This is an interesting discussion. I would have to agree that the best approach would be to inform your clients that you have an assistant (whatever the title) working with you. I find that some clients are particular and they want only YOU to work on their projects.

Communication is extremely important so I believe it is important to tell a client. You can put a clause in your contract that states this as well.

The other things from a subcontractor's point of view. If you're proud of the work your sub is doing. Shout it from the moutain top. You were the one that found this person and obvisouly work well together. So why now be proud and let your clients know you have a good team member

I think it is best to let clients know you are subcontracting so that they at least know that you are not the only one working for them. They might want to know the credentials of the people you work with. One the other hand, as it was mentioned in another thread, a business owner and its agents should not need to show their resumes. There should be trust from one business to another that you and your subcontractos will do a good job for the client.

This was very helpful. I don't do any marking so I was planning on using my assistant who has a degree in marketing and didn't know if I had to tell the clients or not.

Well on my website I make it clear that i have a "team" so it is pretty obvious from the get-go that I subcontract right?

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Alyssa Avant
http://alyssaavant.com

Alyssa if you have it clearly stated on your website, they should know that you have either a team of actual employees or subcontractors that you collaborate with to complete projects. I think it's pretty self explanatory.

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Progressive Business Partners
"Progressing your business to the ultimate level"

I am torn on this one. First of all yes up front honesty & I would also include in contract and assure the client that I would be overseeing the project.

I prefer using the term Associate rather than sub - personal preference but appears to me to be more professional sounding and respectful of the expertise of the person doing the work. I am hoping to obtain some "sub" jobs and I really want to be considered a right-hand and my expertise to be acknowledged.

ALSO I think the cake analogy is great - however they hire the Bakery and there is usually more than one person involved. I feel that when you have a group of team members (i.e. my family in Deb's Professional Services) you have more resources and should use the strengths of each. (I am SICK of filing and I have a daughter who loves it - I am anal enough to check every detail. I may be busy on one location but my husband can pick up or deliver papers - I still do the actual paperwork, notary, meet with client etc. Marketing and Mass mailing - a family affair! My daughter in law is working on Bachelor Degree and is hoping to start helping more if I get enough business - in transcription. But I would proofread etc.

I always try to put myself in the client's position. If I would want to know, don't they deserve to know? If you are open and up front with clients from the start you develop trust, and every good relationship needs trust to survive.
re:Shana, putting the info in your terms and conditions is a great idea.

I have my own clients but I also subcontract. One of the VA's I subcontract for at first I dealt with no clients, but eventually I did start dealing with clients. She has me bidding on projects and hiring other VA's and overseeing a team of VA's and doing any necessary training for her new VA's. So I deal with both the clients and the VA's that are subcontractors for her business.

She tells all her clients that she is an Virtual Executive Firm. Sometime this deters potential clients from contracting the services as they wish to work with individuals, but I usually tell them the pro's to having a multi-va team and that works sometimes.

I think if I was going to have a multi-va team I would not only address that in my contracts, but I would also express that on my website and marketing materials and I would mention the pros to working with a multi-va team.

Someone mentioned about losing their clients to other VA's. You need to put that into your contracts with both your clients and your VA's that they are not to contract with each other without your express written consent once a contract is signed it is legally binding and you can enforce that with the legal system. This will make some of them think twice before deciding to contract with each other.

The contract that I signed with the VA I subcontract for and do all those tasks I mentioned has a section in her contracts that I am not to solicit or contract with her clients without her express consent, and she also has a time limit set on it if I stop working with her I have to wait so long before I can contract with her clients individually. I think it's 3 years, but I am not looking at the contract.

At any rate an honest person (client/VA) will keep to the contract and you will not lose that client. I would never dream of taking someone else's client unless arrangements were made for me to do so through the person I am subcontracting for.

I have been given clients from a couple of VA's that I have subcontracted for. When I say given I mean that they talked to the client and the client agreed and then the client and signed a contract between them and my business.

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Given people's perceptions, I think that after your associate has completed the tasks successfully a couple of times, then it would be the appropriate time to inform your client(s). If you share the info ahead of time, your client will more than likely find some issues with the results of the projects. As I mentioned, it's the person's perceptions.

Of course, I would check the projects before handing it off to my clients for quality control purposes.

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Rita Cartwright, Founder
RJ's Internet Marketing Services