3 Business-Boosting Practices For Virtual Assistants

Being a virtual assistant is a profession that is continuously evolving as much as everything else online. Change is constant when you’re working online, so you should always welcome it and adjust smoothly to new developments.

Being an excellent VA requires some initiative to be able to stay on top. This means that a VA should actively seek out relevant eCommerce business practices to foster growth. This has a direct impact on your professional life as these practices allow further upgrading of your knowledge and skill set. What are these business-boosting practices that a VA must start doing?

To start off, you have to always be in the know, and this doesn’t mean being updated with trivial office gossip. It’s all about knowing the latest news and information relevant to the industry or niche that your client is in. These can also refer to new practices and platforms that you can incorporate into your own daily work schedule. There are many ways to be able to acquire these pieces of information. Here are some of them:

• Networking

  Socializing is essential if you want to stay in the loop, and networking is a way of connecting with like-minded professionals. For VAs, it’s best to have a healthy communication with other VAs as well. This is best done by nurturing authentic relationships with other professionals that are in your niche. For example, if you are a writer, there’s no harm in asking another writer for tips and suggestions. Take note that this is a two-way relationship. You must be willing to help others when you are asked.

• Reading Blogs and Articles

  Reading is one of the best ways to stay relevant. If you have free time then by all means, use it to read. Be productive and follow bloggers who give useful information about your profession and business practices. A lot of bloggers offer timely advice and suggestions on how to do a specific task in a more efficient manner. In addition, be eager to share your learnings with other VAs. This shows your dedication and concern for them as well. In turn, they can give you beneficial tips when the time comes.

• Learning New Skills

  One of the most important characteristics of a great VA is the ability to take initiative. Even if it is not required of you, go ahead and take crash courses and attend free webinars. These are definitely business-boosting as they help you become and stay marketable. Clients like VAs who have a lot of skills. It’s always fun to learn something new even if it is not in your current repertoire. You’ll never know, you just might discover that you have a gift or knack for something completely out of your comfort zone. We have seen a lot of VAs time and time again crossover from being a customer representative to a social media marketer or a graphic designer. What they did was quite simply achieved through self-study.

There is no room for complacency when you are a virtual assistant. Getting hired for your skills is the first step, but remaining in demand is another. More often than not, some virtual assistants assume that this is enough. It’s smart to realize right away that there are so many other VAs who can be hired instead of you. What will make you stand out from the rest?

By practicing these simple e-Commerce business practices, you definitely increase your chances of being highly marketable. Always be in the loop, and be willing to help out other VAs as well. You are only as strong as the network you keep and the skill set that you have.

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20Four7VA recognizes the challenge of effectively managing an online business – and we are very eager to help. Our company specializes in eCommerce VIRTUAL STAFFING SOLUTIONS, providing customizable and scalable solutions to small, medium, and large enterprise business owners so they can focus on growing their business.

Ready to have access to incredible people with incredible skills in the most cost-effective way? Give us a call at our toll free number 1 (443) 856-4882 today!