When you start your Virtual Assistant business, you usually have visions of working with great clients and making a good living.
You may realize quickly that it’s a lot more work than anyone told you, and getting clients is hard.
Without a plan and a strategy, it can be an uphill battle to fill your client roster.
Maybe it’s your lack of confidence that is holding you back.
Maybe you are an introvert and you find the networking part scary.
Sometimes we just love to do the work but finding the clients is exhausting.
Subcontracting for another VA is a great way to be a VA without having to do the stuff that is challenging for you.
But it’s not just about task taking and doing the work.
Being a great subcontractor takes dedication and skill too – and it can be an excellent decision for you.
Some advantages to working on someone else’s team:
- you can begin immediately
- you can get experience with a variety of softwares and services
- you can learn good processes and procedures from a busy VA
- you can learn how to work with multiple clients
- and more
Here are 7 things to do to be a great subcontractor VA:
1.Treat the VA you work with as a client.
A VA who runs a team is a busy individual – sometimes even busier than the clients we get for ourselves. Treat the lead VA as a client, and respect them as such. Follow their rules, communicate using their procedures, and you will build a great relationship. This will help you to work better with your own clients when the time comes.
2. Keep detailed billing records.
Usually the lead VA you sub for will have a system for this, but it’s important for you to do the best you can here. Remember, these are the lead VA’s records as well as yours. The client needs to be billed at the end of the month, and your information can make or break the profit that the lead VA has calculated. If a task takes you longer than estimated, that affects the lead VA and the client.
3. Follow their procedures to a T.
In order to run a team, proper processes are essential. When you are given a procedure to follow, be sure to do so to the letter, every time. Complete checklists and verify that you have done all of the steps properly for every task you do. The lead VA does not always have time to check everything you do, so the procedures are built to ensure that nothing gets missed. Never do things your own way, always theirs.
4. Ask what the time budget is on every task you complete.
Knowing what the allotted time is for each task can help you stay on task with the lead VA. Communication is important. When you know something is supposed to take an hour, if you are going over the time for any reason, you can keep the lead VA apprised, so adjustments can be made if necessary to keep the client’s retainer profitable.
5. Work efficiently, but not too fast.
Speed is important when you are doing any VA work, but accuracy is much more important. This is why checklists are so important. If you miss a step, it can be detrimental. Focus on the task at hand and complete it as final – just as though you were providing the final version to a client of your own. Double check and proofread everything – check links in emails – and always make sure that the finished product is accurate.
6. Meet deadlines.
Do what you say you will do, on time. When your lead VA sends you a task, acknowledge that you received it and let them know when you will get it back to them – or let them if their requested deadline is sufficient. Communication is essential around deadlines. Don’t leave the lead VA guessing if you are working on something. If you can’t meet a deadline, give the lead VA plenty of notice so they can make alternate arrangements to get the work done.
7. Be proactive.
Just as you should be when you work with your own clients, be proactive when working as a sub. Keep the lead VA up to date with information that is important – especially if you have direct communication with their clients. Being proactive about things like questions asked, system issues, or procedural problems, can go a long way in your relationship with your lead VA.
Being a subcontractor is not like being an employee. You have to be proactive just as though you were working directly with your own clients.
The easier you can make everything on the lead VA you are working with, the better your relationship will be, and it can add up to more work for you.
By making sure that you treat them as any other client, and being meticulous in communication and delivery will help you to get the experience you want and the stability that you need to build your confidence.
And maybe even build a team of your own someday!
To get more tips on running your VA business well, subscribe to my Youtube channel – where there are over 40 free training videos for Virtual Assistants: