Page 241 - Social Media Marketing

230 Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

How much time do you devote to your business on a monthly
basis?

Who takes over your business while you are away on vacation?

Communicating with Your Virtual Assistant

Delegation is about handing over the authority, and for many sales-
people, this can be a scary concept, because you never know what
will happen when you give up control. To make delegating tasks
more comfortable for you and for your VA, provide detailed guide-
lines that include the following:

• A detailed description of the task or project.
• An explanation of the desired end result. If the VA completes

the project effectively, what will he or she be delivering to you?
• A deadline.
• An agreed-upon cost for the project or the hourly rate you

agree to pay.

VAs are tech-savvy, and that often means that you will need to
adjust your communication skills accordingly and learn some new
methods of collaborating with your VAs. Following are a list of
communication methods that VAs commonly use when working
with clients, and it helps to be skilled in all of these:

• Telephone: Just because VAs are usually on the Internet all
day does not mean that they are phone-free. Most VAs have
an office or home office phone number and a cell number, and
sometimes nothing can replace an old-fashioned phone call to
get your message across.

• E-mail: E-mail is probably the most effective communication
tool a salesperson can use to stay in touch with a VA. You can
send tasks, photos, product information, and anything else that
might help the VA complete the task.