Recently I shared 5 things to outsource to a VA from Alina Dizik of Entrepreneur.com. There were actually 10 things on the list. Here are the remaining 5. See the entire list here.
- Scheduling – Because many scheduling tools are available online, virtual assistants are managing the calendars of many clients, says Kramer Harrawood. Tasks include dealing with meeting invitations from others, scheduling appointments with clients and helping to plan events. “It’s about being comfortable and letting go of that calendar” to a non-staff person working remotely, Kramer Harrawood says.
Social Tasks – Virtual assistants can be a good bet to handle tasks such as writing holiday cards or sending thank you notes, says Jaleh Bisharat, who notes that social chores have become a very common assignment. Such tasks can become “all consuming” for business executives, she says, “but a good virtual assistant can take care of all of it.”
Database Entries – Whether it’s a slew of new business cards picked up at a conference or updated information for existing contacts, keeping databases current is a suitable task for virtual assistants. Be specific about your needs and expectations, and make sure the virtual assistant has done this type of work before so there’s less room for errors, says Sue Kramer Harrawood, president of Peace of Mind Virtual Assistance, an Orland Park, Ill., firm that provides companies with virtual assistants. “Follow up is a huge thing for business owners. Sometimes clients will fax or scan business cards to us, and [virtual assistants] will plug them into the database.”
Chasing Business – Prioritizing potential business opportunities can be challenging, but virtual assistants can help with the process. When deciding what to sell on eBay, for example, Tristen O’Brien, an eBay marketing expert in Westfield, Indiana, asks his virtual assistant to look around for products that can be profitable to resell. “I give them quite a few websites to visit, and they take it from there,” he says. “They look for clearance items and other types of products.”
Industry Knowledge Prep – With limited time to keep up with industry news, some small businesses have turned to virtual assistants to keep tabs on the most important happenings. Many executives then use the industry information to update their Twitter feed or bring up interesting developments in conversation with customers and prospects. This helps “executives appear to have timely news,” Pearson says.
Do you think you could be more productive by relieving yourself of these tasks? Contact me and let’s discuss how we can partner to make you more productive in your business.
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