Thanks, Tess!
Not to complicate matters, but is it true that in spite of the definition you just articulated, when you say "outsourcing" people think of the phone bank in India that does support for their computer?
Or they think of sweatshops in Taiwan or something?
Am I imagining this?
It's certainly true that what we do seems to fit the definition of outsourcing, but I wonder if there's a confusion in the public mind. Because there really is a big difference here ....

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

AWESOME thanks for the info. Just what i needed and was looking for.

Yes, definitely - I would agree that as a general rule people associate the term with exactly the kind of situation you refer to (offshoring, or offshore outsourcing). Particularly with people writing books that propose entrepreneurs and business owners 'outsource' to a VA for '$5.00 per hour' - there's NOwhere in the States you can find effective competent help at that price...elsewhere, certainly.
Yet another thing to work a bit of education and outreach about when talking to clients and potential clients

Tess is absolutely correct in stating people are looking for the $5.00 VA -- even in the US and other countries; and get quite upset when we quote our rates in the $50-$75 per hour range. What these lookers don't understand, often, is that they are not only purchasing time, but experience, knowledge, resources and often a support network of other experienced VAs, too.

It's an "education" thing -- and when many entrepreneurs promote offshoring at substandard rates (rates they wouldn't accept themselves nor be able to survive off of), ill-informed entrepreneurs jump on the "I want quality service at cheap prices" bandwagon, which can make it difficult for even mid-range priced VAs to survive.

This is an industry-wide challenge, and one we are beginning to address and need to continue to address before this misconception becomes even more widespread.

It is definitely one of the topics we will be covering at the upcoming Online International Virtual Assistants Convention.

I just had another experience with someone who wanted me to write 500 word articles for $10. This was actually a fellow VA, tho I don't know where she's located exctly, but it's somewhere in the US.
Y'know, this actually hurts my feelings ... what kind of product can she really get for $10, and if it's satisfactory am I in the wrong business? Cuz it takes me about an hour to write 500 original words (is that very slow?) and I just can't survive on $10 an hour.
What gives here?
VAs provide their own office and equipment, not to mention entire business setup and marketing, and offer specialized skills. We charge only for time on task. Because we are skilled, we produce more in less time. I truly believe we save business owners money.
What I want to know is, who is offering services at $10 per hour in the US and are they 1) producing quality work and 2) supporting themselves?
Kinda upset about all this at the moment ....

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

Hi Mary,

Sorry to hear that you've had a bad experience. I agree that $10 for a 500 word article is an unrealistic expectation and I am surprised that request is coming from another VA. My first question I guess would be how much does that VA charge for their services and what is their experience as a VA? We all know of people who have hung up their 'VA shingle' and really haven't done their homework. They either have an unrealistic expectation of what kind of income they will generate or have obviously spent no time researching the industry and the amount of work owning your own business entails.

Another point to keep in mind is that often you will see such bids on Elance and other sites for individual projects exactly such as this for ridiculously low amounts. I had subscribed to an outsourcing site to see if it could garner me any work and I found myself exactly where you were, how could anybody expect to make a living at those rates? My suspicion would be VA from countries like India would be the answer and the popularity of such an idea has grown substantially in the last year due to Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Workweek.

While it is upsetting to get requests like this repeatedly, I would try not to take it personally or as an attack on your own skill set. You, as a VA, have a set of skills that is valuable and just because others don't price you the same, certainly doesn't mean that you are not worth it! Another point to keep in mind is that you are targeting a certain client that will pay for your rates and it sometimes takes some time to tap into that market. Until then, when you get these requests, simply draft a suitable response turning them down and your reasoning why (a great opportunity to educate others on VA's and rates) and move on to the next one.

Hang in there, I know its frustrating to encounter this, especially if it happens repeatedly and easy to find yourself questioning yourself. It's also discouraging, but bite down (as I have to occasionally ) from your immediate whatthe?? reaction and just say, "Next!"

I hope this helps and good luck!

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Kate V. Kerans, Virtual Paralegal
Kerans Virtual Assistance More tasks than time? We can help!
Your Virtual Paralegal Blog

It happens - for all the reasons Kate mentioned and then some; within our own industry is especially frustrating but it reflects poorly on the VA who offered you such a meager rate and not on you at all.

You know what your services are worth and Kate's suggestion of using this situation as an opportunity to educate your potential client a bit is something I've often done myself.

If it's really put you in a place of feeling like you want to throw in the towel - try posting a gig (even on Craigslist) and ask for writing samples and rates - you'll be AMAZED at the poor quality of results you receive (and yes, even from high priced American VAs) and perhaps it will bolster your own confidence. I did this myself, early on in my practice to help me better 'rate' my skills and talents and fine tune my rates.
In the end I rest assured that I charge far less than other service providers who are offering very low quality returns.
The potential clients (VAs or not) learn the hard way - not much we can do about that

Hang in there!

Hi Mary Ruth,

No, a 500-word article in one hour is absolutely not slow! That's about what I average, and when I've mentioned to other people (non-writers) how long it takes me to write an article, they're always amazed at how little time it took! To receive a high-quality, well-written article in one hour, in my opinion, is quite a deal, and you should most definitely charge your full hourly rate. Tess has a great idea about submitting an ad to Craigslist or somewhere, just to get an idea of the quality of work and rates of your "competition" (I use that term very loosely); I just might try that myself! Unfortunately, I think some people just don't recognize the value in good writing, but there are others out there who will. Keep your head up; you'll find someone willing to pay for a high-quality writer such as yourself!

Kate, Tess and Tammi - You are all angels, and you have re-made my day!
The Craig's List idea is good, but I feel as though I already know that's true. One has only to spend some time online! Perhaps one in five websites is well written, and what passes for technical writing is so often ludicrous.
I am going to work on writing about why writing is important ....

I send you big heaps o' blessings for your good (and quick!) help today. Thank you all.

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

Personally I don't feel that Craig's List, elance or any of those others are genuine competition for us. They're filled up with hobbyists and people keen to make an extra buck here and there, or those who live in a much lower economic area than us, and are therefore, not native English speaking, reading and writing in most cases.

Unfortunately there are always going to be the 'tyre-kickers' looking for the cheapest job possible so they can get maximum return on what they themselves are doing.

I engage a 15 year old part-timer in my office and even she gets paid more than $10 an hour. I also pay her tax.

There is room for the professionals in this industry and that is those of us who operate genuine businesses and hone our skills. And then there will always be those who do it for a hobby or a bit of extra cash and therefore, do not look upon being a VA in the same way we do. It is disconcerting when the public out there get us mixed up and do not see the difference and it is our role to continue educating the public.

There is a document currently being put together by a group of 'senior' VAs at the moment that will be available for use by the VA networks and VA training organisations very soon which will also help in that regard. When I say 'senior' VAs I don't mean so much in age (although some of us are over 40) but more those who have been VAs and in the industry for several years.

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Kathie M. Thomas, VA Coach
A Clayton's Secretary, VA Blog