Who wants to waste time and work for free? Surely no one does. And while I feel for those virtual assistants who at one point or another felt that they got screwed about work, I'd also have to look at the side of the client who's in turn paying for all the work done.
Having been on this game for quite a while now, you'd be surprised at the many faces that I've come across with. I've experienced not getting paid as well and some point in time. Analyzing the events that came my way and those whom I know, I've come up with the top 10 reasons why Virtual Assistants don't get paid.
Conquering the language barrier
We all speak English but there's always this certain vague spot when we communicate that in turn gets the client on guard. What most virtual assistants don't realize is that no matter how fluent we are with the language, it's the interpretation of what we write that makes a difference. It has always been a tendency for a virtual assistant to make good of their chat messages and emails. What I realized with this practice is that in an effort to look good or sound good for this matter, we end up sending the wrong message which often leads to misunderstandings, thus the client turns their back not even wanting to hear what you've got to say. It's best to keep it simple and not elaborate too much on what you want to say. Don't be afraid to ask or even admit to the client that you're getting a wrong interpretation of what he or she is saying. I'm thanking Jing and Screencast for this. These tools have helped me impart the real message that I want to convey without fear of being misinterpreted.
Letting your emotions get in the way
There are a lot of virtual assistants out there who has this tendency to take everything their clients say seriously. This practice normally leads to half heartedly done work and thus ends with the client walking away. I mean, seriously man... these clients need help to expand their businesses. We can't put the burden of our lives to them. It's supposed to be a professional relationship that's existing between the two of you. If you're too sensitive, chances are, you'd end up in a likely debate on certain things especially that which is work related. Continuing to argue would just make them turn their backs and walk away.
Getting Too Close for Comfort
Your virtual relationship with your client will not prosper if you'd always put color on everything he or she says. There's a thin line between being insulting and focusing on work. As things are, we can't quantify the kind of pressure they have on their shoulders enough for us to even understand why they're acting that way. The point of the matter is that we're there for a reason... and that's to do a job. Keeping a close relationship with our clients is normal. But let's keep that thin line in between so that your clients won't feel we're taking advantage of them. I had a client complain to me about this VA of mine who seemed to be spending more time on Facebook than the tasks she had on hand. Apparently, this Virtual Assistant in question didn't even realize that by being connected on Facebook, their connections can see that they're online. And by God, she didn't even know that there's such a thing as groups that you can turn off chat on. It's a stupid mistake on the part of the Virtual Assistant but I'd have to say you always need to be on guard when juggling tasks or things that you do. Otherwise, you'd have your own time sheet questioned because of your own doing. I had to take away that virtual assistant from my group after a lot of second chances and benefit of the doubt.
To further discuss on this issue as this is among the most usual problem that I see. There are times that when the client is trying to be nice, we tend to go overboard. It's like he gave a hand and we took the entire arm. I had this experience with the same VA that a client complained about. Her style is to befriend the client and then when she feels they're close, she'd start mellowing down on her duties. Perhaps she thought that "they're friends anyway." Then what happens is she'll just put hours in even though the production wasn't at par. You'd probably guess what happened. I got flagged with her time sheet and didn't get paid for the work she allegedly did. I sided with the client on that regard. How can i justify something that I can't quantify? Virtual Solutions is all about results. Without anything to show, how can we even charge hours worked?
Letting the Air into your Head
This is a normal attitude that goes along with being too emotional about everything. While I'd like to think that only a few "Virtual Assistant Wannabe's" act this way, there's always a 50 percent chance that you'd stumble into one in one way or another. A lot of beginners or what i normally call VA wannabe's often think that you've written a couple of articles and you're the best writer in town... or perhaps when you get praised on something, you're the bosses pet.
I don't know what kind of magnetism I have when it comes to attracting goof ups but I've had a few brush ups with these lot too. I've been more of a philanthropist when it comes to sharing what I know thinking that I can share what I know but would always perform the same tasks differently from those I teach. That's why it's so easy for my team to get penetrated by people who have a slight shortness on intelligence should I say. I saw the potential of teaching writing on one VA and I grabbed it. Who ever thought it would give an impression that he's the best? It would sure look bad if I'd have told him that he's all I've got to settle with at the time, wouldn't it? Nevertheless, I've always liked giving people the benefit of the doubt. I'm not really teaching new tricks. It's more like I'm teaching people how to view this job that I've embraced for quite a while. Anyway, he wrote a few that got through and he felt like he's up for a Nobel Prize only to realize that his type of writing only means something for clients who are not particular about content for as long as the keywords are there. Of course, this was devastating for the guy. It's not that easy to accept rejection.
Now I'm only listing my Top 4. I'm pretty sure a lot of you have other experiences to share. I can't help but smile whenever I hear virtual assistants complain about not being remunerated for their work. Having been in the business this long, I've learned that it's really a two-way process. You need to give respect in order to gain respect. So which one are you?
Mavic Buenaflor is a full time [
http://cybersages.com]virtual solutions provider who has been helping newbie virtual assistants find their place in the world of virtual assistance.� She operates a team of home based virtual assistants and provides optimum solutions at an affordable cost.
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