Virtual Moxie - The Cure For The Common Virtual Assistance Practice

Seeing issues distinctly--one piece of the relationship puzzle

Had this come up for me today in a completely different context, but thought I’d share it with you, ‘cause I know I do it sometimes, when I’m not paying attention…and noticing it can really help me right things that have gotten off track.

So, say you have a client that you’re generally quite happy with, but who, on occasion, can completely pluck your last nerve. And when that nerve gets plucked, you find that anything and everything that has bugged you, even on a small level, comes out of hiding and gets whirled up in the mix.

Next thing you know, you’re railing against nearly everything about the client—even things you didn’t really realize bothered you much--he’s unfair, impolite, too demanding, and, and, and…he deserves to be KICKED TO THE CURB!

Sound at all familiar?

What’s happening when this occurs is that you’ve collapsed some issues together in a way that’s not helpful, and can absolutely bring about fear, intense anger, overwhelm, and a feeling of everything being out of control.

In our example, for instance, something has happened to push a button/pluck a nerve. That’s one complete issue. All the other stuff that comes rushing to the surface may be very much real, and absolutely deserving of being dealt with—but it’s not part of, or included with, the button-pushing/nerve-plucking thing.

If you can see that, then you can see that there are two (at least) things to deal with, and by dealing with them one at a time, you stand a much better chance of regaining your calm, and being able to be responsive in a positive way, rather than over-the-top reactive. In turn, there’s a better chance of your being able to reconcile the issue with your client in a way that’s a win for you both—even if that win ends up being that you need to bring the relationship to a close.

And if you don’t bring it to a close, the process you go through to reconcile the issue will likely prevent it from happening in the future, and pave the way for you to bring up the other stuff that’s clearly been bugging you, so the two of you can try to work that stuff out, too.

Bit O’Moxie: Relational maturity is huge for VAs. It’s a fact that whenever something like this happens, your reaction is 80% about you, and 20% about the other person. Being able to see things clearly without collapsing issues that don’t really belong together is just one piece of genuinely getting clear enough to figure out what’s really going on, and then being able to address it calmly and clearly—taking things in your relationships with clients to the next level, or to completion (which can absolutely be a win for you both). Relationship issues weathered and gotten beyond always lead to a stronger relationship.

On "disappearing."

Danielle wrote a post about six weeks ago where she wrote about something I’d written in this post about creating safety in the relationships you have with your clients. Specifically, she thought that my writing, “No disappearing--even for a day or two,” ridiculously conveyed that VAs should behave like employees.

Because my language was obviously confusing for her and, apparently one of the commenters to her post, too, I thought it might have confused some of you, and I wanted to make sure to clarify--because making sure you understand what I write, and what I stand for is important.

So let’s review. Here's what I actually wrote:

“The more that you run your business according to the guidelines (standards) you shared with your client when you first consulted with her, and the more that the client can see that you take care of things as promised (with no wishy-washyness), the safer the client will feel, the faster the client will trust, and the further the client will bring you along into her world and her business.

The number one thing that’s required in this? Transparency. No hiding. No keeping secrets. No fibs, or worse, lies. No spinning the truth about your capabilities. No saying that you can handle something when you don't have the skills or ready resources to take care of it. No disappearing--even for a day or two. No gaps in communication.”

It seems to me, even as I re-read it now, that those two paragraphs, taken on the whole, and in context with the entirely of my three-part post would make it clear to anyone reading it, whether new to me or not, that I wasn’t suggesting that a person be an employee, or behave like one, chained to her desk all the time, but that, instead, I was suggesting that disappearing, without the client having any idea that the leave taking was happening, wasn’t appropriate. But apparently it wasn't clear, and I’m sorry for that. To be more clear, I have always believed, and so teach and coach VAs accordingly, that (in part):

• VAs are business owners, and should behave as such.
• VAs should never foster dependencies in their clients; there’s a vast difference between “depending on” and “being dependent upon,” and VAs shouldn’t allow clients to become the latter.
• VAs (in fact, anyone in business) should be courteous, responsive, and responsible to their clients.

So, in the context of the post which was about communication and transparency, and helping a client feel safe, “not disappearing, even for a day or two” simply means that you should keep your client in the loop as to what’s going on with you.

If you’re going to be away, and the client’s expectation (because of whatever sort of agreement you’ve made with her) is that you are always in your office at certain times, you really should let her know something different is happening, and let her know when she can expect you to be back in the groove. On the other hand, if you have an agreement with her such that she doesn’t expect that you’re in your office every day, then perhaps you need to do nothing at all. I still think that niceties are...well, nice!

Bit O’Moxie: It's great to have high standards, and explicit agreements that let clients know exactly what can be expected of you. Relationships thrive when well cared for. Whatever you can do to foster them is a good thing. In truth? There's never a disconnect between being/behaving as a business owner, and being/behaving as a courteous,kind, relationally responsible person.

Hope I've been more clear this time around. If you have any lingering questions about this, or questions about anything else, you know how to find me in comments, or by email!

Help MORE people by not compromising your fees

I’ve had occasion to read, recently, a concept I find intriguing. To be honest, I find it intriguing more in the way a human would be intrigued when seeing an alien for the first time, than anything else.

It’s the concept of pricing one’s services based on what clients who need help can pay. And it seems to come from a very real and genuine place—a desire to be of service and to really help the people who need help.

Where my head tilt comes in is that I don’t see how those who set their fees appropriately and don’t change them for anyone—regardless of circumstance--aren’t being of equal service and don’t equally help the people who need help.

I mean, the grocery store doesn’t change the price of eggs based on what each person who wants eggs can pay. Eggs cost what eggs cost, and, while perhaps sorry if someone can’t afford the eggs, the price is the price.

And you know, funny that…because even in this down economy that everyone talks about, eggs still cost whatever eggs cost. And your services should, too.

Bit O’Moxie: In the same way that you can’t have everything—because you’d have no place to put it all, you can’t work with everyone—because you’d kill yourself trying. Therefore, don’t lower your fees, don’t pay a lick of attention to what’s going on in this world, continue to do what you do, and charge your appropriately set fees for it—and not a lick less.

In doing so, you actually help MORE people. You make a difference for those you help, and shine a light for all those who think they need to do more for less, or who would ask you to do more for less. By showing them that you are successful without compromising you show them that they can do it, too. And honestly--a hand up is usually far better than a hand out.

And for those who need help and can’t afford it from you? Trust that someone, somewhere, will give them what they need, think good thoughts for them, and send them on their way. You can’t possibly help everyone, nor should you try.

Cool language for hot situations--what do you use?

One of the things I love doing is creating great language to be used in a variety of situations business owners face. I find that having strong language at the ready allows people to go into nearly any situation usually including discomfort, fear, or uncertainty, with an increased degree of self-confidence.

For example, many an AssistU-trained VA would tell you how supremely helpful it’s been to have this sentence in their language toolboxes: “Given what you’ve shared, I’m not the right VA for you.”

The reason? It’s useful in sooooo many situations, and customizable to fit the circumstance! For instance:

• When a prospective client has shown he sees you as less than an equal and you want to close the door and walk away
• When a prospective client questions your fees or asks you to reduce them and you want out of the conversation
• When a client has walked all over your standards, trounced boundaries you’ve put in place to protect them, and having had enough, you just want to end the relationship
• When a prospective client tells you you can’t possibly be successful given that you don’t do cart work and you want to send her on her way

What language have you crafted or heard over the years that you now keep at the tip of your tongue for those situations when you need to bring a Bit O’Moxie to the table?

I look forward to learning from your comments!

VAs are NOT cheaper than employees

As you mosey about the Net, you’ll see charts posted (perhaps you even have one on your own site) that show how working with a VA is less expensive than hiring an employee.

I have a fundamental issue with these kinds of charts. They’re not presenting an accurate picture. And what got me to write today is that I saw a tweet where a VA was explaining to a client that it’s a good deal to work with VAs because, in part, the client wouldn’t have to pay for benefits. A URL was then given to the VAnetworking comparison chart.

As for what the tweet said? It’s bunk. Clients absolutely DO pay for the Vas' benefits.

And chart makers really are coming from the right place--but what's being taken away from the charts is fundamentally incorrect.

So let’s take a look at all of this stuff. And let’s use the VAnetworking chart as an example. Here’s what it shows:

Now here’s my view on this, item by item:

Hourly Rate of Pay

Employee = $20 (btw, based on the US Dpt of Labor, an admin/office manager at the top of her pay grade would be making more like $22.89/hour
VA = $30-$100+

The VA’s hourly rate is what it is because she should have all the skills of the employed admin, plus, she has additional responsibilities (due to working virtually) that employed admins don’t have to have.

Fringe Benefits

Employee = $7 @35%
VA = Whatever it actually costs the VA to replace the sorts of benefits she would have had in the corporate world. Those costs are likely to be higher than 35% of her base hourly rate, because corporations have greater buying power for some of those benefits than do solopreneurs. No one client absorbs all the expense, but each pays part of it.

Overhead Rate

Employee = $10 @50%
VA = Based on actual cost, again—although significantly lower than in the employment scenario. It’s true that clients don’t have to have physical space, or pay various taxes/insurances, but there are other expenses clients DO have when working with VAs. There are times when clients may purchase equipment for their VAs to use because it’s specific only to them, and a VA would have no reason to have it, otherwise. Clients also routinely reimburse VAs for costs of postage, phone expenses, education, travel—all sorts of things.

Certifications/Experience (not included on the chart, but begs to be considered!)

Employee = An employee at the top of her pay grade can get all the certifications and special knowledge she wants, but hitting that ceiling is hitting that ceiling. She’s not going to “cost” her employer more in hourly expense beyond a certain point.
VA = Every new certification, every new skill mastered, even niching at a high level and gaining expertise in the needs of a specific group makes the VA more valuable. As a business owner, she has no ceiling on her fee, and appropriately raised, it’s absolutely passed on to the client.

At the end of the day, no matter what, an administrative employee is likely to be maxed out in cost to an employer at something under $50/hour.

So, to a certain financial point, VAs aren’t more “expensive” than employees—but that’s quickly moved beyond as a VA grows. Look at the VA Networking chart. In reality, how many of your VA colleagues do you know who are billing at just $35/hour? That’s barely profitable. And if you swap out the figure for a $50/hour (or more) VA, the figures on the chart are blown to hell. Actually, the value of that chart is blown all to hell if the VA’s fee just exceeds $37/hour.

On the flip side, what clients get from VAs is exponentially greater than what they could get from employees—in terms of abilities, attitude, mindset, and commitment. And they get the added benefit of far less hassle—especially physical, and legal. They also may get to save by paying just for the time they need, but that’s solely dependent on how much time they need.

The more time they need, and the more they need from a top-notch, experienced VA, the more it costs. And at some point, comparing just dollar for dollar, it’s kind of easy to make the mental connection to being able to get more time from an employee for the money. But that still doesn’t address the added abilities the client gets from a top-notch VA that exceed what he’ll ever get from an employee with skills gained through employment.

And the reality? Very few clients using VAs will ever really need to so much time that hiring employees is a better option.

By way of example, sure, if you have a $37(complete compensation package/overhead cost) employee working 40 hours/week, that’s almost $77K/year. A $50/hour (complete) VA would cost $102K for the same amount of hours worked. But it’s the rare client who needs that much help. The very rare client. It’s far more likely that the client, with a high need, would buy something like 50 hours/month. And that would cost just $30K/year. The more “usual” client AssistU VAs see who need 10-20 hours/month would be paying $6K-$12K.

If a client needs 10-20 hours/month to accomplish what he needs done, then paying an employee is absolute overkill. In fact, it then becomes far more wasteful than working with a VA at a higher hourly rate.

I’ll say it again for the umpteenth time: Virtual Assistance was never intended to be the inexpensive alternative to hiring employees. It was intended to be the efficient, effective, and convenient one. (Do feel free to quote me, please!) And it is exactly that. But that comes at a higher price, as most conveniences do. It also comes with greater benefits.

VAs need to stop trying to make a case for being “cheaper” than employees—we just aren’t. It’s not a place where we need to compete. It’s stupid in the extreme, especially since it’s not true. Where we make sense is not in the dollar-to-dollar comparison, but in the effective/efficient/convenient—and even the GREEN comparison. Overall, for most clients, working with VAs is absolutely going to result in a cost savings over hiring employees.

Virtual Assistance best serves unconventional thinkers. If clients can’t wrap their heads around the reality that VAs present a unique opportunity for them to get the high-level administrative support any business owner/person needs to move forward strongly, and/or don’t want to pay for the convenience, they should absolutely feel comfortable going the employment route. And you should feel equally comfortable helping them see that path clearly and quickly.