Hello

I am currently in a Self Employment program and I am working on a Market Research project and I was hoping that some of the seasoned and as well new VA's can help me answer a few questions. I am gathering information for my business plan and I am looking for your honest answers!

I thank you in advance for taking the time to answers these questions!

Thank you,

1. In your opinion, what are the current concerns and opportunities in the Virtual Assistant Industry?

2. How often, and in what quantity, will your customers purchase your service? Do you see any trends in their purchases?

3. What do you find are the top 3 objections to buying your service ?

Thank you!

1. I think the opportunities are limitless (or, rather, only limited by the individual virtual assistant - how far they're willing to take their knowledge, how much effort they put into learning new skills, or updating existing skill sets, etc.)

Concerns, in my opinion, are the same as for any small business - cash flow; finding, attracting and contracting new clients; long term growth; etc.

2. I don't know how to answer this question - I don't work on retainer so some clients need more hours consistently, some need less, most of my clients' needs fluctuate to vast degrees.

As far as trends in their spending - they are spending more as a general rule but that's partially because we are offering more premium services, at premium prices and taking on larger projects / higher-end clients.

3. Price, price and availability. We're fairly expensive, and we're very busy. But I always tell PCs up front that we're not the least expensive provider and they can find (much) cheaper services. We are, however, the best. I no longer take on clients who are obviously price shopping though.

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Thank you for your answers Tess! i appreciate it!

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Christina Keogh
www.ckvirtualassistant.com

I like the questions posed. Do any other Seasoned VA's have different responses?

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Alise Jewell
A Virtual Jewell

I must have missed this the first time around:

1. In your opinion, what are the current concerns and opportunities in the Virtual Assistant Industry?
Opportunities as Tess said are limitless. The best part is there are several realms of opportunities: services based and product based (including passive income options)

Concerns would be the amount of competitors has grown so you really need to set yourself apart. The other big concern would be variation of standards. There is no set code of standards for the VA industry so you may need to spend additional time and dollars to set yourself apart.

2. How often, and in what quantity, will your customers purchase your service? Do you see any trends in their purchases?
I work on per project and retainer. How often is weekly for myself since I have several retainers. I would say the quantity will depend on whether you are project only or retainer based but you can consider it to be consistent once your client base is built. Trends in purchasing will also vary based on the services you offer. General admin will be steady while web development will be X # of projects per month.


3. What do you find are the top 3 objections to buying your service ?
#1 - Price: Due to the amount of lower rate VA's there will always be a price concern. I have skills, built by experience and education, and if you want that caliber then you need to pay for them.
#2 - Availability: Some clients think that they are hiring a personal assistant so you need to set those boundaries up front to let them know what they are working within.
#3 - Expertise: I work with C-Level clients and some want MBA trained assistants. I let them know that while I do not have advanced degrees I have the experience to back up all my services.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

I would like to add an additional comment re # 3. What do you find are the top 3 objections to buying your service ? a) Many professionals still insist work be done on-site/ in their offices rather than virtual. They are not open to the virtual concept. This really seems to be the biggest barrier. Some of them are concerned re ability to get it done, their confidentiality etc with work being done away from office. b) Many also do not grasp that even though price appears high it is actually more cost-effective. I understand shopping around to compare price but they need to look at the whole pic including not only all of the overhead etc with hiring an additional employee but quality of work/services offered when comparing prices of VAs