The real title of this blog post should be “The Crazy Amazing Benefits of Hiring a Real-Life Virtual Assistant Instead of Doing Everything Yourself or Relying on Technology.”

But that’s not catchy.

I hear it all the time. “With all the technology today, why should I hire a virtual assistant?”

Simple. Technology can’t replace human critical thinking, strategy, brand awareness, autonomous behavior, compassionate response, and much more – all at once.

Sure, there are plenty of ‘virtual assistants’ out there – Alexa, Echo, Siri, Google Assistant, and tools to automate your business. You can set up all your systems and hope they do exactly what you’d like them to do. But chances are you going to spend more time managing your tools than you will be working on your business and still none of those tools can apply years of administrative and business expertise to make sure you make the right decisions for your business.

Sold yet? No?

Here are five good reasons you should hire a virtual assistant.

1. Free Up Time and Energy. A virtual assistant will create space in your life for revenue-generating activities. By investing in someone to take over the tasks that bog you down, you are opening pockets of time and energy to put into your clients, your network, and your business strategy. Oh, did I mention you’ll have time for your personal life too? Groundbreaking, I know!
2. Agile Business Response. Have you ever been running between meetings and suddenly a client has an urgent and critical need? Imagine being able to respond to your client and make your meeting on time with a simple phone call or text. VAs allow you to respond appropriately to pressing needs without having to sacrifice other priorities. Even better, if your VA is monitoring your inbox, you may never have to sweat this small crisis to begin with.
3. Scalability Minus the Overhead. The financial benefits cannot be ignored. Virtual assistants come in many contractual shapes and sizes. Retainer, hourly, project-based. VAs can be hired to fit your current business condition and their support can ebb and flow with the normal course of business. All without the extra cost of traditional employees.
4. Expand Your Capabilities. Let’s face it – you may be good at what you do, but you aren’t likely good at everything. Also, there are a plethora of things entrepreneurs need to do that they don’t necessarily need to learn how to do. Think about it – is it worth your time to figure out to properly import your contacts to a CRM? Hiring the right VA can expand your usable skill set two or three-fold and save you the frustration and stress of troubleshooting tasks yourself.
5. More Than a Task Manager. Your first need for a virtual assistant will be someone to manage tasks. However, you will quickly realize you’ve also hired a strategic partner who will not only keep a sharp eye on your business but can also help you grow. VAs are naturally wired to find gaps in productivity and organization but we just can’t help being helpful in other ways. Get comfortable hearing the phrase, “Have you ever considered doing…” from your virtual assistant. It’s what we do.

Until then, stay productive!