I agree with you Maryann...but I think you are misunderstanding my point. What I'm trying to get at is the fact that Dr.'s and Lawyers don't make a big point of telling people "You don't have to pay my vacation or my equipment or my sick days"...people EXPECT those things to be worked into the price. I am not suggesting it's wrong to give your price up front...I'm just suggesting we shouldn't undervalue ourselves. Just like all professionals (Dr's and lawyers included) - we have to charge our full worth worth and not make a big deal about it.

__________________
www.thebrainygal.com

Maryann, I agree completely. Everybody knows that the fees for physicians and attorneys include these things; they don't necessarily know that for VAs. (Most don't even know what a VA is...LOL!)

I understand what you're saying, Lisa, but when I mention these things I'm doing it as a selling point, showing the positive comparison to an in-house admin assistant or transcriptionist, not to a physician or attorney. I'm pointing out the advantages of having an VA instead of an in-house employee, which includes the vacation, sick days, equipment, insurance, etc. (Plus I think it re-emphasizes the fact that we will not be their employee, but a subcontractor.)

I definitely agree we need to be professional in how we word things (definitely don't say we do mundane work!), but I don't see a problem at all with mentioning these positives of a VA over an in-house admin assistant, or listing our prices.

__________________
Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in Richmond, Virginia
The Perfect Word Transcription Service

I agree to a point. Informing a potential customer of all the reasons you 'cost less' than a traditional employee is definitely going to entice someone to hire you. But on the flip side of that - convincing a potential customer of all the reasons you are MORE valuable than a traditional employee would have them willing to pay even more for your services! It all comes down to how you want to market your business - and what type of client you want to attract. Also - if you are NOT working the price of your equipment, sick days and vacation into your fees - you should be! We deserve to be paid for those things, like all professionals are.

__________________
www.thebrainygal.com

I knew I had "mundane" somewhere. Reviewed my website - not found - great! Then my Facebook page - there it was! Thanks so much for the heads-up!

__________________
Penny Fant
www.pennyfant.com

Thanks Lisa. Reading this certainly made say WOW and to be more cautious about choosing my words.

__________________
Myriam Walker
www.walkeradminservices.biz

LOL - I wish you could all see my first website when I had that "I do your mundane tasks while you get on with your more important work" line. It is SO common on V.A. websites! It's time to abolish that phrase. I loathe it. (Not to mention it is so overused...boring!) Glad if I can help a little! XO

__________________
www.thebrainygal.com

Great article Lisa, what a conversation starter. I do advertise that you do not need to pay for office space, vacation, etc. however I list them under costs savings to you the client and then again in the FAQ section of my site so that if you are new to working with a VA then here are some benefits.

I too was guilty of these things when I first started. The industry was new and the items needed to be explained. That does not mean that it could not be worded in such a way as to devalue my services so I decided to rework that information. Lets face it people do want to hire us to do "mundane" tasks that they cannot do efficiently or effectively. So let us let them know that we can do those but in a way that does not sound so bad.

I loath the one hour for free. If you want people to give you a try out then offer them a discounted package. I offer a getting to know you package where you get 5 hours for the price of 4 and no contract required however I do have a basic agreement that outlines the terms without all the legal jargon. If you offer one hour for free then people are just going to use you for one hour and move on to the next one hour free deal.

I also agree about the doctor, lawyer comparison however I feel that this is pitting apples against oranges. Those professions are long established while virtual assistance as office and business support is still new in the game. Thankfully it has been pushed to the forefront over the last couple years but people equate the profession with office help and support so you need to let them know the reasoning that it just makes sense to get the help you need without all the headaches of traditional employees.

I am all for holding our profession in the highest esteem possible but I believe that sometimes we try to justify our rates with the profession instead of justifying our rates based on quality and experience. Some people think VA is now a dirty word. I refer to myself as a business and administrative consultant as well as a VA. Not because I do not want to be called a VA but because much of my business is working with clients to set in place process and procedures and streamlining functions beforehand.

__________________
Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Originally Posted by leedrozak

Great article Lisa, what a conversation starter. I do advertise that you do not need to pay for office space, vacation, etc. however I list them under costs savings to you the client and then again in the FAQ section of my site so that if you are new to working with a VA then here are some benefits. I too was guilty of these things when I first started. The industry was new and the items needed to be explained. That does not mean that it could not be worded in such a way as to devalue my services so I decided to rework that information. Lets face it people do want to hire us to do "mundane" tasks that they cannot do efficiently or effectively. So let us let them know that we can do those but in a way that does not sound so bad. I loath the one hour for free. If you want people to give you a try out then offer them a discounted package. I offer a getting to know you package where you get 5 hours for the price of 4 and no contract required however I do have a basic agreement that outlines the terms without all the legal jargon. If you offer one hour for free then people are just going to use you for one hour and move on to the next one hour free deal. I also agree about the doctor, lawyer comparison however I feel that this is pitting apples against oranges. Those professions are long established while virtual assistance as office and business support is still new in the game. Thankfully it has been pushed to the forefront over the last couple years but people equate the profession with office help and support so you need to let them know the reasoning that it just makes sense to get the help you need without all the headaches of traditional employees. I am all for holding our profession in the highest esteem possible but I believe that sometimes we try to justify our rates with the profession instead of justifying our rates based on quality and experience. Some people think VA is now a dirty word. I refer to myself as a business and administrative consultant as well as a VA. Not because I do not want to be called a VA but because much of my business is working with clients to set in place process and procedures and streamlining functions beforehand.

Lee, I like the idea of getting x amount of hours for the price of y. Do you mind if I come up with something similar? I have been to websites of (or worked with) a lot of VAs in Australia and I know it's not something we typically offer though I see a lot of merit in it.

I like the reference of a Business and Administrative COnsultant too. Yes I am a VA, I do help with the day to day tasks but a majority of my clients want me to help them streamline their processes so their business can run more efficiently. That can be anything from creating a welcome pack or an operations manual or a survey for new clients to fillout to brainstorming and implementing marketing and advertising ideas. Sometimes it's even researching and reviewing their pricing. I feel like I am more a consultant so while I want to educate people on Virtual Assistance I feel 'Consultant' fits me more.

Also, I am going to take the advice and 'play down' the 'cost effective' and 'mundane tasks' because lets face it EVERYONE says that. It's tired. It's boring and it really does make us seem like we are underselling ourselves.

My site is getting a complete overhaul. I'm going to mention it in passing (the cost comparison) but what I am really going to selling is my skills, diverse as they are, the quality of my work, my availability (as I can be available outside of business hours with prior arrangement) and things like that. I'm going to start seeing myself more as an 'investment' than 'hired administrative help'. I am worthy of the price I charge so I need to start acting like it I guess!

__________________
Josia T Denton Technical Virtual Assistant: For Businesses + People on the Go!

Great post! When I first opened my VA business I took on a 3 month internship making zero dollars! I finally got the nerve to ask for a per hour fee and the client agreed. I don't suggest starting the way I did.

__________________
Your Marketing, Research and SEO assistant www.buckeyeva.com

Guilty as charged! I just sat there reading the article like 'I have alternate words on my site that mean the VERY same thing' smh. Looks like it's time for another small site edit session. Thanks so much for the very valuable language session. Greatly appreciated...

__________________
FREE Ebook and Report from LDA