Let’s talk about what a VA is and what do they offer. An independent contractor or worker who offers his or her services to a client from the comfort of their own home is a virtual personal assistant. The services may include the administration or any kind of office management. From the comfort of his own house, the virtual assistant has access to all the relative documents and calendars of the client. In this article, I will mention ways on how to become a virtual assistant and that too a successful one.
Benefits of Working as A Virtual Assistant
Working from home is a dream for many of us. It allows us to achieve our financial goals without following the strictness of any time table.
1. Work from Anywhere in The World
That is the case for a virtual assistant, as long as they have a good internet connection, cellphone service, and the documents for the appropriate client. The client does not care as long as he is getting the work on time and the quality of work are up to mark.
If you are looking for a work from home job during this pandemic then search how to become a virtual assistant from home. trust me, it is worth it.
2. Set Your Hours
The main reason for taking up this career path is to free yourself from the tiring 9-5 and 6 days a week job with less pay. Being a Virtual Assistant will allow you to set your working hours. A proper schedule while working from home helps a lot to maintain your personal and social tasking’s. If you feel like you are more productive during a specific time of the day then go for that time slot. One will never have this level of flexibility in an office.
3. Spend More Time with Your Family
As you get to choose the hours you work, you consequently get more time off. A Virtual Assistant will know when they are going to be free and they can utilize that time by spending it with their family and friends.
How Much Money Can You Earn While Working as a VA?
The amount of money Virtual Assistants earn mainly depends upon these things,
- The type of work done
- The Level of Experience
- Time put into work
- And the skills you use while performing that work.
As Virtual Assistants have varying jobs, the pay may also vary. If we look at the statistics, on average a virtual assistant earns a little over $60,000 per year.
If you wish to increase your skillset then type how to become a good virtual assistant in your browser, you’ll find a lot of ways to become more professional and quicker in your work.
Top 8 Tips for becoming the successful VA
1) Take a Virtual Assistant Training Course
Virtual Assistants are the need of the hour. Head on over to your computer and just type how to become a virtual assistant online, you will get numerous results. choose an appropriate one and start learning. These courses do not cost much and do not take long to complete so it’s now or never.
If you wish to learn all the skills for free then just search for how to become a virtual assistant for free on the internet, there are some really good and free courses online.
2) Develop Expertise on Particular Areas
It is better to focus on a set of things than to be a Jack of all trades. So, you should train and perfect yourself in a specific field like social media management, SEO, or blogs. And this is how i made $2500 in just one month.
Many have been asking, how to become a social media virtual assistant as social media is booming and jobs related to social media are high paying and very profitable.
Just head on over the internet and you’ll surely find ways on how to become a virtual assistant.
3) Set Your Prices
You can set your prices accordingly,
- At an hourly rate, the client will pay you for the number of hours you work for them.
- The client will pay you one time for a project like a website design or managing a social media account. This is a project-based payment.
- The client pays for a package of hours. The given project or task must be completed within the hours of the package.
4) Determine What Services You’ll Offer
It is better to master a certain number of skills so you become very proficient in them. If you specify the services you offer on your gig or cv then people will only come to you when they require those specific services. This helps in saving time and the hassle and pain of learning a new skill for every other client.
5) Choose Your Targeted Industry
Now you need to choose what kind of client you will be offering your services to. The type of clients you cater to will most likely align with the services you are offering. Meaning if you are offering to write blogs then you will most likely be dealing with bloggers and other content writers. List and explain your previous jobs and experiences with other clients that will give future clients an idea of how it will feel to work with you. If you wish to work in a single industry like being a personal assistant to someone or a CEO or manager, several articles and courses will show you how to become a virtual personal assistant.
There are some really good articles on the internet on how to become a virtual legal assistant, so head on over there and start immediately if you wish to work for a lawyer.
6) Understand Your Clients and Communicate Accordingly
Understanding a client is key in this profession. No matter the circumstances to provide an excellent and premium service you need to be understanding and good at communicating. Effective communication with clients makes easier to understand you client. Here are some things you should consider when dealing with a client,
- The writing and speaking skills should be good.
- Never take criticism as an insult.
- Ask for feedback every step of the way so you know what is going wrong and where.
- Do not be repetitive and always clear all confusion before working on it.
7) Let Your Clients Rely on You
If you say that “I will try” or “Maybe”, it will show weakness in character and the client will start to question your skills and your confidence. The client needs to know that you can do what he is asking for a that there will be no problem in completing it. It is very important to you to make your client relationship long lasting.
Always deliver on time and work on a schedule. Always be ready to take client calls and offer help in the smallest of matters. Missing calls and meetings will show the amount of interest you have in the work. It will set a very bad impression of you. This develops their trust in you. A happy client will always come back.
8) Achieve Your Best Every Day
Clients always value hard work. The majority of the clients do not always want projects being done before the deadline or perfect blogs. Some look for value and the way a virtual assistant modifies and creates his or her work. It depends upon how you add your touch to their tasks and personalize them in a way that is helpful for both the client and yourself.
Here are some tips on how to improve yourself as a VA,
- Do proper research on the work before starting it.
- Come up with ideas for the project and share them with the client before implementing them. Always discuss things with the client before implementing a solution to a problem.
- Never shy away from challenges, accept them with a positive mindset and work on them.
The tips given above may show you how to become a virtual assistant and that too a good one but it all depends upon the work and effort you put in.
These are all really important things to keep in mind. For me, it’s much easier to work while my boys are at school all day or at night after they are in bed!
Working at home is difficult for me at times, and I’m not even a mom. I think this will be a great resource for any mom who works at home.
Working from home can be challenging at times, so finding what works is very important. Creating a schedule and managing your time well will go a long way.
The hardest part of working from home is staying on track! I almost feel like I need to hire someone to boss me around! Although I guess the bill collectors sort of manage to do that in an indirect sort of way… 😉
I am learning how to say “no” a little better and I know what my time is worth so I am learning to price myself that way.
These are great tips! Working from home can be a challenge with a ll the distractions that there, sticking to a schedule is what seems to work best for us.
It’s so hard for me to “Know what I’m worth” but I’ve quickly learned that if I don’t, people take really advantage so although that is a hard one I always tell people to know what they’re worth!
I work from home, and it’s been a struggle. I’ve finally gotten into a schedule, and it’s made life so much better! I’m definitely in a place of transition. Thank you for this little nudge! =)
Those sound like great suggestions. I have thought about getting a VA myself somewhere down the road.
I think making sure you are pricing your services to match your worth is key. I tend to undersell myself when approaching companies I want to work with.
I’m going to admit that it is hard working from home. I mean you have a TV and a bed in which to nap and the ability to call people on your phone with no boss looming over you. But it is also rewarding. I enjoy it very much.
Lee
These are great tips. I struggled knowing when to stop working when working from home. But setting work times is a great idea
This is really helpful. I started working at home just as my kids were heading to college. It was a lot of change at once and it was hard not to doubt myself.
Working from home can be hard at times. For me, keeping a schedule is important. That way, I have a designated time for working.
I absolutely love working from home, and I agree one hundred percent with your tips. Being aware of what your time is worth is a huge part in the business.
I love working from home – it gives me so much more flexibility. Scheduling is everything for me. I find that if I do my work during naptime and after bedtime, I get the most done in the shortest amount of time.
Working from home is a must for some stay-at-home moms! 11It’s helpful to have the right resources!
I totally agree with everything you said. Knowing what you’re worth is very important.
Follow your instincts <<< that is the one I need to work on. I am always second guessing myself and don't end up doing things I really think I should = missed opportunities!
Your tips sound like they will not only help virtual assistants be more efficient. They’ll come in handy for us bloggers too who are juggling working at home with a busy family life.
Pricing your services can be so hard at first! Go with your gut and set a rate that you would be comfortable with!
I have worked from home for about 10 years now and I love it. However, there are times when I do slack and I have talk to myself to get back on track. HEHE. I love your advice on following your instincts I try to use that throughout my life. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.