In a few years, or maybe months, your own Virtual Assistant business will be thriving and you’ll be juggling lots of clients, your own admin, marketing and bookkeeping and also batting off enquiries left, right and centre.
You’ll also be seeking that work / life balance you set out to achieve.
Combine all of that with ‘recruiting’ associates for these new enquiries – all of which have come to you because you’ve been successfully juggling all of the above for months / years – and there’s quite a lot to do.
As you know, or will soon know, when an enquiry comes in you have to act efficiently and accurately. You have to show you’re worth investing in because you understand and follow tasks and requests from the off.
Imagine, a client is looking at investing their hard earned money – money that keeps a roof over their head. They need to know their money is not wasted and the business reputation they have spent years building is going to be kept intact.
In turn, Lead VAs need to maintain their business reputation and all those months / years of marketing, building an audience and doing a good enough job that people are talking about us favourably.
So when we are looking for someone to join our team it’s important, for so many reasons, that we have the right people on board.
We also know how it feels to be rejected, and I don’t want you to experience that too often, so here are a few ways you can avoid too many ‘nos’ or avoid being ghosted completely when ‘applying’ for associate Virtual Assistant roles.
Ignoring the brief
Lead VAs are often very specific in their associate job opps for a reason.
We have to ensure we present potential clients with Virtual Assistants who can do the work required. We want the client to be able to hand over as much as possible without us needing their guidance or input, so they see early on that working with us does ‘save time and money’.
If we send associates over who are ‘happy to learn on the job’, or are a ‘quick learner’ or ‘can YouTube it’ then we’re setting ourselves up for potential problems.
Quick learner or not, some things are difficult to grasp and that can lead to you taking longer than someone who has experience and thus that’ll mean it’ll cost the client more money or be quicker if they did it themselves!
This does not give the Lead VA, you – the associate, or our profession a great reputation.
For example; a Lead VA might have in her ‘advert’:
‘I’m looking for an associate VA who can commit to 2 hours a day, Monday to Friday, to support a HNWI with email and diary management. Experience of email /diary management for a HNWI is essential’
It’s not that we’ve overlooked the possibility of having an associate VA who has never worked with a HNWI, in this hypothetical example, it’ll be because it’s important for the conversion.
By the time we put a post out asking for an associate we’ve usually got a client lined up.
We therefore ask for specific skills because we know what they need EXACTLY.
We just need someone who slips in and does it with the experience and knowledge requested.
We can sometimes receive hundreds of emails for just one associate VA request if it’s a service many VAs offer.
And so many of those ‘applications’ don’t meet the essential criteria.
Here’s an example of an associate VA opportunity I posted recently and the replies I had:
‘Email / diary management for a ND academic. It’s essential you’ve done this in the past for clients and that you’ve been in business at least 6 months’
I received lots of fabulous applications but two didn’t meet the brief:
- Was not yet set up as a Virtual Assistant
- Had never worked with anyone who was ND but their six year old niece was
Let me open up in this example.
I’ve worked with the client previously so I know exactly how they work. I’ve had extensive conversations with their HR team about their needs and I cannot afford to let this client down by giving her someone who’s not set up as a Virtual Assistant as I’ve already lost this client some sanity by putting forward a brand new VA who then went AWOL.
So, while my criteria may seem unfair to some, it’s for a reason.
It’s really hard, frustrating, time consuming and deflating going through ‘applications’ and finding out people have no experience in doing what’s required when it’s listed as essential.
This is one of the major reasons Lead VAs don’t reply as it suggests you may not be too hot at following briefs from the client.
If it’s important to you that you secure an associate role, or any client for that matter, then here are my five solid steps to follow:
- Slow down.
- Read the full scope.
- If you meet all criteria.
- Consider your reply.
- Press send.
You’re not owed an opportunity
That’s a really harsh heading, but hear me out.
I know it’s frustrating when you don’t ‘win’ an associate opportunity, but identify why you’re frustrated. Is it because you’re passionate about being a full time VA, is it because you need the money, is it because you want out of your 9-5 asap.
It will all happen, but it’s not for someone else to make happen.
You need to get used to marketing, consistently. You need to be constantly building your audience.
If you’re going to be reliant on others to build your business for you, you’re going to have a business that’s like being an employee.
There have, sadly, been a few occasions where VAs have berated a Lead VA, publicly or in a private DM with ‘friends’, for not giving them an opportunity. This is beyond unacceptable.
Screenshots are often taken and shared amongst those of us who regularly look for associates so it’s not a great way to make solid relationships. If you feel frustrated about not getting an opportunity, step away and assess why that might be.
Is there something you can change?
- Perhaps your ‘application’ wasn’t great?
- Are you doing enough to get your own clients?
- Are you charging enough as a Virtual Assistant so you don’t need associate work?
Comments like ‘they seem to forget how hard it is to get clients when you’re starting out’. No, we don’t. We know exactly how hard it is which is why we’re marketing our businesses every day, and most of us didn’t start out with associate roles. In fact, I don’t even recall they were a thing back when I started.
This thankfully, doesn’t happen too often but when it does it can affect the mental health of the person who is being attacked. In fact, it’s cyberbullying. Here’s a snippet from the Cyberbullying website:
‘If someone has posted false and malicious things about you on the internet or on a social networking site, it may be regarded as harassment. Harassment, on or off line, is a crime under UK laws. This can be very distressing. Anything nasty posted about you can be seen by lots of people, very quickly, because it’s so public…’
Making it difficult to consider you
Whether a Virtual Assistant or an associate, we’re not employees and that’s why, throughout this blog, I have put quotation marks around the words used in recruitment for employed roles. However, we do need to consider how we’d ‘apply’ for an employed role when responding to associate job opportunities – or any job opportunity as a Virtual Assistant.
These are some common responses I see or receive when an associate job opportunity is posted and you’ll almost always be overlooked if you use any of them. Here’s why:
‘Let me know in the comments if you can do this’
Some Lead VAs will invite you to comment on a post if you’re interested and, even in instances where the brief is incredibly detailed I’ve seen comments like:
I’m interested, can you give me some more information
What more do you want to know? What’s been missed? The Lead VA needs to know what extra information you’re after.
Other comments that I frequently see on such posts include:
- Take a look at my Facebook page I might be able to help
- Here’s my website
- DM me, I can do this
These are all instructions for the Lead VA to do extra unnecessary work. If you can do the job; say. Give examples, stand out and add your email address as the only call to action to make it easy for the Lead VA to read your comment, think ‘yep all points addressed’ and here’s how I tell her she sounds like the perfect choice.
Again, think about how you’d ‘apply’ for an employed role. We don’t need your CV – no no no – but you wouldn’t send an ‘application’ over that simply said ‘call me’.
‘Email me if you’re interested’
An established Lead VA will always put the full brief in their post (if they don’t they soon will after they’re rescued from a million and seventy ‘applications’. Haaa)
Now, if you were applying for an employed job you’d outline what your experience is and get across why they’d be daft not to consider you.
And it’s no different when putting yourself forward for associate roles.
However, I’ve frequently received emails that say:
‘I saw your associate job. I’d like to be considered’
On a few occasions when I’ve replied to an email like that, I have asked: ‘do you have experience in the tasks the client needs help with?’ and all I’ve received back is ‘Yes’.
It’s not enough and is one of the reasons why some Lead VAs won’t even bother replying to your first email. It’s a bit of a red flag that you may be the same with the client.
‘I would like to express my interest in this. Please let me know if you’d like to chat further!’
This goes back to understanding the business owner’s money mindset. Having a chat is time and time equals money. Tell me why I should have a chat with you or I could be getting on a call with someone who can’t do what I’ve requested and wasting my own, and your time.
So, when ‘applying’, follow these 5 steps:
- Read the post thoroughly, twice
- Note the requirements of the job
- Address each one sharing your experience of doing it
- Let the Lead VA know why they’d be crazy not to consider you for the role
- Avoid giving the Lead VA anything else to do other than reply saying ‘I’d like to put you forward’
And for added stand out. Let us know how committed you are to your business, because when we invest in an associate we want to be able to work with them for a while. We don’t want you disappearing after a couple of weeks or months as that’s not what clients want and thus, it harms our and your reputation.
Questioning the Lead VAs Hourly Rate
Okay, so. The alternative to doing associate work is to find your own clients. I know, easier said than done sometimes. But, that at least gives you a quick understanding of why you’re not being offered £30 an hour to do associate work.
The Lead VA has worked hard to build her business, her reputation, and be in a position where she manages enquiries, even when she’s busy, so that she can offer other VAs opportunities to leave their old employee life behind them and live this wonderful life as their own boss.
She’s invested time and money in training, marketing, and all the other expenses associates with running a business (insurance, contracts, software – the list goes on).
A Lead VA HAS to make profit, otherwise she’s spending time and money enabling you to make money with no gain? That makes zero financial business sense. It’s not greed, it’s how a business continues to thrive.
If the Lead VA charges her client £30 an hour. She’s likely not going to offer you any more than £20-£25.
As published in the 2023 Society of Virtual Assistants survey,
‘The average rate paid to associates by Lead VAs has been a hotly discussed topic of late. Having asked all Lead VAs what they charge, the average hourly rate came in at £21.13. The highest rate came in at £35.00 with the lowest rate being £10.00.’
So, this is why I do not allow any comments in my ever growing, safe, Facebook group around what rate a Lead VA is offering. If it’s ever any less than £18 myself or my Community Managers will usually pick it up and remove the post, and kindly message the person who’s posted – unless they’ve really taken the piss, then they’re OUT!
Please be mindful; some VAs who are new to taking on associates may offer too low an hourly rate because they’re ‘learning’ and are genuinely unaware of the average. Everyone, at times, needs a kind nudge. But, I don’t want your future opportunities to be ruined by a flippant unnecessary comment in a Facebook group questioning an established VA who could be someone you work with in the future. So please, if you ever have a concern about a Lead VAs rates, in my Facebook group, get in touch with one of my admins / moderators and we’ll sort it out.
Should VAs use AI to ‘apply’ for associate jobs
Yes and NO. AI is wonderful, it’s got to be the biggest technological advance since the internet, surely? It can improve everyone’s lives and business in many ways BUT, yes there’s a but, it can’t be used straight out the packet.
If you were a 70s or 80s child, you’ll remember getting a toy at Christmas that needed batteries – and of course, there weren’t any in the house.
The toy wasn’t broken. It just needed something extra to make it work properly.
AI is the same. Straight out of the box, it might technically work – but if you want it to work properly for you, it must be trained.
Therefore, if you’re using AI to contact potential clients or ‘apply’ for associate roles, you won’t get them. In fact, following feedback received from a few Lead VAs who have received AI generated emails they’re unlikely to even reply.
Training AI (ChatGPT or Claude) takes just an hour with my course here and will save you not only from the cringe of marketing your business (because the course teaches you how to use AI for social media posts and blogs) it also has a lesson on how to use it for job opp replies! Oh yes!
Not turning up for calls
I asked fellow established VA, Megan Chapman, if there were any additional points I’d not addressed that may help new Virtual Assistants find associate VA jobs, as she is often looking for associates to help her with her clients.
Megan likes to have an informal 15 minute chat with potential associates – this is very common – before signing them up to work with her clients.
I was shocked when she told me that around 70% either don’t turn up for the call or ask to re-arrange at the last minute.
When moving from employee to Virtual Assistant one massive mindset shift we need to make – that I appreciate can take time – is that every hour is our hourly rate. In other words, any wasted time is lost money.
It’s not like being employed, where you can take an extra 15 minutes for lunch or have a half hour chat in the corridor and not lose any of your monthly pay. When we stop working we’re not earning money.
So in instances like this, Megan would have:
- Been marketing her business (no pay)
- Been schmoozing the potential client – this can go on for weeks sometimes (no pay)
- Written and posted the job opportunity for an associate (no pay)
- Read through the ‘applications’ – some of which would have not met the requested brief (no pay)
- Contacted the ‘applicants’ (no pay)
- Paid for her call scheduling software (expense)
- Stopped what she was working on around 10 minutes before the call with the associate (no pay)
That’s all before actually doing the call, which is another 15 minutes and then 10 / 15 minutes after decompressing / evaluating the possibility of taking the associate on.
If you don’t show for calls we’ve lost a lot of our time and money trying to give you the opportunity of an associate role. If you ask for them to be rearranged we have to go through step 7 again, thus losing more money.
Every small business owner’s time is incredibly valuable. Money lost means we’ve either got to work more hours to make it up, or we start reducing our income. Neither are why any of us – including you – want to be Virtual Assistants.
We want to collaborate with you, we want to help you into this fantastic lifestyle, we want you to succeed.
I hope this has been helpful and allows you to see it from a Lead VAs perspective.
We often get a lot of job opportunities in my Facebook group. Come and join if you’re not already there.
Not a fan of Facebook? I hear you. My VA Starter Guide has never before published guidance to help you get in front of Lead VAs away from the stress of social media.