I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. Honestly, I really don’t like it because it pulls every bit of information it can from my devices; often I’m not even aware of it … Yet, I love Facebook for the connections I have made, and the support I have received and am able to give.
Recently in a Facebook group post, someone asked for an overview of how one can effectively utilize a VA in one’s business.
Great question! When Peter and I started to chat about what work he needed me to take over, he became very quiet all of a sudden. He had no idea! All he knew was that he was totally overwhelmed, didn’t have time for his family, had an inbox of over 10,000 emails and, on top of it all, didn’t sleep well. Poor man – I pitied him! Then I congratulated him for having taken the first step to a healthy life.
Peter felt terrible. He thought he should have all the answers. Instead, he felt helpless, alone, and out of control in his own business.
I knew I had to tackle this delicately. I wanted Peter to get out of his desperation mode, and start brainstorming with me.
This is when I put my coaching hat on and … Boy, I loved every minute of it. Peter started telling me what was not working, why he thought it wasn’t working, and why he felt overwhelmed. We ended up turning his overwhelmed feelings into a call that produced strategy, hand-on relief, and into a feeling of … “ Oh I think I have space now..”
What we determined was to start with Peter’s Procrastination List, which was a mile long … Then, we talked about which tasks he really didn’t need to do himself, that I could take over – everything that didn’t make him money!
There are only a few areas in your business that you need to concentrate on yourself, such as these below – everything else can be outsourced:
- Marketing
- Client/customer generation
- Networking
- Social Media – people need to “hear” your “voice”
If you think about the activities only you can do to make money, then everything else can be handed over to your Virtual Assistant. And that’s how you use her most efficiently and improve your own efficiency.
What tasks do you still do that you don’t need to do, that you should hand over to your VA?