Do You Know How To Properly Share Your Virtual Assistant?

It is nothing new to tell your friends and family when you got a really great deal shopping. To try the new restaurant down the street because the food was amazing. Or about the honest mechanic who fixed your car for less than he originally quoted because when he got under the hood it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

The sharing economy is different because it’s about sharing with strangers. It’s about using products and services of strangers as well. Could you imagine getting in a stranger’s car as a child? All so normal and commonplace nowadays it seems almost wrong not to share everything. Even your virtual assistant.

Back in the day when I was an executive assistant my position was directly tied to the needs of my boss first. Her needs came first then the department’s. Not uncommon at all. Especially since I routinely worked for the head of the department. If she didn’t have what she needed no one else could either. It all trickled down.

Of course, I also had plenty of department duties as part of my daily assignments. However, no new assignments were ever immediately approved. They all went through my boss to make sure that I did, in fact, have the time, I was the best person to execute the tasks, and, above all, this was not to conflict with my executive assistant tasks.

It wasn’t just me guarding my time. My boss was guarding my time as well. Never once did I miss a deadline or come up short. This was not an accident. She never once considered sharing me because my time was too valuable.

No matter what you share it comes at a cost. No big deal in most cases. If you already bought your coat for half off sharing the deal with others is great. Telling everyone about the new restaurant you found might mean you have a longer wait, but hey, at least you’re helping them stay in business. The mechanic, he might not be able to get your car fixed as quickly next time but hopefully, there won’t be a next time.

If you share your assistant, who really wins and are you prepared to pay the price? You might feel like this is a win-win-win situation. You just helped a friend and possibly a stranger. That person now has a VA and you’ve given your VA more business. Everybody wins. Right? Far too often, it’s no.

When you refer people to your virtual assistant how do you know if it’s the right fit or if she has the bandwidth to take on another client? In most cases, VAs are so thankful for the referral and happy that you are happy with their work they won’t say no or refuse the business. Instead, the work begins to suffer.

Most people don’t like or don’t know how to handle confrontation and soon your texts and emails aren’t being responded to either. In the event your VA does handle the business well most clients aren’t prepared for the inevitable rate hike.

As someone who works mainly on referrals, I love them! However, before I make my own I ask three important questions and you should too.

Question 1: Are you taking on new clients?

This is such a simple question and one most people just don’t ask enough. There are a few times a year where I don’t take on clients because I’m working on a project or I’m about to go on vacation. Not a deal breaker but this saves all parties time and effort. You may find out the VA is taking on another client but only minimal hours.

Question 2: Is this the type of client you’d like to work with?

I’d like to say that I work with everyone. That’s simply not the case. Not everyone can afford to work with me and that’s okay too. I’ve created free and low-cost resources to serve everyone. Sadly, I’ve had more conversations than I’d like to with potential clients who were referrals and had no idea I charge for consultations. It can be very uncomfortable for some to get to that point in the conversation especially when a client you love working with so much referred this person. On the other hand, your virtual assistant might go against their gut to work with someone they might not have otherwise to please you. In some cases, the services the VA offers you are only for you and referring someone else who needs what you do creates future problems.

Question 3: What impact will this have on the work you’re doing for me?

It might have no impact. Or your maybe your VA hasn’t even thought about the possibility of new work affecting your work. What if you don’t use your VA on a daily basis but you have a new launch coming up and you plan to use your VA? Did you just overbook her? If these means her rates will be going up how much advance notice do you get?

Sharing your virtual assistant is simply not a good idea for your business without asking the proper questions ahead of time. Remember, assistants of all kinds are often people pleasers. Don’t put your VA in an awkward position and have a conversation before anyone’s time gets wasted. Make proper referrals and have the confidence to know that you still have assistance when you need it the most.

Melissa is the bestselling author of Hire the Right Virtual Assistant and Become A Successful Virtual Assistant. To learn more about hiring a VA or be matched with a VA you can contact Melissa here.

She has gained international recognition and has been featured in CareerBuilder, The Muse, Spark Hire, Thinkific & Woman’s World.