Coaches Partnering With a Virtual Assistant

According to a recent survey I conducted, only 21% of coaches use a VA, and another 20% have never even heard of this concept.

I consider using virtual assistants in my business my “secret weapon.” Coaches who don’t use VAs are missing out on a lot of opportunities in their business and lifestyle.

Here’s why.  A VA (Virtual Assistant) is a high level administrative assistant who can support you from anywhere in the world.  Historically, VAs have been used in the real estate industry, helping agents list properties, book the showings, and follow up with prospects.

Since the “explosion” of tele-commuting era, virtual assistance became widely popular in the 1990’s. At about the same time, the coaching industry took a quantum leap and became a professional field, which heavily relied on the Internet and other communication technologies.

Thousands of coaches needed web sites, presentation materials, client support, newsletter publishing and publicity.

Those who came into coaching with a business background understood the importance of outsourcing and delegating.

Those who didn’t, wanted to do everything on their own. And, they struggled. They answered their own e-mail, produced their own newsletters, built their own web sites, and answered all their phone calls.

I did it too. And before I knew it, I was working 40-50 hours a week taking care of my clients and of all the stuff that came with having a business.

Then I attended a group coaching program. A fellow coach shared, that since hiring a virtual assistant, her income has doubled. Of course, I wanted to know what’s a virtual assistant and how paying someone can actually increase your income.

Years later, with three VAs on my team, I now know what she was talking about.

Here is what I discovered:

1) With a virtual assistant, you can delegate activities you don’t enjoy, don’t know how to do, or that someone else can do them better and faster.

2) With a virtual assistant, you can focus on your best, where you truly excel and produce your best work.

3) With a virtual assistant, you can create the free time you need to be effective, productive, strategic and innovative! A virtual assistant can help you take care of things that hold you
back. Here is my personal list of what my VAs help me accomplish:

• Customer Service
• Web Site Updates
• Newsletter Publishing
• Shopping Cart Set-up
• E-book Publishing
• Submitting Articles & Press Releases
• Designing PowerPoint
• Implementing Ideas I Never Get to

Call it my “yuck bucket,” my “sore file,” or whatever you want – if someone else can do it faster and better than me, and they actually enjoy it, I’d rather pay them to do it!

Every VA has different background, skills and personality. Your goal is to find a great partner, who is passionate and committed to making every aspect of your life easier.

That’s what makes a great virtual assistant for YOU.