How about which services NOT to offer? - Virtual Assistant Forums

#1 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008

I have a personal, internal rant every time I visit a service provider's site and notice that they are offering certain services they are very CLEARLY not qualified for or skilled at

A few notorious examples and the why's of NOT offering these services:

-Editing/Proofing and Copywriting:
If your website has more typos than my grade-school aged cousin's last book report you are NOT qualified to offer these services. If you are outsourcing these services to other providers I still would not advise listing it in your menu of client-ready-options - there is a simple rule that is well worth following: 'If you can't do it yourself, don't outsource it.' That may not make sense in the here-and-now where you're sure you've got a 'great team' assembled to catch your overflow workload or make up for lacking skills when needed - but the first time one of those on your team drops the ball and you're left scrambling to pick up the pieces it will all gel with perfect clarity...

-SEO:
Knowing how to implement page titles or where to submit links does NOT make you an SEO expert. SEO is a field unto itself and takes solid attention to and analysis of ever-changing search engine algorithms and processes, understanding of how to do keyword research/analysis based on an industry ---> niche ---> target market ---> demographic ---> etc. (and no, these are not 'all the same thing'

) not to mention knowing how and where to look to know what the latest search trends are, what sorts of human cognitive behaviors go into searching and what makes people CLICK when faced with results.

-Web Development/Website Design:
This one I guess I take personally - but if you've built your site with a SITEBUILDER or other templating system, if you have ads on your site because you're hosted for free, if you own your own domain but your email address is STILL @yahoo or otherwise, if someone else has built your site for you, if you have installed a blog and a free template, if you have to use a hosted program for your contact form or similar, and/or you have to look up a how-to on things like fonts, link classes, image placement, or what a 'table' is (in fact, if you're still using tables left and right!) you are NOT qualified to offer web design services. Moving bits around a templating system does not a web designer make.

There, I said it.

Thanks for listening!

Feel free to back me up here so I don't sound like a raving lunatic

P.S. - this post today was actually inspired by a CLIENT, believe it or not - for whom I am building a site. He lists ALL of these services and then some and yet - Hamid and I are the ones making it look like he can actually do all that he claims he can. The nerve of some people never ceases to amaze

#2 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008

I have to totally agree Tess. There are often VA sites I see (and other industries) where is is blatantly obvious that what they're offering is not a good fit for the skills they have on show.

#3 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008

Totally agree with you. The bigger problem is if your list of services list things that you can't do then people start to doubt you can do the thing you do excel at. For example if you're a great graphic designer but your website stinks and you list both as services you provide I'm going to see your website and question you graphic design abilities.

#4 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008

You're definitely not a raving lunatic! I agree wholeheartedly. I'm amazed when I see people trying to pass themselves off as professional editors when their websites and/or freelance job submissions are riddled with typos. I mean, we're all human and mistakes happen here and there, but COME ON!

You make some great points, Tess!

#5 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008

As Tammi said, great points Tess. And you are far from a raving lunatic!

#6 (**permalink**) 07-15-2008

Please don't think me silly, but this kind of goes along with what's being said (I think). If a VA is very interested in offering editing/proofreading/copywriting, how do you go about acquiring these skills? Are there special classes you should look into or is it just a "know how" kind of thing.

I'm doing a lot of this for the one client that I have now and I love doing it except for the fact that she argues with every one of my suggestions even when I go to the trouble to look particular rules up online to prove to her what the current acceptable rules are (she's very old school). I even have to fight with her to correct some spellings. I've given up a lot of the fight since she's writing her grandmother's memoirs and it takes place mostly in the early 1900's, but still....geesh! lol

Anyhow, I was just curious if there are any special classes that someone interested in this service should seriously consider taking other than, of course, going back to school for an English degree.

#7 (**permalink**) 07-16-2008

You don't need to go back to school for an English degree (although it would look awesome on your resume).

Here are a few websites I have come across that will help you bone up on your English language usage:

http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml
http://www.usingenglish.com/resources.html

Also, you could offer your services for free (sort of like an internship) to publishing houses to get experience. After your internship, you might even be able to pick up a publishing house as a client.

#8 (**permalink**) 07-16-2008

Thanks, Shauna

I'll take a look at both sites when I get the chance and I love the internship idea. That might be something I could do to get my experience up while I'm still working full-time.

#9 (**permalink**) 07-16-2008

Hi Stephanie

I didn't mean to imply that a university degree or similar was necessary for any or all of the skills I wrote about...there are so many talented service providers who are solely self-taught.
It's more about truth in presentation than it is about education or actual work experience.

With that said - there are always loads of resources both online and off (many are completely free or just the cost of a book!) that can help you enhance your skills in any particular direction.

For writing skills one of the best real-life practices to improve spelling, grammar, and vocab is to simply read - read, read, read!

#10 (**permalink**) 07-16-2008

LOL... I do all of that. I also do a lot of proofreading at work and personally as well. One of my favorite things to do is to read and write (when I have the ideas and time). I'm one of those people that will read for fun, but then I'll also try to "disect" stories to figure out how they were put together and what part's grabbed and what turned me off (kind of nerdy, I know...lol)

I guess I was more wondering wether or not you could call yourself a professional "editor", "proofreader", or "copywriter" without special training or certifications.