In Episode 22 of the Toe-2-Toe Podcast, hosts Jenn Murtland and Monica Weakley duke it out over whether you get the bang for your buck when hiring a virtual assistant. Hear why hiring a virtual assistant overseas hasn’t worked for Jenn. Then hear why Monica thinks a virtual assistant can be absolutely worth it in the right circumstances. If you’re considering leveraging the services of a virtual assistant, this episode is for you.
Episode Highlights:
- Do you get the bang for your buck with a virtual assistant?
- Jenn says no.
- Jenn has tried having a virtual assistant several times and it doesn't work for her.
- Jenn is a high driver. She is very good at the big picture and not as good at details.
- Jenn doesn’t like having to give a VA very specific instructions. She has struggled with virtual assistants who don’t have the right mindset.
- She describes the different thought process she encountered when working with virtual assistants.
- Monica feels that being specific someone can work.
- Monica feels it can work as long as it’s the right person, with the right skillset, and the right personality match.
- Jenn has a virtual transaction manager based in the US and that's working.
- Monica is using a VA right now.
- Monica feels that a VA can be extremely useful to a business from an ROI perspective.
- Jenn thinks people overlook the oversight piece when considering ROI.
- Monica suggests that oversight can be a short-term part of the process.
- Leverage is powerful and it’s also painful.
- If you're spending two hours a day doing a mindless thing that could be systemically entered in by someone anywhere, a VA may be a good idea.
- Monica thinks it’s a big mistake to turn over your social media to a VA.
- Send-out cards may or may not work out as a task for a VA.
- Know yourself. What are you spending too much time on that doesn't need that much time?
- Many people they surveyed were thinking about using a virtual assistant.
- Monica thinks you should hire a VA if it's the right task, the right person, and you're willing to train and put the system together.
- Jenn feels that in general, she's found more success hiring local administrative help because of mindset and ownership.
3 Key Points:
- Hiring a VA may not be worth it for you if your personalities don’t mesh or you don’t want to be involved in a lot of oversight.
- Hiring a VA may be worth it to you if you know there’s a task that’s taking too much of your time that can be done effectively and repeatedly by someone else.
- Consider that leverage can be painful. Creating systems that a VA can follow may be annoying, but could be rewarding.
Resources Mentioned:
- Jenn Murtland LinkedIn | Facebook
- Monica Weakley LinkedIn | Facebook
- Toe 2 Toe Podcast Facebook Page
- Jenn’s discussion with Adam Curry about using a virtual assistant