One of my all time VA heros, Stacy Brice, posted a terrific rant about how people outside the virtual assistant industry are trying to define virtual assistance. The virtual assistant industry is in a time of transition. People from varied backgrounds hang out their VA shingles. Some have years of administrative experience, others come from a technical background or even (heaven forbid) public relations. No wonder clients are confused about what a VA is and what a VA does. Client education helps, as do services like the AssistU Registry or the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce that strongly carry the message and are clearinghouses for the creme of the VA crop.
On the other hand, not everyone wants or can afford what a high end virtual assistant can offer. I think that it is good that a variety of options are available in the marketplace.
One of the things that clients are asking for more and more is help managing their online business. To give this help, a certain baseline technical knowledge is necessary. I have heard many potential clients complain that they cannot find a VA because the people they talk to, while bright and impressive, just don’t have the technical skills needed to be of help.
Do you have to have brilliant technical skills to be a VA — no. I don’t think that you do, there are clients that don’t need those skills and if you have a deep and strong network, you can find a way to get that work done for your clients either through subcontracting or referrals. Still, in order to refer, you need to know enough to know what tools and expertise is needed.
However, I do think that VAs who can learn the technical basics will find themselves at an advantage because there are clients out there who are really need (and are willing to pay) for those skills.
What do you think?
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