rate is more than the employee's rate in the first place, you save the cost of benefits and overhead that would have to be applied to the new employee's wage. And, because Virtual Assistant's are usually more experienced, more efficient, and better connected than the employee, you'll need to devote far less time to the project to get the same results, only 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for the new employee.

**Remember, with a Virtual Assistant, you only pay for the time on task by the minute! No more paying for socializing, hour long lunches or frequent trips to the washroom.

Your employee's 8 hour day can be crunched into 3-4 hours with a Virtual Assistant.

Simply put, you should contract with a Virtual Assistant because it's more cost-effective and Virtual Assistants go above and beyond the normal assistant's duties to impact your own productivity. No task is too big or small for a Virtual Assistant to handle. Even if you only have 1 hour of work a month for a Virtual Assistant to do, a VA can (and will) do it.

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*Souce: Virtual Assistant Networking Association Cost Comparison
The Largest Global Network Online for Successful and Aspiring Virtual Assistants