A major step that most entrepreneurs will eventually take is what feels like a huge jump into outsourcing – hiring someone unknown to them to take care of certain areas of their business – and more!
With the increasing number of virtual professionals available, how do you choose the best and how do you adjust to working with a virtual team?
Since you want to confirm that the team you work with has the training and skills to get the job done, a professional attitude will put you at ease and help make the transition easier. You may at first find it uncomfortable working with someone you have never met in person since remote work may be a new experience for you. Focus on how, by hiring a virtual team, you will pay for only billable hours and will now free up time to use to your advantage on business or relaxation. After all, that is why you started your own business, so you could enjoy life more! Don’t forget all of those things that virtual professionals can do for you: administration, social media, websites, blogs and all of the small personal things that they have experience with handling.
To back up just a little, from the virtual team’s perspective, your client is looking for a virtual assistant to help take the load off their shoulders. They need to make their working life a little easier and are looking for the benefits you can offer them. Telling them not only about the professional capabilities of your team but also a little of their personalities makes your team members come alive for them in a way that a resume or website can’t. If at all possible, schedule a team call or a one on one call with each member of the team that they will personally work with. This will save a lot of time as your team members and your client can learn each others quirks and what motivates them the most. Ask what your client’s goals are for each project, what is the perfect outcome or result of each project? Are your values a match?
If this is a new beginning for your client and the first time they’ve worked with a professional team virtually, start small. If there is a project they are interested in completing but admit they don’t have the capabilities, expand on how your team can take on this one project for them as a test run. This will often be enough to bring in more projects from this same client and word of mouth will lead to increased business. Show how their success is also yours, as by helping them grow their business, your team gains valuable experience that future clients will be interested in. Creating an ongoing relationship with a virtual support team is a win-win situation for both sides.
Experienced virtual professionals tend to be tech savvy and knowledgeable regarding the most up to date marketing techniques available and this will be a bonus for any client that hires them. When searching for that perfect fit, a team’s ability to understand your enthusiasm for your business is what will clinch your decision.
Their ability to bring fresh ideas to your company creates endless possibilities. It will help your business thrive!
image by Dana Moos on Flickr
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