A stranger?
Well, ok maybe stranger is a little strong. You need someone to do the work without having to label them as an employee and put them on the payroll. Let’s face it, you have way too much to do. It’s robbing you of the time you need to grow your business.
You know what I’m talking about. Think about it… all those days when you can’t get anything done? It’s not that you aren’t working like crazy, skipping lunch, etc. And still falling behind.
I had too many days like that in the corporate world. Those days where I wished there were three of me because my to do list was so long.
Tell the truth…
Do you have some really great ideas that you would like to introduce to your customers? How do you go about doing that? Stumped? You could accomplish this with a monthly newsletter or a new product release announcement.
A new product line that you are trying to roll out?
But you’re drowning in a million emails, juggling appointments, and worrying about your website that you just can’t find the time to get ‘just right’! Maybe you’re a new local business and you have a great product or service, but just can’t seem to connect with anyone – it’s like you’re invisible.
I’ll tell you what you need. A Virtual Employee, a freelancer. It’s the best solution when you don’t have the capital, office space, or full time workload that would justify hiring an additional employee. There are lots of different types of freelance, virtual workers: Virtual Assistant (VA), Accounting Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Web Developer, Social Media Managers, Digital Marketing Strategists, etc.
The beauty of a virtual freelancer is you can hire someone for a quick one-time project or someone that can work on an on-going monthly basis for you. It’s the most flexible and affordable solution to all the details keeping you from focusing on the income producing work you need to be churning out to grow your business.
Have I got you thinking?
Are you making a mental list of things you could hand off now? Maybe you’re thinking you need help – but aren’t sure what you need help with. I’ve created a worksheet that you can use to help determine what types of tasks you can contract out. You can grab a copy here:
Once you’ve decided that you in fact DO need to hire a freelance worker, you may have some hesitation.
• What if I get hacked or something crashes?
• What if they REALLY mess something up?
• How do I know what they are doing if I can’t see what they are actually working on?
The beauty of hiring a Virtual Assistant or a Marketing Strategist or any other freelance worker is that you determine how you want the work done. You can share as little or as much of your account information as you feel comfortable with as long as your freelancer has what they need to get the work done.
For instance, I have passwords to some of my customers email accounts. This allows me to review incoming email, sort email into folders, and respond to emails for my client (guidelines are normally provided). I have clients that have given me access to their websites by giving me their passwords or by setting up an Admin account for me to use. You can even use an online app to share password information. I like to use one called LastPass. This app stores passwords securely and allows access to your account without actually sharing the password with the freelancer you hire.
As with any other project that you may contract out, like plumbing or electrical work, you can shop around and ask for several proposals. It’s also common practice to hop on a discovery call to talk about the specifics of your project. This is a great time to learn about the skills and experience of the freelancer and to see if your personalities are suited to working together.
Always have a contract in place that outlines the tasks to be performed, the cost of the product or service being provided, and a timeline for deliverables. The contract is in place to protect both parties. As the client, you have the entire scope of the project in writing. If you do not receive what was agreed upon, you have documentation to support a dispute with your credit card company or an online payment processor like PayPal or Stripe.
Who are these virtual professionals I speak of?
They are business owners just like you. Trust me, we all want to do the best job we can for you. We want you to succeed. Whatever service we provide, we want it to be an experience that adds value to your business. Telling your friends how great we are is the best form of advertisement. We work hard to build a reputation that warrants repeat business and referrals, just like any other business.
Check out my worksheet. And if you realize a virtual assistant can truly help you in your business, feel free to connect with me through my contact page or email at mindy@mindyrowen.com. Even if the services you need are not something that I provide, I have a great network of freelancers (over 700) and would love to help you find the expert you need.