Partnering with a VA 101: 11 Ways to Support Your Virtual Team

Over the past few weeks you’ve learned what a VA is, what tasks you can delegate, what it’s like working with professionals who take ownership and much more.  Teams also need the support of their leader – Y-O-U.  The best ways to show your team that you support them?  Respect and appreciation.

What does that look like?  Simple things like…

• Saying ‘Thank you!’
• Paying their invoices on time
• Being available and patient to answer questions
• Respecting boundaries
• Being enjoyable to work with
• Referring them to quality clients
• Having a peaceful culture
• Being honest and having integrity
• Standing up on their behalf with when your clients treat them poorly
• Giving gifts like bonuses, gift cards, sports tickets, etc.
• Not micromanaging

VAs partner with clients for many years displaying a loyalty that employees may not.  We are fully vested in the success of our clients thus instead of working for a paycheck our goal is seeing the business grow.

Many years ago I had the privilege to be the VA and Operations Manager for a small business advisor.  When I joined his team he was very clear about his goals for the business.  His plan was to outgrow his home office and move to a brick and mortar space with an onsite assistant.  Years later WE achieved that goal.  Notice I said we; it was a team effort and I had the honor to come alongside him every step of the way.  I also had the privilege to help him hire my ‘replacement’.  Folks who knew us remarked that I had ‘lost my job’.  To the contrary I helped my client achieve his goal which gave me tremendous pride.  This is a perfect example of the relationship VAs have with our clients.  To this day my previous client sends me referrals and promotes me and my VA firm whenever he can.

I consult with business owners often on what the VA Client relationship looks like.  Some of the folks I speak with have never partnered with a VA other times they have and the relationship did not go well.  Regardless of their experience I share with them that, like all relationships, it takes two.

Variables that come into play…

Often times business owners haven’t been educated on how to partner with a VA so how can they know how to have a great relationship?  Hard to achieve greatness when you don’t know what you don’t know.  Sometimes newer VAs don’t understand what a great relationship with a client looks like.  Other times the client may try to go the cheap route; there is an aroma to ‘cheap’ and it will translate to the VA (aka you get what you pay for).

Remember turnover is expensive and being grateful is not a large investment BUT it has huge dividends.  If you don’t know how to work with your team successfully ask!  They will appreciate that you care enough to learn what they need.  I encourage you to support your team in word AND deed.  Words without actions are much too prevalent in our world.  Deeds that align with your words are priceless and you’ll quickly see just how much those mean to your team!