I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. I really think VA work is for me. I have for a long time now but didn't know it had a name until a month ago.

Before I jump in I want to test the waters.

I want to send a survey to a handful of "networked, business owner" friends.
1. Get their feedback on services.
2. Let them know I'm considering this and it's positional advertising.

What questions would you ask? Just looking for ideas.

Examples:
1. Would these services benefit you? List of services
2. Did you know this kind of services existed?
3. Do you find yourself so busy you wish for another set of hands?

Hi Dawn,

I didn't do what you're speaking of but I think your questions should be open-ended questions to get a better feel for what services the survey respondents may think is useful for them or others within their industry.

For instance, question #1--Which of the following services would benefit you? This gives them the opportunity to tell you the actual services from the list that would be more beneficial to them as opposed to answering with a simple yes or no. At that point, you can somewhat gauge which of the services listed would be needed the most AND you can use that in the future to market to those saying they needed those services.

Dawn,

Great idea on the survey of your connections and I think those three questions give you a great start for finding your answers. You may want to add "What would deter you from using this type of service?" because that will allow you to address their aversion to virtual assistance.

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Lee Drozak

These are great suggestions. I, too, have felt that VA is for me because I enjoy doing so much of it. I've been thinking about asking some of my business contacts what types of services they would use (pay for) and how they would feel about having someone handle these areas so they could focus on their business goals and things they enjoy.

Hello Dawn,

I did what you are going to do. I used Survey Monkey which is a free service for the 20 or 30 questions. I already had a target market in mind so al my questions were directed at them.

Such as:

Name, age catagory, company name, what are their current admin practices? Do they have full time or part time staff? Does anyone take work home? If so what? What activites admin activites takes up most of your day? How long do you spend in the office on fee producing work? What are your business goals? When would you like to achieve them?

I am sure others have better questions, the above as similar to what I asked as well as others directed just to target market. Hope this helps.

I have also completed a course on how to be a VA. There are loads and loads available. I would recommend VACT company by Carmen Macdougall or Virtual Mis Friday by Michelle Dale. I am sure there are also lots of ladies here that provide training and mentorship. All the best.