As far as I can remember, we have always had pets at home. I had a german shepherd, a japanese spitz, a shih-tzu, and now I am a mom of two naughty pomeranian boys. I was also a Banker and a Senior Officer for the past 25 years before shifting to a totally new and exciting field. The world of Virtual Assistant, Work from Home Mom, onlinejob, cyberworld, outsourcing, or freelancing.
Before embarking on this journey, I hear vague stories about the Virtual Assistant jobs from clients opening an account. When asked what they do for a living, some would say : they do tutorials, some collect orders, some do payroll for an Australian client, while some manages social media sites. What was common among these stories was -- the pay was really really good and they can do the work at home. For someone who has been working in a brick and mortar office, the idea was very appealing. But what I did not was the challenges a virtual assistant faces. Here are some:
A lot of competition worldwide
Low offers for newbies
Scammers
Transaction fees on remittances (i.e. paypal)
Language Barrier
Time Difference
Lack of Confidence
Lesson from the Boys
While observing my two pom boys, I noticed that there are a lot of life lessons we can learn from a dog. Here are the top three:
First, BE YOURSELF. Each person has a God given talent that he or she can share. Show them what your skills really are. Maybe you are good with words or with numbers, or maybe you are really good and patient in doing research. Highlight and enhance your good qualities.
Second, ENTHUSIASM. Leave your negative thoughts behind and try to think more positive. Maybe, you have not yet landed your dream job but as the good coach once said: “It’s out there, you just have to be positive.” When you're enthusiastic about your business as a virtual assistant everything improves. Enthusiasm builds confidence. This is essential if you want people to hire you, buy from you or recommend you. Enthusiasm also builds your self-confidence, as it changes your internal dialogue from neutral or negative to positive. Always stay positive, no matter how the client acts. When you are positive and uplifting, you show confidence in the midst of their crises, which will gain you their respect.
And third, RELIABILITY. We can rely on our dogs to be loyal to us the same goes with a good Virtual Assistant. Reliability is a must in a virtual assistant. No matter how qualified you are or how cheaply you work, you will lose clients if they can’t rely on you. This means they need to “set it and forget it.” When they give you a task, you must work on your own to get it done without reminders and without any hand-holding. You’re supposed to make their life easier, and if they have to constantly stop what they’re doing to check on you, you’ll soon lose that client.
Career as a virtual assistant offers wonderful deal of independence and freedom however you must increase your skills, talents and knowledge to be free from these challenges. Learn as much as you can and continually challenge yourself to new ideas.
If you have questions or queries, please contact me @ monarvaza@gmail.com