Isn’t it great to a find a VA who easily gets you or what you want done in every task you assign him or her to do? Isn’t it amazing that through a quick Skype chat or a call, you’re able to discuss everything you want accomplished within the day or week? Isn’t it wonderful to work with someone who is reliable in making sure that all repetitive and time-consuming aspects of managing and marketing your business are well managed?
Automating some aspects of the business with a VA who is skilled and well-equipped to do the job enables a business owner to have the time to focus on things that are essential in growing the business. Finding a good VA is actually the easy part. Working with a reliable VA comes with great advantages in managing your day-to-day business, but keeping a good VA also comes with a bit of responsibility on the part of the clients.
We had a chat with our rock star VAs who have been working with us for years and are still with the same client up until today. We asked them how their clients keep them motivated to give their 200% every day on the job.
We summed up their answers in 5 key points:
1. They communicate their expectations well.
Knowing what needs to be done is one thing. Delegating and communicating how and for what reason these tasks are expected to be done is a more complicated undertaking. Most of the time, frustrations, and disappointments stem from not communicating the expectations on how things must be done.
When clients delegate tasks with complete and clear instructions, VAs are well guided on how to do the job right. When clients give them insight on why these tasks are done and their impact to the business – VAs tend to claim a sense of responsibility in doing the job right as they know how it affects the business or the campaign as a whole. No VA would want to be the one who made the cookie crumble. They would definitely want to be the one who is responsible for putting things together for you.
2. They give quick and honest feedback.
Just as most businesses should value customers who post complaints about a bad service or product, the same applies to VAs. Customer complains about products and services provides direction on how to improve and add value to the business, and pinpointing mistakes with VAs ensures that the same issues won’t arise in the future.
Instead of feeling down about it, it actually shows thoughtfulness and care. Walking away or resorting to just saying “no this doesn’t work” is not very helpful. No matter how brutal it is, honest client feedback on the completed tasks allows a VA to know which things they’ve done wrong, so they can focus on improving in the future. Give your VA another chance to prove that they can do it right. Have faith in your VA, you’ll be surprised to know that for every chance you give your VA to do things right, you earn the loyalty of a staff member who’s willing to go the extra mile to help you accomplish your goals – that’s a fact!
3. They give VAs responsibilities as part of their team.
Giving VAs some responsibility makes them accountable for everything good or bad that they do on the job. And just like regular staff, this often inspires VAs to give it everything they’ve got to show you that you made the right decision in making them part of your team.
4. They deal with staff with trust and respect.
Just like in any relationship, trust and respect are essential. At some point, VAs will make some mistakes at work, the same thing that normal staff would do. While there are clients who immediately ask for a replacement to a VA who made an error, some would opt to give their VA a chance to correct mistakes, understanding the learning curve involved in each task.
Believe us when we say that when VAs make mistakes on the job, they are well ahead of you in beating themselves for that and would want another chance to do better. Leave room for mistakes and understand that they don’t know everything you know about the task—and so at some point they will need your guidance.
5. They acknowledge a job well done.
Who wouldn’t appreciate receiving words of acknowledgment? More than the Christmas cards, gift packages and bonuses for jobs well done, VAs tend to thrive with a client who appreciates their work. A simple ‘thank you’ greeting and gesture of appreciation will definitely win the loyalty of any VA.
Overall, VAs develop loyalty towards clients who put value in them and in what they do. If you happen to be working with a VA who can practically do all the tasks on your list, then there’s a good chance that this is not his or her first rodeo and that you’re not the only client who saw the value that this VA can add to any business team. Finding a can-do-it-all VA that will stay on for the long haul is tricky. But if you happen to be working with one, then perhaps the insights discussed above will give you an idea on how to keep your VA happily working for you.
