Now that you’ve prepared everything, interviewed possible candidates, and selected your new virtual assistant you’re ready to start outsourcing your blog.
Read This Post Before Hiring Your First Assistant
What Should I Delegate to My Virtual Assistant?
You don’t want to start off with important or huge projects. This is your ‘honeymoon’ phase. You’re excited, your assistant is excited and at first, everything may go well. Once the excitement wears off you will both return to your habitual routines. This is where the real testing comes.
- How does she handle deadlines?
- Does she ask questions to clarify a problem or does she just continue hoping that the end project is satisfactory?
- Does she value your vision for your business or does she do what she thinks is best?
- Can you contact her according to the agreed upon times in your contract?
- Is she able to follow guidelines or does she need supervision and instructions daily?
Remember that she is NOT your employee. She is a self-employed business owner and should honor your time as well as hers. You shouldn’t have to monitor her daily activities. She should be a good problem solver and work well unsupervised.
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Let’s get started shall we?
1. Choose one task to outsource
Start out with one small task that is not time bound. Are you a blogger? Have her format the post and schedule it for a future date. Are you a small business? Have your assistant plan a week’s worth of social media posts. Maybe you need some keyword research or some customer service calls?
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2. Sign Contract(s)
For your protection and the protection of your assistant, a contract is ALWAYS necessary. Be sure it describes your responsibilities as well as hers. Include the invoice amount as well as how and when payment will be made. Include start date and due date. Confidentiality clause. Contact information.
3. Start
You’re ready to start outsourcing. Scary and Exciting isn’t it? If you’ve acted on these tips you’ll be ready and so will your assistant. Remember that this is freeing up your time to grow your business so try not to micromanage your assistant. It will be difficult in the beginning, but over time, you’ll gain confidence in her abilities.
4. Review work and work ethic (think communication, deadline honored, etc.)
Now that you have your project back it’s time to review the whole process. How does the work compare to yours? Were you pleased with the amount of communication? Was the assignment delivered on time? Review these with your assistant in a weekly phone call to ensure a smooth work partnership.
5. Select another task to outsource that is a little more demanding
Your assistant has been working with your for a little over a month now so it’s time to take it up a notch. Select a project that is a bit more demanding or takes more time to complete. This can be researching keywords for an upcoming product launch, or managing your email list. You may feel a bit nervous handing over your private information (username + password), but don’t worry. There are some precautions you can take. I’ll go over these later in the F.A.Q. series.
6. Repeat process (contract, start, review) until you have a good feel for how you work together
You’re doing well. You’ve been working with your assistant for a few months now and you know her work ethic. Don’t get too comfortable as sometimes it’s this very comfort that makes it difficult to manage your team well. Always repeat the above process with each project - Proposal, Contract, Start the Project, and Review). Maintain detailed process sheets and training material just in case you need to hire a second (or backup) assistant.
Congratulations! You are well on your way to outsourcing your blog and freeing up your time. What will you do with this time? Will you grow your business or spend time with family and friends?
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