By Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage
The phrase goes, “a jack of all trades, master of none” . This doesn’t necessarily instill a whole heck of a lot of confidence now does it? As part of my day, I find myself reading a lot of blogs and forum posts concerning business and especially as it relates to virtual assistance. I recently read a post concerning the myriad of services that many virtual assistants find themselves offering, and why it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It caused me to stop and think about just how that may be interpreted by potential clients and those outside of the virtual assistance industry.
As someone looking for a virtual assistant, would seeing an extremely long list of services cause you to be suspicious of just how good one person could be at all of them? Does it make you more comfortable to see just a small list of offerings, figuring it means they are more experienced in those few items? Let me share a little something with you that may change the way you think.
As a 40 hour a week employee, my most recent job description was ‘title processor’. I processed real estate title files from receipt of the order through to closing and in some cases, post closing. But within the scope of that job description the actual skills I employed on a regular, if not daily basis could be written out like this:
customer service, document creation, research, information gathering, phone support, data entry, filing, troubleshooting, scheduling, receptionist, transcription, office manager, computer tech, software instructor, balancing trust accounts and cutting checks, work coordination, paralegal and these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I was an experienced title processor, which gave me experience in all of these other items as well. And this was just one of my prior positions. Each position I’ve held has a similar list of skills that were required to do the job well. And we can add to that the things I’ve received training in, like writing, medical transcription, coding and billing and things I’ve learned on my own because I had an interest in them, like blogging and social media.
A virtual assistant brings more value to you because you’re benefitting from all of the knowledge they’ve gained through job, training and personal experience. I don’t offer services that I don’t feel 100% confident in, and I’d imagine that’s the way most VA’s operate as well.
So rather than cringing when you see a long list of offered services, just see it as a better chance of finding services that will fit your needs. Perhaps when it comes to virtual assistance it’s not a ‘jack of all trades’ it’s more like a ‘master of multi-tasks’.
If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.
I see no issue with a VA listing all the services he/she is 100% confident in.
From a consumer’s point of view, I want to know what you are the BEST at, not just “what you CAN do.” If I’m looking for a VA, chances are I’m looking for someone in particular, and that’s what I want to know first. I assume that you will probably know how to use the basics, like Microsoft Office. If not, you’ll know where to get the help I need.
We are living in times where one can no longer be a generalist entrepreneur. You need to set yourself up as distinct and unique from your competition.
The benefit to you, as a VA with a distinct specialty, is you can charge a higher fee than someone who does a little bit of everything.
I’m not saying it’s fair. But that’s just the way it is.
Interesting post, Tina, although as a frequent client of virtual assistants, I have something of a different take.
I think you’re right that many VAs have extensive experience that can’t be summed up in a short list of 2 or 3 core competencies, but I think long lists of services can be confusing, and not particularly helpful as a consumer.
Of all the services we’ve used over the years, the main decision factor was a “specialty” in the area we needed help with. For example, if I need a writer, I’d more likely choose someone “known” as a great writer (from referals, or even their website emphasizing that skill). A list of 100 services doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence in a specific one.
Just my two cents.
Thanks Tina, great post! I have found that most clients just assume I can do everything. I advertise as a marketing assistant but my clients don’t seem to have a problem shipping all of their receipts to me at year end to put into QuickBooks, or requesting that I type a transcript of a recording. I think that for many the term “Virtual Assistant” is assumed to be all-encompassing.
Thank you for posting this. I get “helpful advice” all the time about not listing so much stuff on my website. The fact of the matter is, I have a multi-va business so it’s not all done by me. The more I can help my clients out, the better.
Interesting post Tina. I learnt a huge lesson with having a laundry list of services. When I started my business, I did everything from administrative support, desktop publishing, bookkeeping, real estate support, web design, internet marketing to database management.
After a while, I began crossing off some services. I was just all over the place with many different tasks and began dreading work.
I’m now at peace doing internet marketing and web design and programming mix.
Great post - thanks! When I start listing the tasks I did at my standard jobs the last 20 years, you couldn’t fill a page. So when I get advice to find my niche - I have! For the other services, I have a multi-VA firm, so the things I’m not expert at, I have a team member who is an expert. More information at VAnetworking.com on finding the right VA for your business. Thanks again!
As a former VA and maybe will be once again, I do appreciate your article. It is true that all the experiences you have within a job, when listed individually, look like lots of stuff. But, as you said, they are all things learned within the confines of the job. I would never say there is something I can do, if I wasn’t confident that I could do it well. Especially as a VA because you have only your word and your work to keep you employed. Nice article.